Today’s Blue Planet is one where communication, of all types, is on the front line. Be it various modes of media, the press, or even social networking. Everyone is connected in a variety of ways that are quite frankly, making the telephone obsolete.
With Internet communications and simply access to the web, SO SO SO much information is at available for our thirsty sponge of a mind. This means there is competition for eyeballs. He who screams the loudest gets the most view time, and their message, accurate or not, is the one that is heard. It’s a fact of life.
That being said, it is our duty as consumers and citizens of the planet to develop our filters. We need to screen so much information day to day to get passed the garbage, and to the meat.
What does this all mean for ocean and environmental go-er’s? Well, everyone is lobbying ‘green’ (or ‘blue’) these days, and looking for a few cents out of your wallet for their mighty cause. The environment benefits, right? WRONG. I urge you, as the filter feeders of today’s information superhighway to figure out how many of these campaigns are actually doing much of anything, other than campaigning. Sure, this raises some degree of general awareness, but lets get to the roots here…who is actually getting something done, what is it, and how do we measure the impact of our dollars hard at work. This holds true for teh grassroots organization down the street right up through government agencies. Put MY money where YOUR mouth is, and let’s get it done…it’s about time.
On the flipside, since there’s always one, for the true do-er’s out there, don’t be afraid to talk your walk. You deserve it, and your efforts only stand to be strengthened by getting the word out there.
My point in this whole rant is this…seems like everyone is saying ‘save the ocean’ and ‘be green’. That’s peachy. Let’s first identify who it actually is that’s getting the job done, at any scale, and get behind them. Just about anyone, with teh right tools and resources can get your attention, even with good intentions, but I challenge you to do your dilligence and look beyond the talkin’ to understand the scope of impact of their work. Strength in numbers that support the do-er’s will carry the message onward, and in an even more impactful way than any mainstream web of talkin’.