Ruminations on Earth Day.
SAN FRANCISCO: My Earth Day celebrations usually involve reading a ton of environmental articles and shaking my head resignedly. Last week, while working on an environmental piece, I came across a zealous ambassador for nature conservation, who has grasped the true spirit of Earth Day and treats every day as one. Rachel Kippen, the program coordinator of Save our Shores is an environmental advocate working against single-use plastic pollution in California and in our connected marine ecosystems.
A self-confessed environmental hippie, Rachel discloses some highlights of her inspiring life and career; and childhood inspirations that shaped the course of her career:
“Growing up in Kailua was fundamental to engraining the malama ‘aina (living in harmony with the land) ethic that inspires me today.
“Being surrounded by the ocean allowed me to understand my vital connection to this environment. People talk about habitat destruction and degradation as it relates to other animals, but I feel like it is the destruction of my habitat, my home. It is where I find happiness and feel at ease, and if it is not healthy, neither am I.
“I’d spend hours surfing, snorkeling and kayaking and often be late to school. I was privileged to swim with sea turtles and tropical fish. In high school I noticed that some sea turtles had large white growths on them, impacting their ability to see, hunt and swim. I researched the tumors, and discovered that it could be due to human causes, thus began my study of the marine environment and the role we play in its protection. This definitely inspired my career path. I worked in the Education department at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco for a couple of years. I was drawn to the Monterey Bay and was thrilled to begin my career at Save Our Shores (SOS) starting last July.”
For most of us, Hawaii conjures images of an idyllic paradise, but Rachel’s realistic recount of the Hawaiian landscape beyond the tourist hotspots, is dismaying and thought-provoking:
“Islands tend to be magnifying glasses for the ocean, especially Hawaii. As it is the most remote location on this earth and in the middle of the Pacific, it is impacted by plastic pollution from all over the world. Most of the plastic appears very weathered as it could have been at sea for months or years. There is also a ton of microplastic (plastic that has broken down into tiny bits).
“As a child exploring Kailua’s white sandy shoreline, I’d pass hours picking seashells from the high tide line. Returning to Kailua for the holidays, it is impossible for a peaceful beach walk today. A minefield of plastic fragments consumes my field of vision. I frantically pick up as many bits as possible, recognizing my white sand is now neon. I often find differentiating the organic from the synthetic a difficult task. If I can’t tell a shell from a shard, how would our endemic albatross know fish scales from plastic debris? This is not my childhood sanctuary.
“As an isolated island environment, it is high time that we reconsider our plastic footprint. Increased population, lack of landfill space and an overwhelming mass of material that never fully breaks down is an equation that will never add up no matter how many ways you dice it.”
The devastating threat to the oceans:
”All of the threats facing the ocean are connected, from overfishing, to sea level rise, to ocean acidification to plastic pollution to oil drilling. Our biggest threat to the ocean and to this planet is our mass consumption.
“For me personally, it is not only scary that we have tons of garbage impacting our marine life and harming the food web. I am terrified by the volume of plastic in our gigantic ocean as it is indicative of our consumption rates. Our appetite for single-use plastics has a huge footprint on our atmosphere which directly impacts our ocean health through climate change and ocean acidification. The health of our ocean determines our health on land.”
The Accomplishments and Challenges of her SOS tenure:
“SOS was founded in 1978 in response to the Santa Barbara oil spill. We were instrumental in advocating for strong polices to protect the Monterey Bay from oil drilling and help to establish the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. We run programs in San Mateo, Santa Cruz and Monterey counties where we coordinate over 200 beach cleanups every year . Our Advocacy against single use plastic bags and Styrofoam has led to local plastic bag bans and polystyrene bans, We do outreach education and education in local schools, and through our Dockwalkers program, we do boater education and outreach to prevent oil spills We have an average of 9,000 volunteers every year.
“Every day is a new day and always presents a new challenge. When I first learned about these issues, I felt overwhelmed with the idea that I did not have the ability to really do anything about it. I am constantly rewarded by the fact that I get to work at Save Our Shores because I know that I am taking actions every day that will directly help our ocean and will empower others to help our ocean”.
Rachel’s tips to make every day, Earth day:
“Political leaders, businesses and individuals can turn the tide on our tremendous waste waterfall. Voluntarily giving up single-use plastics in your home, at school and at work will create a domino effect. Support and encourage local legislators and their efforts to ban single-use plastics.
“As a consumer, vote with your dollar. Buy items with less packaging and. Remember to bring your own bag, bottle, take-out container and silverware. Examine your life/footprint critically, like energy use, transportation, etc. Become an educator. Engage others in any way you can. Be innovative!”
(Zenobia Khaleel has donned a lot of hats; writer, photographer, travel enthusiast, troop leader, amateur actor, event coordinator, and community volunteer, but predominantly goes by the title Mom.)
To contact the author, e-mail: zenobiakhaleel@americanbazaaronline.com