Community Project - March 11th 2020
The idea to have our group perform community service has evolved into Global Project Day that offers us the opportunity to take a deep dive into an industry that few of us are directly familiar with, and create solutions that could have global impact.
​
On March 11th, 2020 we plan to spend the day with the New England Coastal Wildlife Alliance (NECWA) and Center for Coastal Studies, learning about the problems they face. We will have the privilege of seeing the world and the concept of sustainable capitalism through their lens, and work alongside them in Bootcamp Hack-a-thon style to come up with workable solutions to their issues.
​
Background
​
NECWA and Center for Coastal Studies are organizations based in Provincetown, MA who work to understand and protect the coastal environment and marine ecosystems. Provincetown is positioned near the heart of Stellwagen Bank, a huge feeding ground for marine life. Both organizations are highly responsive to marine animal strandings, many of which are a result of fishing entanglements.
​
Stellwagen Bank is an underwater plateau which stretches 19 miles 31 km) north to south, and six miles (10 km) across at its widest, near the southern end. The steep sides of the plateau cause deep-water currents to rise up when they hit the bank; this upwelling brings with it nutrients and minerals from the bottom, feeding the local ecosystem. Over 130 species from numerous classes of the animal kingdom call the bank home at least temporarily.
​
​
The Problem
“This stranding season, the fall/early winter of 2019, NECWA documented over 114 live and dead stranded ocean sunfish along the shores of Cape Cod and surrounding areas. This was the busiest stranding season ever! There were probably another 40 or 50 carcasses that we did not get to, so the number of stranded ocean sunfish is even higher.” -Carol “Krill” Carson, Marine Biologist and President, NECWA.
​
The number of strandings both organizations respond to are but a small percentage of worldwide standings, but the issues that roadblock both organizations echo a story that is found throughout the world. This issue has vast global implications on the health of our oceans, and global health. The current solutions available to biologists present them with challenges in that they are either incomplete or cost-prohibitive.
​
Read more about the community project outline here.
​
​
“We…Can…Innovate!”
​
We ask that you consider an unfamiliar opportunity you walked into with skepticism, and walked away with an unexpected idea/epiphany/enlightenment/viewpoint. Sometimes stepping back from our day-to-day and taking on a whole different perspective clarifies an answer we’ve been searching for, or teaches us something new altogether. This is exactly what we hope comes out of this experience for you.
​
We look forward to working together with you to make the world a better place for all!
​
​
Check out the organizations we will be working alongside:
​
Carol "Krill" Carson
Marine Biologist and President, NECWA
New England Coastal Wildlife Alliance
https://www.facebook.com/NECWAnews/
Scott Landry
Marine Animal Entanglement Response
Center for Coastal Studies
Reunion Theme: Sustainable Capitalism
​
As we enter the second decade of the 21st century, it is more important than ever to address the elephant in the house- climate change. The glaciers are melting, forests are burning, and innumerable species of the animal and plant kingdom are becoming extinct. As Greta Thunberg rightly pointed out “Our house is on fire” and we need to act on it.
​
While capitalism is not the only culprit that has brought Pandora’s wrath upon us, it is certainly guilty of over-indulgence and negligence of the planet’s depleting resources. Today, humanity’s very existence in the very near future is at stake and we must do all we can to save the planet. Sustainability, therefore, needs to become a norm rather than an exception- and sustainability not only in the context of renewables and carbon emissions but also in the choices we make in our lives- from our shopping patterns to eating habits to technological advancements to human interactions to scaling enterprises to innovating business models.
​
Therefore, for this year’s reunion in March 2020, we invite you to join together with your fellow alumni to think, discuss, and innovate a new age of Industry 4.0 with sustainability at its core.
​
-
Together, we can save this planet without compromising our current living standards.
-
Together, we can explore ideas to design solutions for environmental sustainability and apply our varied skillsets to create a better tomorrow for all.
​
Together, we can!