If Oceans Could Speak

In this eighth episode of ''If Oceans Could Speak'', we are delighted to have Lisa Sofian and Nabil Aouad with us, who show that arts, sports and ocean activism go hand in hand.

In this episode you will learn about the Sustainable Waste Intercity Marathon’s creation (SWIM), and its development into a nation wide beach cleaning campaign, bringing together - almost spontaneously - over 2700 people from local communities, researchers, activists, civil society, and more! In addition to their sports activities, SWIM is combining their efforts with “Chance Association” which works closely with kids that have cancer and blood disorders, in order to raise awareness about the importance of a healthy environment for us humans as well! Follow these inspiring stories, and concrete results, in this Arabic episode moderated by Vera. 

Learn more: https://www.swimlebanon.org/

Have you ever wondered what it means to eat sustainably on the Mediterranean coasts?

Today's episode explores this question from an Italian perspective with our guests Stefano Pedone and Mattia Borroni. Stefano is a marine biologist and project officer at Worldrise association and Mattia is a chef in his own restaurant, “Alexander”.

Both young ocean lovers at heart, our guests followed different walks of life to join forces in promoting the consumption of sustainable, local seafood in the regional cooking world of Italy. Both are involved in Worldrise’s SEAstainable initiative and Meroir project carried out in the Italian regions of Emilia-Romagna and Liguria. We tap in to their personal and professional experiences around cuisine, environmental protection, and sustainable fisheries.

From the need to create a new sensitivity to sustainable food from the ocean in the public and to bridge the gap between old and new generations in the field, this episode also reveals the importance of bringing traditional, small-scale fishing traditions back and re-discovering “lost” local products and flavours, in order to eat more sustainably on the Mediterranean coast.

Learn more at:
Worldrise
SEAstainable  
Meroir
Alexander restaurant (Ravenna, Italy)

Sports are without a doubt a vital component that shapes our connection with the ocean. Yet, when talking about ocean literacy and ocean conservation per se, we tend to think less about professional sportsmen, sportswomen, and athletes. We were therefore delighted to discuss  with Federico Morisio about the place professional sports has, and should have, in promoting ocean literacy. 

Federico is a 26-year-old professional windsurfer. Internationally recognised, he won, among other, the international IWT Pacasmayo Wave Classic 2017, being nominated "Most Improved Rider 2017" and finishing the International Windsurfing Tour 2018 in 4th place overall. He is passionate about sustainability and how to improve through life to become a better person. Next to his competitions, he is therefore engaged in a variety of projects where he tries to lead by example including the EU4Ocean Youth4Ocean Forum ('Mediterranean Young Ocean Advocate'), Marevivo Onlus ('Cavaliere del Mare'), the 'Starfish Champion' initiative of the European Commission and Starboard ('ocean ambassador').

Thank you Federico for sharing your unique connection to the Mediterranean Sea and for kicking off the discussion on ocean literacy and sports!

Learn more at federicomorisio.com

In our fifth episode, we reach the French Mediterranean coast and Greg Lecoeur, who shares with us his journeys, his experiences with marine wildlife, the power of images and how raising awareness begins with individual actions. 

A lover of the Mediterranean Sea since early childhood, Greg became interested in marine biology and diving at a very young age.  At the age of 32, with a diving instructor's certificate in his pocket, he sold his company and lived his dream: a year around the world with his camera. Since then, Lecoeur has dedicated all his time to his passion for the marine world. 

Greg was National Geographic's Photographer of the Year in 2016 and has been honoured with many other international awards ever since, including the recent Underwater Photographer of the Year in 2020.

By telling the oceans' stories, Greg aims to raise awareness everywhere he goes, talking to communities about the preservation of underwater ecosystems and sharing the stories of local heroes that do their part to enhance ocean literacy each day. His next quest: documenting his home - the Mediterranean Sea!

Learn more here: https://www.greglecoeur.com 

In our fourth episode, we will go to Spain to talk to María del Carmen García-Martínez, who is a researcher and director of the Spanish Oceanography Institute in Malaga. Among her many commitments, María Carmen is  involved in Océanicas, a project that visualises the role of women in oceanography.

Pursuing a career in science can still pose many challenges to women, but maybe even more so in a very masculinized territory such as the sea? María Carmen will explain to us the 'leaking pipeline' problem, sexual harassment on the sea and what needs to be changed in marine science to achieve real gender equality.

Along the way, we will discover how María Carmen entered a marine science career herself, how she moved from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean Sea, the challenges she observed with regard to human activities and her overall connection to the sea.

Finally we will talk about Oceanicas, a project that highlights the role that women have played and still play in marine science. 

Learn more here: https://oceanicas.ieo.es 

As we are surfing the Mediterranean, we come across our dear guest Jina Talj, a marine ecologist, founder and executive director of the Lebanese NGO 'Diaries of the Ocean'. 

In this third episode, Vera interviews Jina Talj to learn more about the Mediterranean marine environment, with a particular focus on the Invasive species actions related to the NGO's lionfish campaign. You don’t know what invasive species are? No problem, you can tune in to learn about what they are, where they come from, how/why they are harmful to our Mediterranean ecosystems, and how we can reduce their numbers. A summary on the journey towards the successful “Eat the lionfish'' campaign, with funny anecdotes along the way! 

Diaries of the Ocean works closely with local communities on many other aspects of the sea, such as supporting women in the fishing sectors, increasing transparency in the nascent oil and gas sector, and increasing Ocean Literacy among the youth. They also have released two seasons of their own podcast, “Talk of the Ocean” and “Talk of the Energy”. 

Learn more here: https://diariesoftheocean.org/

Today we dive into the turquoise waters of Greece, where innovative solutions and traditional fisheries are working together to make a difference to the people and the environment of the Mediterranean.

In our first full length episode of this season we meet Lefteris Arapakis, a young social entrepreneur and the 2021 UNEP-MAP Ambassador for the Mediterranean Coast. Lefteris talks to us about Enaleia, a social enterprise he co-founded with a mission to make the marine ecosystem sustainable by tackling both overfishing and plastic pollution.

Lefteris immerses us in his journey - from Enaleia's beginnings as a fishing school to the fully-fledged organisation that it is today. Enaleia now works alongside 1500 fishers in 28 ports (and growing!) to clean up plastic from the sea and integrate the material into the circular economy, all the while enabling extra income, education and employment for fishing communities.

This episode reminds us of the power of local engagement and how solutions can - and need to be - built together! Thank you Lefteris!

Learn more here: https://enaleia.com/

Building on the Mediterranean’s rich cultural identity,  this season we will be multi-lingual featuring stories in French, Italian, Spanish and Arabic. To capture these voices, we have new hosts on board that help us dive into these new perspectives and communities. 

In this episode, we will introduce our new hosts and navigate together the first waters of this season,  learning more about the people behind the voices. What is their relationship with the sea? What makes the Mediterranean special? What stories will they uncover? 

Listen to this brief introduction to the new season and get excited to set sails with our hosts. The Mediterranean Sea truly is full of inspiration and untapped potential. It is time that we listen to it!

Click here for more information/plus d'information/معلومات اكثر/maggiori informazioni/más información.

Find out more at www.eu-oceanliteracy.eu and connect using #EU4Ocean and #IfOceansCouldSpeak

We are delighted to reveal that If Oceans Could Speak is returning with a new and exciting second season.

After our first season highlighted the mighty Arctic Ocean, this summer we are heading south - to the shores of the majestic Mediterranean sea. The Mediterranean brings new ideas, cultures, voices, and a whole new line-up of hosts and guests to bring this truly diverse part of the world to life, no matter which language you speak. 

With episodes spanning English, French, Italian, Arabic and Spanish languages, tune in to listen to sport stars, scientists and gourmet chefs who are mobilising communities to make a difference to the sea around them.

Click here for more information/plus d'information/معلومات اكثر/maggiori informazioni/más información.

This podcast is an output from The EU4Ocean Coalition for Ocean Literacy. Supported by the European Commission, this bottom-up, inclusive initiative aims at uniting the voices of experts and enthusiasts to make the ocean a concern of everyone.

Find out more at www.eu-oceanliteracy.eu and connect using #EU4Ocean and #IfOceansCouldSpeak