Oceanographer Sylvia Earle delivers positive Earth Day message

MORRISTOWN, N.J. — Dr. Sylvia Earle delivered a positive lecture about the distressing reality of the oceans at Morristown’s Mayo Performing Arts Center Wednesday, April 22 in honor of Earth Day. The famous scientist, who plied the depths of the ocean for decades, offered the free talk to hundreds of audience members.

The 90-minute event coupled Earle’s stories of breaking into the male-dominated world of ocean research with her dedicated hope for the future of this blue planet. Before even taking the stage, visitors had the chance to hear the scientist’s long and impressive resume, which includes being dubbed “Her Deepness” by the New Yorker and New York Times, and her role as a National Geographic Society explorer-in-residence. During the talk, Earle didn’t focus on the resume’s bullet points; instead, she seemed more interested in providing details behind her many explorations of the beautiful blue mass so many people take for granted.

Some funny one-liners were interspersed with more scientific data, providing the event with an educational background and accessibility. Video clips, including highlights of her many dives, broke up the evening into different sections and provided talking points for Earle. The evening finished with a slideshow that presented more evidence of the ocean’s uniqueness and humanity’s need to save its wonder. From luminescent fish to a whale shark with its mouth wide open, the visuals let the audience slip into the ocean for a few minutes with no fear of getting wet.

The activism part of the lecture was presented with a positive slant: Earle is a supporter of awareness. If people become aware of the unique qualities of the ocean and its majestic examples of life, it’s hard not to care. She discussed the perils of climate change, the damage of the shark-fin industry and the need to protect water environments in a similar fashion to the United States’s national park system. However, for each doom-and-gloom statement, there was a devoted exhortation of the opportunities that humans have to turn things around.

Mission Blue, in partnership with the Sylvia Earle Alliance, attempts to create these marine-protected areas. “Hope spots” are “critical” parts of the ocean worthy of protection, and it appeared several audience members left Morristown with a thought, and perhaps a purpose, to increase the number of these environments and focus on the positives in such a blue, blue world.

By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com