Monterey Bay Aquarium is hosting a "Communicating Climate Change and the Oceans Summit" from December 1-3. In prep for this meeting, they've posted some very useful information on the Summit's website.

Among other resources, a Summary of U.S. Aquarium Research
contains much valuable info about what some of the participating institutions are doing, or planning, to address climate change and ocean health.

The site also includes a MBA Review of Public Opinion Surveys on Climate Change , completed this past summer.

In addition, The Ocean Project has recently completed our national public opinion survey, and at the Summit we will be presenting some of the findings regarding climate change and ocean health. The survey itself is huge, with 22,000 data points (American adults who participated in the survey) and much more analysis to be done. We will, however, be getting the findings out to our Partners and others in the ocean community in the coming weeks and months. Stay tuned!
 

The Ocean Project continues to provide our Partners and other friends with ways to improve education and communication efforts for conservation action.

Newly released research on effective messaging to Americans regarding climate change actions finds six discrete audience segments - from strongly engaged to completely dismissive of climate change as a threat - with different concerns, needs, values, and motivations.

The research, by Anthony Leiserowitz, Ph.D., with the Yale Project on Climate Change, and Edward Maibach, MPH, Ph.D. and Connie Roser-Renouf, Ph.D., both from George Mason University, is based on telephone surveys done in the summer of 2007 involving 1,980 respondents.

The report suggests ways to carefully target each of these six different audiences, although the authors caution that much has happened since then and they are doing new research with findings expected in early 2009.

Read the rest of the summary at the Yale Forum on Climate Change and the Media.

Read the full 42-page PDF report.
 

In case you needed more convincing about the upward trend in use of the Internet for accessing information and the importance of having a compelling website, the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press reports today that the Internet has now surpassed all other media except television as a main source for national and international news.

Their survey finds that 40% of Americans are getting most of their news about national and international issues from the Internet. And for Americans younger than 30, six-in-ten (59%) say they get most of their news online, the same percentage as television.

Read the summary of findings with link to full report here.
 

The Obama Administration is shaping up to be one of the best ever for conserving our ocean planet and creating a more sustainable society.

Among the many strong leaders for science and conservation in the new Administration, the most promising appointment for ocean conservation specifically is Dr. Jane Lubchenco who will be the new leader of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). She brings impeccable science credentials, policy smarts, and a passion for conservation advocacy. As Julie Packard, executive director of the Monterey Bay Aquarium, said upon Lubchenco's appointment, "This is a great day for the future of the oceans."

Another top pick is the new science advisor to the President, Dr. John Holdren, the director of the Woods Hole Research Center and a widely recognized expert on climate change and how to tackle this overarching issue for our planet.

Read the Washington Post for more information.
 

As The Ocean Project works with our Partners to connect more effectively with the public to build ocean literacy and create a culture of conservation – and especially at this time of the year when some of the world’s religions are celebrating important holidays – it seems appropriate to highlight the activities of an organization that is striving to help the world “cultivate a transformative ethical language to spark a sustainable ecological culture.”

Certainly some of our individual and collective efforts to help transform human consciousness and behavior for a more sustainable society and a healthy ocean planet could benefit by better taking into account people’s spiritual and religious beliefs and values.

For 10 years, the Forum on Religion and Ecology, based at Yale University, has been a leading interreligious network of its kind. Mary Evelyn Tucker, one of the Forum's founders, states: “The environmental crisis is the catalyst for religious traditions to awaken to their ecological roles, and an opportunity to transcend their differences. The common ground for all humanity is the Earth itself and a shared sense of the interdependence of all life.”

And as Gus Speth, Dean of the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies says, “Our environmental discourse has thus far been dominated by lawyers, scientists, and economists. Now, we need to hear a lot more from the poets, preachers, philosophers, and psychologists.”

For a wealth of information on the religious traditions of the world and their ecological contributions, among many other things, check out FORE’s website.
 

Chicago, IL
February 12-16, 2009

The theme for the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science—Our Planet and Its Life: Origins and Futures—recognizes that 2009 is the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin's birth and the 150th anniversary of the publication of his book, On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection.

Attendees will have the opportunity to choose among a broad range of activities, including nearly 175 symposia, seminars, and career development workshops as well as plenary and topical lectures by some of the world's leading scientists and engineers including. Needless to say, there will be many presentations and sessions of interest to our Partners!

Register soon: Advance meeting rates expire 19 January.

Find out more: http://www.aaas.org/meetings/2009/.
 

April 12-18, 2009

EE Week, the largest organized environmental education event in the United States, increases the educational impact of Earth Day by creating a full week of educational preparation, learning, and activities in aquariums, nature centers, zoos, museums, and K-12 classrooms. This year's EE Week theme is "Be Water Wise!"

Registrants will have access to a variety of free resources, including a water auditing tool and water quality monitoring resources.

Coordinated by the National Environmental Education Foundation, this year they hope for over 2,000 participating schools, organizations, and agencies. Join with a growing number of educators dedicated to increasing environmental literacy, promoting environmental learning and action.

Sign up now to participate: http://www.eeweek.org/.
 

Portland, Oregon
October 7 - 10 2009
Call for Presentations closes February 1

The conference theme for the 2009 North American Association for Environmental Education’s annual conference is “The Power of Partnerships - Creative Leadership in Environmental Education.” There will be many conference strands of interest for TOP Partners including: climate change education, coastal and marine education, conservation, early childhood & environmental education, environmental justice & cultural diversity, innovative programs and practices, leadership & organizational development, place-based education, religion, spirituality and environmental education, service learning & community education, teaching & learning sustainability, the arts & environmental education.

Submit a presentation or workshop: http://www.naaee.org/conference/call-for-presentations.