The Ocean Impact Podcast

Peter Steinberg is a Professor of Biology at the University of New South Wales and was the inaugural Director and CEO of Sydney Institute of Marine Sciences (SIMS) from 2009-20. Peter will shortly step down from his role as CEO of SIMS after a distinguished career at the helm of one of Australia’s most respected marine research institutions.

With an interest in seaweed ecology, diseases of marine organisms, biofouling and antifouling, bacterial biofilm biology, marine chemical ecology and marine biotechnology, Professor Steinberg has more than 200 international publications to his name. Peter is also a member of the OIO Advisory Group and has provided invaluable invaluable assistance as the organisation grows.

In this episode released to coincide with World Oceans Week, Peter provides a snapshot of the state of Planet Ocean and in particular the importance of protecting the fragile edges where the sea meets the increasingly urbanised and industrialised coastline. We learn of Peter’s passion for the WOD 2020 theme ‘innovation for a sustainable ocean’ through various projects including the Living Seawalls Project sponsored by Volvo that creates habitat for marine organisms in otherwise homogenised coastal structures.

We want to send a special thanks to Peter for all his work in establishing SIMS and supporting OIO and wish him the best of luck as he embarks on new endeavours.

Louise Hardman is the founder and CEO of The Plastic Collective. They are working with communities, who are often forgotten by the rest of the world, as they fight back against the tide of plastic waste that is engulfing their environment. Louise and her team provide education programs that encourage plastic to be viewed as a valuable resource and not ‘waste’, as well as engineering solutions to help operate sustainable plastic recycling micro-enterprises.

The Plastic Collective is an ocean impact initiative that has strong and well communicated social justice outcomes embedded and their work is so important if we are to achieve transformational change both environmentally and socially.

Learn more about the Plastic Collective here: https://www.plasticcollective.co/

Ben Player is a 3 x World Champion Bodyboarder, advocate for the oceans and an entrepreneur. In this week’s episode of the Ocean Impact Podcast we learn about the depth of his relationship with the ocean, including his career as an elite athlete and a very real friendship that was developed with a specific cetacean near his office on the Pittwater.

Ben has been a long-time supporter and ambassador of Take 3 for the Sea and he’s thinking much bigger than cleaning beaches. You’ll have to listen to this episode to learn what he’s working on.

For more information about Ben Player, you can check him out on Instagram at @ben_player

How much thought do you give to the role of the high seas in your daily life? Do you consider the fact that 90% of the goods we buy have moved across the sea via maritime shipping? Have you ever wondered if the seafood you consume could in fact have been caught illegally contributing to an illicit trade worth $160bn/yr.

Ian Urbina is an award-winning investigative journalist and the Pulitzer prize winning author of the incredible book ‘The Outlaw Ocean’, which documents riveting stories rarely told about crime and survival on the high seas.

This is a must-listen podcast that will open your mind to the human and environmental injustices occurring daily on the vast blue space that covers ⅔ of Planet Ocean.

For more information on Ian and his work please visit https://www.theoutlawocean.com/ and follow @ianurbina

Ep. 7 - Capturing the life aquatic with Julia Wheeler

In this week’s episode of The Ocean Impact Podcast we speak to competitive freediver, photographer, conservationist and documentary filmmaker Julia Wheeler. Julia’s passion for the wild has taken her all over the world, sharing captivating images and stories driven by her passion for wildlife and conservation.

Some of Julia’s recent projects include WildShots; a four part documentary series that takes her behind the scenes of endangered species conservation; Apex Survival - a new documentary on Great White Sharks, now screening on Amazon Prime or Vimeo; and Wheeler Wetsuits. For more information on Julia please visit https://www.juliawheeler.com/ and follow her at @iamjuliawheeler

Wallace J Nichols is a renowned marine biologist, thought leader and bestselling author of ‘Blue Mind’. In this podcast Tim and J dive deep into what has become his life’s work, the study of water, our Blue Minds and the rewriting of the narrative on what healthy waterways mean. In this new story, society accurately describes all of the physical, ecological, economic, cognitive, emotional, psychological, physical, and social benefits of healthy oceans and waterways and enacts measures to protect them. This episode will most certainly have you reassessing and reevaluating the critical role water plays in your life and your passion for conserving Planet Ocean. For more information on Wallace J Nichols’ work please visit: https://www.wallacejnichols.org/ or to become a patron visit: https://www.patreon.com/wallacejnichols

Laura Wells is an environmentalist, presenter, ocean advocate and model. In this episode Tim speaks with Laura whilst she’s in mandatory 14-day quarantine in a Sydney hotel due to COVID-19 restrictions. Laura was fresh from an incredible adventure where she sailed for 19 days from Rapa Nui to Tahiti with an all female sailing crew as part of the Exxpedition voyage. In addition to discussing her recent expedition, Tim and Laura speak about their origins in becoming advocates for plastic pollution and waste and dive deep into the current state of the world and the forecast for a positive future. For more information about Laura and her work please visit https://www.laurawells.com.au/ or @iamlaurawells

What are we really talking about when we discuss ‘seafood for good’? The unfortunate reality of many fishing fleets is that they are too focused on the catch and not concerned enough with the long term consequences. Well, not Austral Fisheries. David Carter is a legitimate sustainability leader when it comes to fisheries management and in this episode Tim gets the full run-down on what motivated David in the early days, some of the challenges fisheries around the world face and the victories hard-won by Austral Fisheries and others along the way, as well as a bit more info on the ‘Seafood for Good Accelerator’ that is looking for applicants right now!

When it comes to sustainable business, every industry needs its bold and fearless leader. When it comes to fisheries, David Carter is that leader. Don’t miss this episode. For more information visit https://www.australfisheries.com.au/ and follow @austral_fisheries

Scott Gooding is a chef, author, health guru, entrepreneur, thought leader and loving father. Scott is the author of eight books, including his most recent publication ‘The Sustainable Diet’. He is the creator of the ‘Reconditioned:Me’ 8-week health and wellness course, as well as ‘The Good Place’ eateries and ‘Good Meals’. Scott blends his love of health, food and sustainability into a range of entrepreneurial pursuits and in this episode Tim and Scott sit down to record each other for their respective podcasts in Scott’s home on Sydney’s northern beaches.

Tim and Scott share insights into their histories, passions and focus on shared focus and passion for sustainability. For more information on Scott please visit https://www.scottgoodingproject.com/ and follow @scottgoodingproject

Chances are you’ve seen viral videos of The Seabin Project, an incredible invention that sucks in seawater to remove floating pollutants in ports and marinas. The pitch video for the Seabin Project’s first crowdfunding campaign was viewed over 1.7 billion times and helped them to raise $276k USD to further develop and rollout Seabins in 2016. Fast forward to 2020 and there are now over 700 Seabins in 50 countries. In this episode

Tim sits down with co-founder and CEO Pete Ceglinski to learn the story behind the Seabin Project and their plans for the future. For more information please visit https://seabinproject.com/ and follow @seabinproject