Key West-Cancun Expedition
A 3,400 mile trek around the Gulf Of Mexico by sea kayak, to celebrate the hundreds of organizations and thousands of people already out there protecting our oceans and coasts
A Key West-Cancun Expedition?
Ten years ago, I stepped away from CEO duties to turn my life to the sea and reconnect with nature. I woke up one day and realized I had been in the super cities of Asia for 20 years. My family still asks how I managed, and honestly I am not sure.
While there, I realized that we could raise hundreds of millions of people up out of poverty but there was a trade off. People seemed to believe disconnecting from nature was a required part of human progress.
So, while developing quickly, we left nature behind.
But, we are learning, we need to find a way to conserve, protect and defend our natural infrastructure. And it occurred to me that going out and talking to the people who have dedicated their lives to that might be a useful first step. That is where the idea of an expedition originated. I will go see for myself - and share.
We created the Ocean Responders Radio podcast to be the voice of those thousands and the social movement that has been growing for decades. Listen in and find out where they see our world evolving.
I have already been out here for many thousands of sea miles and thousands of days away from people. And I can tell you for certain, there is no ‘away' to run off to. Our seas are our life support system, but they have been abused by our unregulated use in the last century - and we need to find a way to change that.
The ocean is bigger than us and does not negotiate. And it really doesn't matter if you believe in global climate shift or not. Your opinion is irrelevant. Mine is too. We are where we are - and what happens next is up to us. We have changed before and we can do so again.
Because of how remote all those Ocean Responders are, finding a way to go see them required some new thinking. That is where the kayak idea came from - it can go everywhere. So, the basic idea is to kayak about 100 miles per week, speaking with policy makers and working together with each new group I meet.
One week I may help tend a coral nursery. On another I might be in a coastal mud flat planting mangrove and so on. And when these ocean responders have time, I will sit down with them for a fireside chat about how they remain optimistic in the face of the obstacles they have chosen to tackle on our behalf.