Ethical Perspectives: The Pervasive Plastics and Pollution of Our Oceans
Date: November 6, 2019
Time: 3:00-4:30 PM Place: University of South Carolina Beaufort (USCB) Hospitality Center One Sand Shark Drive, Hilton Head Room 103 Presenter: Cathy J. Sakas Assigned Coordinator: Marion Conlin Abstract: In 1967, in the movie The Graduate, Mr. McGuire said to Benjamin, “I’ve got one word for you, Benjamin, plastics!” Of course, Mr. McGuire was talking about credit cards; however, plastics were just taking off in our society. Our society is not accustomed to looking down the road to plan for a product's end life, and that has become a disastrous myopic vision on many levels. We'll talk about how plastics were a game changer especially in the medical field and how they ended up filling Planet Earth's greatest resource, our ocean. We'll look to the future and how to change in the present. Bio: Cathy J. Sakas is Co-founder of the Ocean Exchange, whose mission is to help advance the adoption of solutions in the field of sustainability. The Exchange seeks to reduce waste and the use of nature’s resources while increasing productivity and respecting cultures around the world. Cathy holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology and a Master of Education in Science. Throughout her career she has interpreted ocean science to many different audiences including an award-winning television series of 66 shows on nature, for Turner South. From October 1998 until her official retirement in 2014, Cathy worked with NOAA Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary as an educator and scientific diver. Highlights of her career include piloting a one-person submersible on multiple missions to explore Gray’s Reef and Florida Middle Grounds. She also spent nine days underwater as an aquanaut working with other scientists in NOAA’s Aquarius Undersea Laboratory. Presently engaged in writing, documentary film making and as a private consultant, Cathy stays engaged in the global community by promoting solutions to all issues connected by our planet’s greatest resource, our ocean. Location |
2019-2020 Meetings
October 2, 2019 November 6, 2019 February 5, 2020 March 4, 2020 April 1, 2020 May 6, 2020 Our mission is to become better informed ethically and to engage in meaningful discussion about the many complex issues of our time. |