Sustainable Ocean Alliance and The Oxygen Project to Host Global Summit to Protect the Deep Sea Featuring Jane Fonda

SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Sustainable Ocean Alliance (SOA), a global non-profit organization that advances the impact of ocean leaders and solution startups, today announced their partnership with The Oxygen Project (TOP), a global non-profit that raises awareness and defends the ecosystems that produce our planet's oxygen, to host a three hour summit on deep-seabed mining. The virtual event, #DefendtheDeep, will take place on Thursday, December 10th at 9 AM PST and will discuss the critical importance of the deep sea, as well as highlight the front line voices and global efforts underway to protect the last unexplored ecosystem on Earth.

Both organizations have called for a moratorium on deep-seabed mining for at least for 10 years, in line with the UN Decade of Ocean Science. Through the summit, SOA and TOP seek to amplify this call to action to decision makers, stakeholders, and SOA's community of youth leaders.

Master navigator and President of Polynesian Voyaging Society, Nainoa Thompson, will open the event with a keynote speech followed by dynamic panel discussions, presentations, live Q&A, virtual networking sessions and a closing keynote by Jane Fonda, Academy award-winning actor and activist.

SOA and TOP will also feature exclusive content that focuses on the biodiversity of the deep-sea that is critical to protecting it, and voices from youth on the frontlines likely to most be affected by seabed mining.

Summit speakers include:

• Jane Fonda — On-screen, Jane Fonda is a two-time Academy award-winning actor, famous for her work in iconic films like Klute, On Golden Pond and 9 to 5 to name a few. She currently stars in the Netflix series Grace and Frankie. Off-screen, she has been at the forefront of social activism for over 50 years. Fonda's life has been characterized by her pursuit of the causes she believes in ranging from women's rights to increasing the sustainability of wages and working conditions in the service sector to combatting the climate crisis, most recently through the launch of Fire Drill Fridays, which continues to hold weekly virtual actions every Friday in partnership with Greenpeace USA.
• Carlie Wiener - Carlie Wiener is the Director of Marine Communications for Schmidt Ocean Institute. In this leadership role, she has drawn international attention to the science completed through the institute's ship-based program, and implemented a communications strategy for the organization. Carlie has more than fifteen years of experience in marine science communications working on strategy, research, community outreach, evaluation, and professional leadership.
• Diva Amon - Diva Amon is a deep-sea biologist who works at the nexus of science, policy, and communications. She studies the weird and wonderful animals living in a range of previously-unknown deep-sea habitats and human impacts on them. Her work has been featured on global outlets, including National Geographic, BBC, and CNN International. Amon is founder of SpeSeas, an organization dedicated to marine science, education, and advocacy in her home country, Trinidad and Tobago.
• Nainoa Thompson — Nainoa Thompson is the president of the Polynesian Voyaging Society and a Pwo navigator. Inspired by his kūpuna, his teachers, he has dedicated his life to exploring the deep meaning of voyaging. Among many other important mentors, Yoshio Kawano took him at an early age to tide pools to explore the mysteries of the inshore ocean; Herb Kāne introduced him to the stars his ancestors used to navigate great ocean distances; and Pwo navigator Mau Piailug taught him to see the natural signs he would use to guide Hōkūleʻa, a replica of an ancient Polynesian voyaging canoe, throughout Polynesia.
• Sven Linblad - Sven Lindblad is founder and CEO of Lindblad Expeditions, an innovative travel company offering small ship-based expeditions to the world's wildest and most charismatic geographies. Lindblad has a strategic alliance with National Geographic with a mission to inspire curious, intelligent people to explore and care about the planet.
• Sylvia Earle - An American marine biologist, explorer, author, and lecturer. She has been a National Geographic explorer-in-residence since 1998. Earle was the first female chief scientist of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and was named by Time Magazine as its first Hero for the Planet in 1998. She is also part of the group Ocean Elders, which is dedicated to protecting the ocean and its wildlife

The event will also highlight the voices and efforts of the global youth that are mobilizing to #DefendTheDeep against the mounting pressure of deep-seabed mining including:

• Anne-Sophie Roux, France — Anne-Sophie is a social scientist who led her research on the frontlines of the climate crisis, from the Pacific Ocean to the Himalayan mountains, during two years. While finishing her Master's Degree in Paris, she founded Tēnaka: a social business restoring coastal ecosystems through Corporate Responsibility.
• Alanna Smith, Cook Islands — Alanna recently completed a Masters of Conservation and is now working for 'Te Ipukarea Society', an environmental NGO based in the Cook Islands.
• Hercules Jim — Hercules is the Co-founder of PNG Climate Change Tribe and Sustainable Ocean Alliance Hub PNG. He is now the Senior Project Officer in charge of the Governance and Service Delivery Sectoral Committee with the Consultative, Implementation and Monitoring Council.
• Jeremy Raguain, Seychelles — Jeremy studies environmental sciences and international relations, with a particular focus on MPAs and Deep Sea Mining. As a native of the Seychelles, Jeremy knows firsthand how important the ocean is for our food, health, recreation and livelihood.

To register for #DefendtheDeep: Global Youth Mobilizing To Protect the Deep Sea, please visit SOAlliance.org.

About The Oxygen Project
The Oxygen Project (TOP) is a global nonprofit that raises awareness and defends the ecosystems that produce our planet's oxygen. We accelerate and amplify deserving yet underrepresented causes by engaging hundreds of millions of eco-conscious consumers and a worldwide network of young climate activists. Through targeted media campaigns, we're pioneering the future of activism to promote solutions toward a green and resilient future.

Connect with TOP on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok and Spotify.

About Sustainable Ocean Alliance
Sustainable Ocean Alliance (SOA) is a global non-profit organization that advances the impact of startups, social enterprises, and initiatives that are developing solutions to protect and sustain our ocean. SOA's pipeline of ocean leaders is cultivated through a hub-based model, led by students at the collegiate and young professional levels.

Sustainable Ocean Alliance (SOA) was founded in 2014 as a college-room idea. With phenomenal speed, SOA has created the world's largest network of young ocean leaders – through establishing a presence in over 185 countries, launching the first-ever Ocean Solutions Accelerator in 2018 to support ocean tech startups, and partnering with corporations and governments to develop technological solutions that can address the greatest threats facing our planet. To date, SOA has accelerated 20 solutions and is well on their way to completing their commitment to accelerate 100 ocean solutions by 2021.
Connect with Sustainable Ocean Alliance (SOA) on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram using handle @soalliance.

Media Contact

Haley Steinhauser, Sustainable Ocean Alliance, 562.991.3170, [email protected]

SOURCE Sustainable Ocean Alliance