Category: Ocean Ambassadors

Inland Ocean Ambassadors

Posted Web AdminPosted in Advocacy, Ocean Ambassadors, Uncategorized

As COVID-19 became a global threat in early 2020, we needed to rethink our in-person volunteer training strategy. With chapters around the country, going virtual provided an opportunity to take our volunteer leadership trainings online and expand our inland ocean community. The virtual Inland Ocean Ambassador Certification Program brought together 25 Ocean Ambassadors from 12 different states for a four-week intensive training on ocean leadership to further grow the inland ocean network. The inland ocean movement continues to serve as a voice for inland and coastal communities, and we were delighted to share that vision with our Ocean Ambassador cohort. 

Content from the four week session included how our stories and memories have shaped our relationship to the ocean and introduced topics like marine protected areas, The Thirty by Thirty Resolution to Save Nature, plastic pollution, the importance of ocean climate action, and how to be proactive in supporting key ocean legislation. We were honored to host  prestigious guest speakers Enric Sala from National Geographic Explorer, Amy Kenney from National Ocean Protection Coalition, and Colorado Congressman Joe Neguse. Our Ocean Ambassadors finished the training with the tools and inspiration to be ocean champions in their communities. 

We are thrilled to see our Ocean Ambassadors staying active and engaged with our Inland Ocean Coalition community. Since the training, our Ocean Ambassadors have created the IOC’s 16th chapter in Washington, D.C., published two op-eds, with 3 currently in review for publication, joined coalitions, organized cleanups, and will soon begin a cross-country dive adventure to educate and involve communities all over the nation in ocean protection. With a formal graduation set for December, we are eager to share further accomplishments from the first Inland Ocean Ambassador cohort.

If you are interested in joining our Ocean Ambassador Certification Program, please check our website for updates on when applications will open for the next program. We look forward to continuing to grow the inland ocean network with you! 

Campaigning to Support Our Sharks

Posted AdminPosted in Ocean Ambassadors, TopStory

Ocean Ambassadors is changing their game! We have proudly partnered with loveanimals.org, a campaign to save the sharks!

 OceanAmbassadors2015applybanner-4Screen Shot 2015-07-17 at 3.22.13 PM

 

 

 

Loveanimals.org is a crowdfunding campaign, #LoveSharks, launches to encourage shark enthusiasts and others following Shark Week to donate to online fundraising campaigns for nonprofit organizations working with sharks. Crowdfunding websiteLoveAnimals.org is hosting the campaign: http://www.loveanimals.org/lovesharks/

 

The organizations participating have joined together to raise money for shark conservation. Individual donors can support important projects to: organize a grassroots movement towards stronger shark bycatch rule enforcement, ignite an inland ocean protection movement, protect threatened thresher sharks, and to protest shark finning.

 

“Thousands of people participate in Shark Week every year,” said Dr Rob Moir of Ocean River Institute. “The #LoveSharks campaign aims to inspire caring people to donate to groups like ours – impacting shark conservation like never before.”

 

Launched in 2013, LoveAnimals.org helps non-profits raise money for animal projects by hosting free crowdfunding campaigns. Unlike many other crowdfunding websites, LoveAnimals.org is a non-profit organization and takes no administrative fees.

 

“Most animal nonprofits struggle to raise enough money to cover their operating budgets, let alone fund critically needed projects,” said Sarah Timms, founder of LoveAnimals.org. “LoveAnimals.org is a nonprofit, too, and our mission is to increase giving to animal nonprofits by empowering individuals to help animals.”

 

Social media is a key component of the campaign, and organizations are asking supporters to share with the hashtag #LoveSharks.

 

The #LoveSharks campaign can be found here: http://www.loveanimals.org/lovesharks

 

#LoveSharks benefits:

 

Media Contact: Jenny Brown, (512) 782-4438, jennyb@loveanimals.org

 

Follow LoveAnimals.org on Facebook andTwitter.

 

Launched in 2013, LoveAnimals.org is a free crowdfunding website that helps animal nonprofits connect with donors to raise money for critically needed projects. Learn more at:www.LoveAnimals.org

Join the Ocean Ambassadors Certification Program and Lovanimals.org in sharing our love for sharks by donating! 

“Take the DYPP” With COCO This Winter!

Posted AdminPosted in Event, Ocean Ambassadors

February has been a busy month for COCO and the Ocean Ambassadors between working on OA projects and setting up for some fun events!

Film Festival Flix – “North of the Sun” Screening 
On February 18th, there was a live screening in Denver of this film, where our Ocean Ambassador Kelsey Bartling participated in a live discussion following the screening.  You can still watch ‘North of the Sun’ when you purchase an all event pass for the Online Mountain and Adventure Film Festival, which will run throughout the month of February (You still have one day left to stream over 40 films!). To register for your pass, sign up at www.filmfestivalflix.com. Click on Mountain and Adventure Film Festival and COCO will receive a 25% donation of your pass purchase, when you enter the code “OCEAN.”

Blue Drinks  
This month’s event was held at the Hotel Boulderado and COCO supporters shared with us their love for the ocean! Check out the photos from this fun event here!  

Follow our Facebook page to keep up with the fun and educational events we put on or participate in!

Mark your calendars:
March 15th- Stream clean up!
COCO has adopted a portion of Boulder Creek between 30th and Folsom in Boulder. Ocean Ambassador, Jeff Radwick coordinated this project and will be holding monthly clean-ups and riparian restoration projects. The next cleanup will be March 15 and we will have a barbecue after at Rocky Mountain Anglers. Learn more about the event here!

 

OCEAN AMBASSADOR PROJECT UPDATE: 

OA_Audrey_Tobin-df70779f5a8075a95fe2296bf4ec62f3Ocean Ambassador Audrey Tobin is working on a unique pledge that asks people to actively help the state of the oceans both from their home and while on vacation. Learn more about this pledge below.

 How did you get involved with COCO OA Program?

“I heard about the OA program from my boss, Steve Weaver. He has always been involved with the Colorado Ocean Coalition and I had been to Making Waves (link) two years in a row. I knew that COCO was a reputable organization with a great mission, so I applied! I am so happy I was accepted.”


What was your favorite part of the program?

“My favorite part was definitely the time we spent in class. Being around a group of like-minded individuals all striving to achieve a common goal is always exhilarating.”

Tell me about your OA Project. 

“My OA project is called “Take the DYPP.”  DYPP stands for “Do Your Part Pledge”. I am asking individuals to pledge to actively help the state of the oceans by pledging to do certain things while on dive vacations or at home. There is a one-page guide that gives people some tips on what they can do in order to help protect the oceans. People can then sign and tell us what they are going to do to help. “Take The DYPP” will be launching on Bluthedive.org and Coloradoocean.org very soon, so make sure to check it out!”

Check back in March for more COCO news and events!

Ocean Ambassador aims to “Make Waves” with Jewelry

Posted AdminPosted in Ocean Ambassadors

The Colorado Ocean Coalition (COCO)  is fortunate to have many talented and creative Ocean Ambassadors (OA) working on OA projects that support and generate awareness for COCO. One of these Ambassadors is the feature of this week’s blog, Jesse Berggren. Jesse works at Swoon Jewelry Studios, where she makes jewelry. For her OA project, she is creating beautiful pieces that will benefit COCO.

The goal of the Make Waves Collection is to fundraise for COCO by selling as many as possible, with 20% of the sales being donated directly to COCO. Additionally, Jesse hopes the pieces will raise ocean awareness by being a conversation starter. To that end, she is including a little informational card that will go with each piece that states COCO’s mission.

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Green.Beer.Fest: a chance to celebrate craft beer and clean water!

Posted AdminPosted in Event, Ocean Ambassadors

Coming from New Hampshire, I was familiar with a slogan from the Piscataqua Region Estuaries Partnership (PREP) that said “Clean Water, Tasty Beer.” Many local breweries were on board and used this slogan to promote advocacy for clean water. When I came to Colorado, I was excited to see this same attitude applied in many local breweries.

On September 27th, 2014, Green.Beer.Fest kicked off its second year. This fest is a “day long Colorado craft beer, creative mashup, and indie music festival hosted in Boulder, Colorado” that celebrates “clean water and all its uses from farming to Colorado craft beer.”

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Bringing the Beach to Colorado…

Posted AdminPosted in Ocean Ambassadors

You might be wondering why there is an “Ocean Coalition” in Colorado, and furthermore why they are spouting out newly trained “Ocean Ambassadors” armed with the knowledge and skills to go out into the community to address “ocean issues.” I know that sea level rise is problem, but Colorado isn’t exactly ocean-front property yet…

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