| | Our Online Auction is LIVE! | |  | | | Our online auction is now LIVE, and we have some amazing items! Bid on artwork, jewelry, tropical getaways, gift certificates, classes, ski trips, and more. All proceeds will help support a healthy ocean and clean waterways. | | | | | | | | You’re Invited! Want to help protect the ocean and have a ball while doing it? Our team at the Inland Ocean Coalition is gearing up for the Masquerade Mermaid Ball, our 2020 virtual Inland Ocean Gala annual fundraiser just two weeks from today! The ball will be short and sweet (starting at 6 pm MT and lasting just an hour!) and will be full of entertainment and fun. RSVP here to get the event link and to be part of the event. The event will feature an MC, special guest appearances, videos, an online auction, and feel free to get dressed up like last year for a chance to be seen at the event. There will also be a merman contest, so be sure to register in order to cast your vote for the man who transforms into the most compelling merman! | | | | | | | | | | Thank You to Our Sponsors! | |  | Interested in sponsoring our event? Click here to learn more! | | | | | | Become an Inland Ocean Ambassador! | | | | Applications are open for our fall Ambassador Training! Our Inland Ocean Ambassador Certification training covers plastic pollution, marine protected areas, fisheries management and sustainable seafood, the power of storytelling, how we are Heartwired to love the ocean, and much more. The next session begins October 22nd and runs for 5 weeks. Each session will be held on Thursdays at 4PM PT/7PM ET during the training period. The application deadline is October 15. We are looking for applicants who want to be effective ocean and watershed advocates in their communities. While many of our regular volunteer opportunities are in person, this training will also cover ways to get involved virtually during COVID-19. | | | | | | | | Udall Introduces Legislation to Prevent Corporations from Dumping Plastic Pellets Into our Ocean and Waterways | |  | | | Last week Senator Tom Udall (D-N.M.) introduced the Plastic Pellet Free Waters Act in Congress. Currently, producers and shippers of plastic are allowed to discharge trillions of tiny plastic pellets directly into our waterways, year after year. “Trillions of plastic pellets leak into our environment from lax plastic producers and shippers, and the problem is only getting worse as big oil corporations ramp up their investment in plastic as their path to future profit. It’s time to end the avalanche of plastic pellets damaging wildlife and the livelihoods of entire American communities that depend on healthy rivers, streams and beaches. We can put simple solutions into action today to prevent plastic pellets from continuing to pollute and damage our health—we have no more time to waste.” - Senator Udall, author of the Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act Read more here. | | | | | | Today at 12pm ET, the House Natural Resources Committee held a hearing on the Environmental Justice for All Act, a stakeholder-led bill that will increase meaningful community engagement, collaboration, and environmental justice action to alleviate environmental racism nationwide. Thank you to Reps Raul Grijalva and A. Donald McEachin for their leadership to ensure equitable outdoor access for all. Big Oil Is in Trouble. Its Plan: Flood Africa With Plastic The New York Times and Greenpeace’s Unearthed recently uncovered that a lobby group representing oil and chemical companies has been urging the Trump administration to use a US-Kenya trade deal to expand plastic and chemical industry across Africa and to turn Kenya into a new hub for waste. The new law prohibits single-use plastic and paper bags, bans polystyrene food containers, and allows plastic straws only upon request - a huge win for US plastic policy. A recent report warns that exposure to even small amounts of harmful plastic chemical additives can result in cancers, damage to immune and reproductive systems, impaired intellectual functions, and developmental delays. Evidence suggests several chemical additives in plastic products and packaging poison consumers, harm the environment, and undermine recycling initiatives. Read more here. How Big Oil Misled The Public Into Believing Plastic Would Be Recycled NPR and PBS Frontline have found that the industry sold the public on an idea it knew wouldn't work — that the majority of plastic could be, and would be, recycled — all while making billions of dollars selling the world new plastic. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is accepting public comments until October 26th for an Environmental Impact Statement on Pacific Ocean Aquafarms’ application to operate a yellowtail offshore aquaculture facility off the coast of San Diego. Offshore aquaculture farms can pollute wild ecosystems and allow pathogen-infected non-native fish to escape, harming wild fish. Urge your Representative to vote NO on industrial ocean fish farms today! | | | | | | Inland Ocean Coalition
Boulder, Colorado
The Inland Ocean Coalition is a project of The Ocean Foundation, a 501(c)(3) | | | | | | | | | | | |
