DRI MEDIA RELEASE 8 JUNE 2018
FUTURE OF BAYS IN DOUBT WITHOUT COMMUNITY ACTION
The future health of our bays is being put in the hands of the community with an exciting new initiative being launched this Friday by the Dolphin Research Institute, coinciding with World Oceans Day.
‘i sea, i care’ COMMUNITIES invites the 5 million of us living around the bays to commit to simple actions that will help to protect our marine treasures.
Healthy, resilient bays are critical to our living marine treasures but also to the future amenity, and recreational and economic values of our region. Values that will be threatened by extremes of climate and population growth in the decades ahead.
Port Phillip’s filter feeders such as scallops, mussels, worms, corals and sponges act like a giant living aquarium filter. It’s estimated it would cost $11 billion per year to engineer this outcome! (i)
The biggest issue facing the bays’ living systems is from the pollution that washes from our suburbs every time it rains.
“If we can get only a fraction of us reducing what we allow to drip, drop or blow into streets and then flushed to the bay, we will make a difference,” said Jeff Weir, the Dolphin Research Institute’s Executive Director.
‘i sea, i care’ COMMUNITIES asks the community to:
- COMMIT to an Action: Clean up after your dog, reduce plastics use, join in citizen science.
- SHARE: ‘i sea, i care’ messages and your own stories.
- SUPPORT: Volunteer, Participate, Donate.
It’s easy to get involved by going to www.dolphinresearch.org.au and selecting the ‘i sea, i care’ COMMUNITIES link. You will find resources and plenty of easy actions we can all commit to.
“We understand the challenges for families and businesses with limited time and budgets, and that no-one is perfect,” said Weir. “We will help with ideas and encouragement and by finding small steps that we can all take. Together we will build a ‘Community that cares’ enough about bays to change how we live around them.”
The Institute is targeting to have 5,000 participants by the end of 2018 and then build this steadily over the decade ahead.
“Like all our programs, we plan in terms of decades. Our ‘i sea, i care’ School Ambassador program is 17 years old and has already developed 5,000 young and passionate environmental leaders. This next step for ‘i sea, i care’ will be no different,” said Jeff Weir. “Persistent, long-term programs are the only answer.”
‘i sea, i care’ COMMUNITIES is also about sharing stories about our wonderful bays and great things that many groups in the community are doing. It’s also about supporting the Institute’s work through volunteering, citizen science and donating.
An ‘i sea, i care’ COMMUNITIES launch / World Oceans Day cocktail function is being held at the Portsea Village Resort on Friday 8 June at 6pm. Book on www.dolphinresearch.org.au or 5979 7100.
Media Contact: Jeff Weir, 0419 356 388 | director@dolphinresearch.org.au Images available on request.
Downloads: Media Release pdf ‘i sea, i care’ COMMUNITIES document pdf
(i) Marine and Coastal Ecosystem Accounting: Port Phillip Bay. Office of the Commissioner for Environmental Sustainability. www.ces.vic.gov.au
Click below to go to ‘i sea, i care’ COMMUNITIES
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