The Shift
When I took this photo, I was on Necker Island. I am the co-founder of ULTRAMARINE: Ocean Action Summit. The year looked bright. Sure the COVID cases were racking up in China but it seemed contained. We accomplished a great amount of work on island but had no idea what was coming down the road for us. At the end of this post you can see the recap video of our work this year on Necker.
On April 22nd The World will recognize the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day. I've often thought that it's weird to have an observation of Earth Day when everyday really should be Earth Day. I was on the phone last night with my friend Nigel Douglas in Fiji and he made the comment that in the time we have been under quarantine that the planet has taken a moment to heal from our damage. Los Angeles is seeing clear skies, The Himalayas can be seen from India for the first time in 30 years, The canals in Venice Italy have completely cleared. Wildlife has returned to the open spaces. Nigel said, maybe we could just take a month of every year? Just stay home and work?
This comment I was thinking about as I fell asleep last night. We often say that we vote with our wallets. This is true but so is staying home. I created Ridge to Reef several years ago to focus on ecological issues in a short form online. I'm not sure why we stopped it. I think like everything else distractions pull at you. When you're sitting in your house looking at your calendar on a daily basis deleting appointment as opposed to creating new ones, you start coming up with new ideas.
I launched Ridge to Reef in a LIVE format because I knew there were lots of amazing people going through the same thing. I've done a couple episodes now and I have to say I really enjoy it. However, its not my first rodeo. Twenty years ago, I had a show called MindVerge Radio. The production quality was not as high. I owned a Canon XL1 with a boom mic and I used that in a closet with my friends to talk about gadgets. Yes we sat in a closet. I think back on how funny it is but we were serious back then. I would also do a series of Shoutcast Radio broadcasts which I have to say I still love the idea of.
Now I'm at home, I'm older, the father of two girls. I see the world very different. Technology has adapted to where we can bring people in from all over the world and have discussions on what they are doing. This next show, I'm going to introduce you to Aunofo Havea who is a celestial navigator. She is the first female captain in all Polynesia. She has an unbelievable relationship with the humpback whales that visit her home in Vava'u Tonga.
Don't miss the episode airing 3pm CT / 4pm ET Friday April 24th. If you would like to join in via skype, my account is mckaneorg. See you friday!
R2R.FILM