Photo: Rising Tide Summit
Nothing gets me more excited than a group of people getting together to brainstorm solutions to big issues. Call me a nerd, sure, but there’s no denying the power of discussion.
Over the past three decades, I’ve attended summits and conferences focused on Earth’s most valuable resource: oceans. I noticed that many of those gatherings lacked an open-forum discussion on real, scalable solutions to the issues. As a response, I created the Rising Tide Summit in 2018 to bring local businesses, non-profit leaders and students together to collaborate and come up with real-world solutions.
The only way we can inspire radical collaboration is if we all work together and here’s exactly why local businesses, entrepreneurs, and students should be motivated to do just that:
Take charge: Businesses are the source of most of the major issues our oceans are facing and they need to be the ones driving the conversation towards solutions.
Take action: Encouraging business leaders to go beyond discussion and take action is what it takes to solve big problems, like the environmental degradation of our oceans.
Build community: Meeting and working with your neighbors who share a passion for finding scalable solutions will inspire brainstorming.
Promote community activism: Local businesses are the backbone of communities. Being active in your community and giving back to those around you will help inspire others to do the same.
Innovation: Each presenter is making a tangible and measurable difference today without grandstanding or false promises.
Network: Everyone who attends the summit is working toward the same goal–to create global solutions to global problems.
Get inspired: What’s better than finding a group of like-minded people who share your passions? In my mind, nothing. The summit is a wonderful opportunity to meet new people, share ideas, and enjoy the company of people working to save our oceans.
So why should you attend this summit?
Learn about new groups: Take the Business Alliance for Protecting the Pacific Coast, for example, who are opposed to new or expanded offshore oil drilling. The alliance is also quickly becoming a great example of how a coalition of non-profits and businesses across three states are able to work in collaboration.
Plastic pollution picture: Brands are eager to embrace new recyclable synthetic fabrics for greater sustainability, but what are the impact of those materials on the environment? Learn more about how we can embrace innovation while making sure our planet is protected.
Get out and vote: Hear from the founder of the Environmental Voter Project on how we understand why and how people decide to vote and how that leads to exciting news for the environmental movement.
Work for a healthy future: The Surf Therapy sector’s vision is to create a world where the lives of people dealing with physical, mental and social disadvantages are enhanced through the therapeutic benefits of surfing and a healthy, clean ocean.
Drive change: We have the power to move markets in the right direction when it comes to protecting our ocean under a blue economy.
If you’re at all interested in the health of our oceans and protecting this natural resource, then you should attend the Rising Tide Summit. This is an amazing opportunity to meet people who are dedicated to working on solutions.
The second annual Rising Tide Summit will take place Wednesday, March 27th and Thursday, March 28 at The Plaza at Cabrillo Marina in San Pedro, California. Wednesday will feature Nathaniel Stinnett’s keynote address, “We’re Winning the Battle for Hearts and Minds. Now Environmentalists Need to Vote.” Thursday will feature Shaun Tomson’s keynote address, “The Power of Purpose.”
Editor’s Note: For more information, visit risingtidesummit.net and follow @votetheocean and #risingtidesummit
