Holter in the shark tank.
Photos courtesy of the Newport Aquarium
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On October 18th I was lucky enough to serve as Honorary Captain of Nauti Nite, the fundraising gala for the WAVE Foundation at the Newport Aquarium in Newport Kentucky, which sits across the Ohio River from Cincinnati. My work on Wasted caught their eye, and Planet Green was nice enough to donate some items to the silent auction that made up a large part of the fund-raising. The WAVE Foundation focuses on youth education initiatives, using the aquarium's facilities to show kids hands-on how important and fascinating nature--and in particular our oceans and waterways--can be.
As Part of the weekend the wonderful Foundation and Aquarium staff allowed me to tag along behind the scenes for a day, diving in the Shark tank, feeding the Gentoo and King penguins, even helping maintain the snakes and getting a little quality time with Gustav, their resident octopus. It was all amazing. Also amazing was watching the African Penguins--Paula, Simon, and Randy--do their own versions of Jackson Pollack, painting flightless avian abstractions with their feet.
And every second of it drove home the importance of caring for our environment. So I suggest this: link your deeds with your world by going to the zoo or aquarium nearest you during the same trip you use for an environmental cause. If you drop your recyclables off at a center, go straight to the zoo from there. If you take a load of clothes to a second-hand store, hit the aquarium right after. Show your kids how it all ties together: that returning cans and bottles keeps the earth clean for giraffes and buffalo; that handing in clothing so someone else can use it next keeps rivers clean for Gar and wetlands healthy for Water Moccasin and Eastern Painted Box Turtle.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Newport Aquarium and everyone at the WAVE Foundation for inviting Planet Green and me to be a part of their Nauti Nite, and I hope everyone takes advantage of the fantastic opportunity that Zoos and Aquariums offer; to see the world we're living on at it's wildest, most natural, and most precious.
Want to know what you can do to reduce your carbon footprint? Find out on Planet Green TV's Wa$ted.
