by Yvonne Pflieger
“Chasing Coral” is a moving and alerting documentary about how coral reefs around the world are vanishing at an unprecedented rate. Divers, photographers and scientists set out on an ocean adventure to discover why the reefs are disappearing and to reveal the underwater mystery to the world. The crew go through a lot of effort to document the change that happens on the reefs and one can see the frustration and sadness that comes with experiencing this change first hand.
A big thank you to SO Manly and the Manly Sea Life Sanctuary for organizing the event that started with a beach clean-up organized by the Surfrider Foundation, followed by a last visit to the aquarium and music by our own Portia. We had a stall on the sand (there is no better location!), and 4 of our board members (Josephine, Keelah, Colin and Yvonne) spread the word about environmentally conscious shopping and how to start on a journey to zero waste.
The movie makes you think about what you as an individual can do to help our reefs. It is overwhelming at first, but there are relatively simple things that will all make a positive impact.
- Reduce your reliability on fossil fuels: use your car less (or change to a more fuel efficient or even electric car), walk and cycle more or take public transport if you can
- Don’t support the fossil fuel industry: Say NO to Adani, look at your bank and super – Are they investing in fossil fuels? If they do, start looking into alternatives (Check out Divestment for how to best approach this)
- Buy green energy and look at ways of how you can reduce the amount of electricity you use
- Consume less and remember the 5 Rs: Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Repair, Recycle
- …
Keelah thinks: “The movie “Chasing Coral” ought to be compulsory viewing. The rapid rise in sea temperatures causing the death of huge gardens of the planet’s coral is going to affect all living beings. This movie may wake us from sleepwalking into an unlivable future. It may jolt us into positive action such as making waste free shopping at our coop an easy priority.”
Josephine enjoyed the event, meeting like-minded people: “Saturday evening’s market on the sand was a buzz. Cooling off in the sea after collecting beach rubbish and having a chat with us Co-op folk was a popular option for environmentally aware visitors and locals.”
SO Manly have done a great write-up on the event and are sharing a comprehensive list of things we all can do to ensure future generations will be able to continue enjoying our coral reefs: https://www.somanly.org/news/2018/1/29/chasing-coral-catching-community-vibes
