Our June 2013 Newsletter

Dear Friends,  What You Can Do is spending this summer honoring our oceans from coast to coast.  Recently, we made trips to The Parker Manatee Aquarium at The South Florida Museum and The Monterey Bay Aquarium to interview their experts on the current health of our oceans, and what people can do to help.  Our videos spotlighted the issues of climate change, plastics, sustainable seafood, and the human impact of overfishing and trash disposal.  More importantly, we highlighted one minute ways to make an impact and help.  In addition, on June 22nd, What You Can Do's video: Help Fight Hunger in New York City, featuring one of our favorite organizations, Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen, screened at the Manhattan Film Festival in Greenwhich Village.  Thanks to the festival for including us. We had a blast! Wish you and yours a happy kick off to the summer,  The On the Leesh Team A few weeks ago, Amanda visited The Monterey Bay Aquarium to interview experts on the most pressing topics affecting our oceans today.  First up, Amanda interviewed Jim Covel, the Senior Manager of Guest Experiences, about the state of our oceans and ocean health in general. All the choices we make affect our oceans.  Everything from the pesticides we use on our lawns, the cars that leaks oil onto pavement, and the cleaning products that we choose for our homes, all will eventually run off into our seas. Even if you're in the middle of the country! Check out the video to learn how you can help make better choices to protect one of our most valuable resources.  Next up, Ryan Bigelow, outreach manager for the Seafood Watch Program, explained that we have already lost over 85% of the big fish in our oceans. According to the aquarium, catching fish faster than they can reproduce may be the single biggest threat to ocean ecosystems. Downloading the app or a pocket guide  from Seafood Watch, allows consumers to make better choices at restaurants and supermarkets.  Making better choices and talking about the issue of overfishing will help bring back fish populations.  It has worked to bring back Swordfish and Chilean Sea Bass, so let's give it a try! Watch this video to find out more.     Thanks to The Monterey Bay Aquarium for such a warm welcome, and to everyone who got involved in the conversation on Facebook.  Be sure to subscribe to us on YouTube. UP NEXT July continues What You Can Do's dedication to our oceans.  We're traveling to Bradenton, Florida to interview Marilyn Margold at The Parker Manatee Aquarium at The South Florida Museum.  The Parker Manatee Aquarium is the home to the ambassador of Manatees, Snooty. He's turning 65 this year, so stay tuned to find out who you can celebrate manatees in his honor.  Marilyn also discusses the biggest threats to our marine wildlife and how we can help make a difference.    If you're an artist, we're holding a contest in honor of our oceans in New York City. We're seeking works of art made from recycled plastic that will be featured as part of a show at Bushwick Coffee House, a coffee shop in Brooklyn, NY. The contest will culminate in an event and concert with the Sea Monsters on July 20th.  Write us at info@ontheleesh.com for more information.     Be sure to write in and share your ideas on how to protect our oceans!

What You Can Do Featured on +Social Good Site: Support Ocean Health in One Minute

This summer we have been focusing on Ocean Health and how we can make a difference in our Oceans over the long term.

We are excited that two of our summer videos about helping Sea Turtles and Protecting Ocean Health are being featured on the website +Social Good.  A website that was inspired by the Social Good Summit.  It is a place that "Unites a global community of innovators around a shared vision:  The power of technology and new media to make the world a better place."

You can check out our feature here:

http://www.plussocialgood.org/Post/This-summer-discover-ways-to-support-Ocean-Health-in-just-a-minute/fe8dcb87-f17c-4668-a0df-e7de0613173d

If you want to learn more about how you can help protect our Oceans for generations to come please check out our youtube site for more great videos about how you can be the change you want to see in the world.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DsIUjdZM2Mk&feature=youtu.be

Thank you +SocialGood for helping us spread the word about how you can make a difference even one minute at a time. A huge thanks to our friends at the Monterey Bay Aquarium for letting us visit their amazing facilities and learn about our oceans. And finally a big thank you to our friends at www.iamthedarkranger.com for helping us with our video about Protecting the Night for Sea Turtles.

#bethechange
#oceans

Cooking and Dining with Sustainable Seafood

Wanna learn how you can cook and dine on sustainable seafood choices?  Well What You Can Do recently spoke with the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Outreach Manager, Ryan Bigelow, about their Seafood Watch program and how to create delicious dishes at home and make the right choices while dining out.

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Shot and Directed by - Amanda Blohm
Edited by - James McGann
Associate Producer - Melissa Jernigan
Additional Sound - Melissa Jernigan
Additional Footage Courtesy of Shutterstock Inc.

For more information on What You Can Do, please visit:
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/whatyoucando
Twitter - http://www.twitter.com/whatyoucando
Other YouTube Channel - http://www.youtube.coom/whatyoucando365
Blog - http://www.whatyoucandoseries.blogspo...
Pinterest - http://www.pinterest.com/1minette
Website - http://www.whatyoucando.com

For more information on the Monterey Bay Aquarium, please visit:
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/montereybayaq...
Twitter - https://twitter.com/montereyaq
YouTube - http://www.youtube.com/MontereyBayAqu...
Seafood Watch Program - http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr...
Website - http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/

What You Can Do Presents an Interview with Ryan Bigelow of Seafood Watch

What you Can Do speaks with Monterey Bay Aquarium's Outreach Manager, Ryan Bigelow, about their Seafood Watch Program. Download the Seafood Watch app, or print the pocket guide to find out what seafood to buy to keep the ocean healthy, and which restaurants are serving you sustainable seafood. This program is an excellent way to enjoy seafood sustainably in one minute!

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Shot and Directed by - Amanda Blohm
Edited by - Amanda Blohm
Associate Producer - Melissa Jernigan
Additional Sound - Melissa Jernigan
Additional Footage Courtesy of Shutterstock Inc.

For more information on What You Can Do, please visit:
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/whatyoucando
Twitter - http://www.twitter.com/whatyoucando
Other YouTube Channel - http://www.youtube.coom/whatyoucando365
Blog - http://www.whatyoucandoseries.blogspo...
Pinterest - http://www.pinterest.com/1minette
Website - http://www.whatyoucando.com

For more information on Buick Audra, please visit:
Website - http://www.BuickAudra.com
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/buickaudramusic
Twitter - http://www.twitter.com/BuickAudra


For more information on the Monterey Bay Aquarium, please visit:
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/montereybayaq...
Twitter - https://twitter.com/montereyaq
YouTube - http://www.youtube.com/MontereyBayAqu...
Seafood Watch Program - http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr...
Website - http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/

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What You Can Do Series Celebrates Our Oceans in June and July

What You Can Do Series Celebrates Our Oceans in June and July

June 3, 2013 – New York, NY – The What You Can Do series dives into ocean conservation this June and July, revealing easy ways to help preserve the beauty of our coasts for future generations. The series will feature inspiring work of activists from the Monterey Bay to the Florida shore, focusing on critical ocean concerns such as pollution, wildlife health and sustainable seafood. Check out the video launch of the Oceans campaign here: http://youtu.be/Z0SOQdnlD8U.

“Our team traveled to both coasts to discover the latest issues affecting our oceans and simple ideas to take positive action,” shared Jessica Arinella, What You Can Do creator and producer. “From buying sustainable seafood to packing a beach picnic with reusable items, we can make a big impact with small changes.”

To spotlight one of the biggest threats to oceans, What You Can Do announces the competition “Plastic Art for a Healthy Ocean”. The contest invites artists to submit a 2D or 3D ocean-inspired piece using primarily plastics and other mixed media. At an event on July 20^th at the Bushwick Coffee House in Brooklyn, NY, the What You Can Do team will announce the winner of a $100 cash prize and matching donation to an ocean conservation charity. Event details will be announced on the What You Can Do Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/whatyoucando. For contest details, visit:https://www.theartlist.com/art-calls/plastic-art-for-a-healthy-ocean.

What You Can Do will screen at The Manhattan Film Festival on June 22 at 1pm, for more information, visit:http://www.manhattanfilmfestival.org. The Webby Awards named What You Can Do as an official honoree in the Public Service and Activism category for 2013. The series also received the 2012 Humanitarian Award from the Accolade Competition in recognition of the mission to help change the world, one minute at a time. Houston World Fest, the oldest independent film and video festival in the world, presented What You Can Do with a Gold Remi Award for Television Commercials/Public Service Announcements in 2013.

Produced by On the Leesh Productions in New York City, the What You Can Do web and television series spotlights easy and powerful ways to help solve important issues such as rainforest preservation, climate change, hunger and animal cruelty. The series has been featured in Better Homes & Gardens, The Daily Green web site, Mrs. Green’s World radio show andVideography Magazine. To view What You Can Do episodes and for more information, visit:http://www.whatyoucando.com.

On the Leesh Productions is a New York City based company that creates film, web series and corporate video. For more information about On the Leesh, visit: http://www.ontheleesh.com/.

Media Contact:                                                                Sponsorship Contact:

Ashley Kaufman                                                               Kristin Thomas

ashley@eluxpr.com                                                       KristinReniseThomas@gmail.com

336.255.7565                                                                      704.369.1492

What You Can Do Honors Our Oceans

This summer, What You Can Do is partnering with the Parker Manatee Aquarium at South Florida Museum and the Monterey Bay Aquarium to bring you up to date information about the ocean and how you can help to improve its health.

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Shot and Directed by - Alicia Arinella
Edited by - Amanda Blohm
Music by - Buick Audra
Additional Footage Courtesy of Shutterstock Inc.

Special Thanks to Allison Barratt, Marilyn Margold, Jessica Schubick, Snooty the Manatee and everyone at the Monterey Bay Aquarium and the Parker Manatee Aquarium at the South Florida Museum

For more information on What You Can Do, please visit:
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/whatyoucando
Twitter - http://www.twitter.com/whatyoucando
Other YouTube Channel - http://www.youtube.coom/whatyoucando365
Blog - http://www.whatyoucandoseries.blogspo...
Pinterest - http://www.pinterest.com/1minette
Website - http://www.whatyoucando.com

For more information on Buick Audra, please visit:
Website - http://www.BuickAudra.com
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/buickaudramusic
Twitter - http://www.twitter.com/BuickAudra


For more information on the Monterey Bay Aquarium, please visit:
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/montereybayaquarium
Twitter - https://twitter.com/montereyaq
YouTube - http://www.youtube.com/MontereyBayAquarium
Seafood Watch Program - http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/seafoodwatch.aspx
Website - http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/

For more information on the Parker Manatee Aquarium at the South Florida Museum, please visit:
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/SouthFLMuseum
Twitter - http://twitter.com/SouthFLMuseum
Website - http://www.southfloridamuseum.org/TheAquarium.aspx

Choose Wisely

The Knight in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade said it best - you must choose, but choose wisely, for as the real choice brings eternal ocean life, the false choice brings death. Okay, I'm paraphrasing. But you get the drift. We are overfishing and most of us don't know what to do.

One of the first phone calls that I made for What You Can Do was to the Monterey Bay Aquarium because of their Seafood Watch Program. The Aquarium has broken down ocean-friendly seafood choices by region. You can download these pocket guides on their website and carry them with you, or if you have an iphone, you can download the free app. These guides help us be better Seafood Consumers, helping us make smarter choices and teaching us to ask the right questions.

My dad says that when he grew up the coasts of New England had some of the richest seafood beds in the world. Unfortunately, we have overfished these waters and what was abundant is now damaged.

Tonight I'm going to a Seafood restaurant with my family and I plan on using my Seafood Watch guide. This will help me make an ocean friendly choice. I'm gonna download a copy to Jack's Droid Then it's always with us.

I recommend that you visit the website, download your own guide and start using them at your restaurants and supermarkets. Better yet, download a few and pass them out to friends. Whenever I see that a friend has an iphone, I swipe it and download the app for them. They thank me for it. So does the ocean and so will you:)

~Alicia

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My guide for tonight:

Be a Smarter Seafood Consumer - An Interview with Monterey Bay Aquarium's Alison Barratt

Learn how to be a better seafood consumer with Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch Program. An Interview with MBA's Alison Barratt



Shot and Directed by - Alicia Arinella

Edited by - Julie Tortorici

Produced by: On the Leesh Productions

Music by: Banana Whale

What You Can Do Logo Created by: SCG Siddharth Creative Group



Additional Footage Provided by: Shutterstock, Inc. Used by Permission, and The Monterey Bay Aquarium



Special Thanks: Alison Barratt, Jenny Slafosky and everyone at The Monterey Bay Aquarium, and Jack Halaby



For more information about the aquarium, please visit - www.montereybayaquarium.org


For more information, please visit - www.whatyoucando365.com

Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch Program

Learn about the Seafood Watch Program with The Monterey Bay Aquariums's Alison Barratt



Shot and Directed by - Alicia Arinella

Edited by - Julie Tortorici

Produced by: On the Leesh Productions

Music by: Banana Whale

What You Can Do Logo Created by: SCG Siddharth Creative Group



Additional Footage Provided by: Shutterstock, Inc. Used by Permission, and The Monterey Bay Aquarium



Special Thanks: Alison Barratt, Jenny Slafosky and everyone at The Monterey Bay Aquarium, and Jack Halaby



For more information about the aquarium, please visit - www.montereybayaquarium.org


For more information, please visit - www.whatyoucando365.com

An interview with the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch Program, part 2

Below is Part 2 of our interview with the people from the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch program.

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What is fish farming? Is this a good thing for the environment?

Fish farming, also known as aquaculture is the practice of raising fish in farms that vary from traditional earthen ponds to high tech tank systems. Each type of system has its own distinct environmental footprint. Seafood Watch recommendations will help you find which species are farmed in ways that are better for the environment. These are often shellfish and fish that don't need a lot of wild-caught fish to feed them. Some types of fish farming are definitely not environmentally friendly. For example, most farmed salmon are raised in ways that are detrimental to the environment and to wild populations of small fish like sardines and anchovies that are caught to feed them. Turning edible fish into fish pellets takes food from the food chain, as well as from people's plates.



What, if any, misconceptions do you think people have about ocean health and their contribution to it?

Most people probably think that pollution from industry, including oil spills, is probably the biggest threat to the ocean. Many people believe our oceans are healthy. It is often a surprise to hear that 90% of all the big predatory fish are gone, and that over two-thirds of the world's oceans are overfished.

By continuing to increase our consumption each year of seafood, especially items like salmon and shrimp, we are contributing to either overfishing, destructive bycatch practices - where marine wildlife is accidentally caught and discarded - or environmentally damaging farming practices such as salmon farms in our nearshore ocean ecosystems.

By being aware of the issues of overfishing, climate change, pollution and habitat damage, we can adapt our buying habits to tread more carefully on this precious resource. When we make sustainable seafood choices we vote with our dollars, which ultimately result in a more responsible food chain and more environmentally friendly fishing and farming practices. In this way we can secure a future with healthy oceans.

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For more information about the Seafood Watch Program, or to access the Seafood Watch Guide, please visit - SeafoodWatch.com

What You Can Do Presents - Sustainable Seafood

Think there's nothing you can do to learn about Sustainable Seafood in 1 Minute?

Starring - Alicia Arinella
Written by -  Julie Tortorici & Jessica Arinella
Shot, Edited and Directed by - Alicia Arinella
Produced by: On the Leesh Productions
Music by: Banana Whale
What You Can Do Logo Created by: SCG Siddharth Creative Group

Statistical Information provided by - The Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch Program, www.SeafoodWatch.org

Additional Footage Provided by: Shutterstock, Inc. Used by Permission and the Monterey Bay Aquarium

Special Thanks: Alison Barratt, and everyone at the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch Program, and Dennis Arinella

For more information, please visit - www.whatyoucando365.com

An interview with the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch Program, part 1

To kick off our first Oceans Week, we thought we would provide you with an interview from the experts at the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch program. Read on!

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Can you tell us a little about the Seafood Watch Program. Why it began?

The Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch program was an outgrowth of a 1997 special exhibition "Fishing for Solutions." The exhibit examined the practices of fishing and fish farming (aquaculture) and identified that not all practices are created equal. This resulted in a suite of recommendations consolidated onto a handy pocket guide that show consumers which species are "Best Choices", others that are "Good Alternatives" and which products to "Avoid." By shopping from mostly from the Best Choices list and occasionally from the Good Alternative list, consumers are helping to create a market for more sustainable product. Since the pocket guides were first printed in 1999, we have now distributed over 34 million guides. In addition, we have a free iPhone app, and a website www.seafoodwatch.org with detailed information and the scientific reports on which the recommendations for each species are based.


For diners out there that love eating fish, what is the most important thing for them to know before ordering?

Not all fish are created equal. Our recommendations will help you navigate the waters. We think there are three simple questions to ask:

Where is this fish from?

Is this fish wild or farmed?

If it was wild-caught, how was it caught ?

Once you are armed with this type of information, you should be able to identify whether this is a species to avoid, or you can feel good about ordering.

If you're unable to get all the answers you need to make a responsible choice, we might suggest you pick something else. However, be sure to let the wait staff now that you are interested in ocean-friendly seafood and that’s how you make your choices. Ask the wait staff to share your concerns with their chef – satisfying customer needs is important to them and can really make a difference in how they approach their seafood purchases. Something else to feel good about!

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For more information about the Seafood Watch Program, or to access the Seafood Watch Guide, please visit - SeafoodWatch.com