April 16th, 2010

Disneynature’s OCEANS hopes to open with a splash on Earth Day next week, and not just to keep profits strong. The movie aims to raise money for coral reefs in the Bahamas and spread awareness of the imperiled, wider marine world — much like Disneynature’s Earth drew attention to terrestrial issues last year.

For everyone who sees the film during its debut week (April 22-28), Disneynature will make a contribution to the Nature Conservancy to help restore and preserve coral reefs around the Bahamas.

Coral reef in the film OCEANS (Photo: Jeff Yonover)

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June 9th, 2009

From Green Right Now Reports:

An ocean advocate who has been working to protect coral systems in Florida for three decades and developed a reef-friendly anchor and mooring buoys was honored for his work on World Oceans Day.

John Halas, a marine biologist, received Oceana’s first Ocean Heroes Award, which was created to honor people making a difference in helping preserve the oceans. He was selected from among nearly 500 nominees. Oceana experts chose a list of eight finalists and online members voted for the final winners in May.

In the early 1980s, Halas saw the damage done to reefs by anchors and developed a more environmentally friendly anchor and mooring buoy system. He’s since worked to export this anchorage system to 38 countries.

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January 5th, 2009

Happy New Year! And while it might not seem quite so happy at this moment, with fighting breaking out in Gaza, rising U.S. unemployment and global economic pain, we are always seeking signs of hope and renewal.
Trawling for good news over the holidays, we found these items:

* The New York-based Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) reports that the coral reefs in Indonesia are recovering rapidly following the tsunami that hit four years ago. “Baby corals” are springing up to replace those lost in the Dec. 26, 2004 disaster, which means that the ecosystems needed to support fishing, as well as tourism, in the area are mending nicely.

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