Author: Team Marine

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Upcoming Plastic Paradise Screening!

FINAL FINAL PLASTIC PARADISE
Come learn more about our plastic footprint at a FREE documentary screening of Plastic Paradise, hosted by Reef Check Foundation, an international ocean conservation group based in Los Angeles, and by Team Marine! Join us at Santa Monica High School in Barnum Hall Auditorium on Monday, October 27 at 6:30 PM!
 

Plastic Paradise is an independent documentary directed by Angela Sun recording the Great Pacific Garbage Patch that affects Midway Atoll, an island halfway between Asia and America. It reveals some of the effects of the immense consumption of plastic bags that our society indulges in on our oceans and even our health. To learn more about the movie visit their website (http://plasticparadisemovie.com/). If you are in town please feel free to drop by for the movie (it’s free after all) and the panel afterwards. We are very excited to host this at our very own SAMOHI so please tell everyone you know! The film has won twelve different awards and is quickly gaining popularity, so make sure to take advantage of this offer.

A special panel discussion will follow the screening with Angela Sun (the filmmaker), Captain Charles Moore (Algalita Marine Research and Education), Dr. Marcus Eriksen (5 Gyres Institute), Jan Freiwald (Reef Check Foundation), Graham Hamilton (Surfrider Foundation), and Kimberly Fuentes (Team Marine). Check out the trailer below:

 

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Alt Car Expo

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On Saturday September 20th , Team Marine attended the Alternative Car Exposition, located at the Santa Monica Civic Center, for the second time with Volts Wattson. A couple of our most dedicated members went on Friday and spent the whole day eco-educating members of our community. We got to showcase our improved car, and had a booth space right next to Volkswagen! Thanks to Tiffany Paige for featuring us in a video from our previous year at Alt Car. Alt Car was all about alternative and sustainable sources of energy. Many different car manufactures showcased their newest models, and some offered test drives. Additionally there were electric bikes and scooters that were available to test drive. We need to decrease our dependence on oil; carbon emissions come out of the tailpipes of gas powered cars and thin the ozone layer that protects us from harmful rays of the sun.

 

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Plastic Paradise Flyers at Farmers Market

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A sunny Sunday is a perfect day to spread awareness of plastic pollution, and that is exactly what we did Sunday, October 19, 2014. We walked up and down Main Street and went to the Farmers Market to pass out flyers announcing that we are screening the premiere of Plastic Paradise by Reef Check.The free movie is going to be presented at Santa Monica High School on October 27, 2014 at 6:30. Team Marine is inviting anyone and everyone to come to this great learning experience about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. We want people to see the negative impact plastic has on the environment. The state of CA has already taken a step to reduce plastic pollution by passing the Plastic Bag Ban, but we all need to continueing taking these steps and educating ourselves by watching Plastic Paradise is already one.

 

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Video History of Team Marine

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On Friday October 17, the S107 classroom became a movie theatre of the Team’s past. The whole room was filled with students from marine bio, APES and of course every member of the team. We got to witness the evolution of Team Marine, from the “guinea pigs” to the dream teams, through the videos they were showcased in or ones that they created themselves. In watching these videos we felt inspired, and learned from our predecessors. We are proud to say that we are a part of such an accomplished team and the title that they have earned is now one that we must live up to. We thank everyone who came to this event and helped us eco-activate and educate ourselves so that we may eco-educate others.

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Parent Meeting

 

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At the start of every year, team members host a special meeting/ potluck dinner where our parents can come and watch a presentation. On October 17th, 2014 we held our parent meeting and do this mainly so they can understand how vigorous and time consuming being a member is, but also learn what we have done and what we will do in the new year. In watching the presentation, we hope that our parents will feel inspired by us. This meeting is pivotal in the success of the team because although we are environmental activists, we are students and their family members first. With the support and consent of our parents going to events is much easier. We love it when our parents get envolved and parent support is extremely important. All the members would like to thank our parents, and let them know that they are the most important members on the team, always stepping up when we need them. Thank you Team Marine parents!

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Commendation from the Board of Education

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Team Marine on October 16, 2014 received a commendation from the Board of Education. We got this honor because of the hard work we put forth for the last eight years regarding the state wide plastic bag ban, which recently passed. Three of our best speakers took the podium and went through a short powerpoint highlighting what service learning, research, and artwork we have accomplished in support of the statewide plastic bag ban.  After viewing this, we hope that they take into consideration the three ideas that we gave them to improve the district in a sustainable way. The first idea we would like to see implemented is a sustainability committee that includes all stake holders: parents, teachers and students. Secondly, to adopt “environmental literacy ” in our mission statement so that all students graduating from SMMUSD be environmentally literate. Finally, to increase environmental education opportunities for both students and teachers. We are deeply thankful that the board thought of us, and recognized us, and we hope to see the district become more sustainable, together.

 

 

 

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Green Festival

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On Saturday September 14, 2014, a couple of our members and marine bio/AP Environmental students attended the Green Festival at the Convention Center in Downtown, Los Angeles. Team Marine was present on the third day, and were able to experience the green energy that flowed from every booth. We were introduced to new healthy food and drinks, and discovered many new foundations and reconnect with groups such as Tree People. We learned about the L.A Beyond Coal Campaign that is sponsored by the Sierra Club, which is a campaign pushing for Los Angeles to stop the use of coal and start using renewable and more affordable energy. We got to see Anna Cummings give a presentation representing 5 Gyres ( and her cute little girl) as well as Angela Sun promoting promoting the new movie Plastic Paradise.  The festival brought awareness towards the environment and it’s problems, but also provided a variety of solutions to improve the world and to reduce humans ecological footprint. We hope to attend many more festivals like this is the future!

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California Bag Ban Passed!

If you haven’t heard already, we have just had a HUGE environmental win on August 29th, 2014 with Senate Bill 270. After eight long hardworking years of Team Marine student involvement, both the California Senate and Assembly have passed a STATE plastic bag ban with a speedy signature from Gov. Jerry Brown expected to follow. We aided efforts with award winning scientific research; testified numerous times in city halls across the county;  marched six times through city streets; created multiple PSA videos and documented six years of storm drain runoff (first flush); We also did eco-artwork;  lobbied three times at the state capitol building; called and wrote our representatives!

Not to mention we leveraged every kind of multimedia including (but not limited to) TV, newspapers, magazines, blogs,radio, podcasts, and books. We collaborated with more than a dozen NGO’s and academic institutions; educated countless audiences with lesson plans, speeches, and booth presentations; Tweeted, Instagrammed, Face Booked , and blogged continuously on our website approaching 1 million page views. After all of this we finally won!

Special thanks to the entire Clean Seas Coalition, Leslie Tamminen, and all who contributed to this multi-year effort. Here’s to progress and youth making a difference!

Check out what Team Marine did to help make this possible below:

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Team Marine Featured in a Book!

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We are deeply honored and proud to announce that Team Marine has been featured in the book “Empowering Young Voices for the Planet” by Lynne Cherry, Juliana Texley, and Suzanne E. Lyons. We would like to thank Team Marine ’07-’08 for their leadership that led to our inclusion in this book and for leading the way in banning the plastic bag in California. This amazing book is an educational resource for STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) teachers looking to empower their students to take action in their own communities and learn the science behind climate change. Special thank you to Lynne Cherry, Juliana Texley, and Suzanne E. Lyons and to Team Marine ’07-’08 for making this happen.

You can buy the book here:

http://www.amazon.com/Empowering-Young-Voices-Planet-Cherry/dp/1483317234

http://www.corwin.com/books/Book241908

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