Writing Workshop for Ocean & Climate Advocacy
Care about the oceans? Care about climate change? See that an article in the news that missed the point, or want to highlight an important issue and show that there are solutions? Learn how to make your voice heard in the current media landscape.
Writing Workshop for Ocean & Climate Advocacy
Center for the Blue Economy & Blue Frontier
Saturday, March 27, 2021
10:00 am – 11:30 am PT/1:00 pm – 2:30 pm ET
Online via Zoom, Registration Required
Free, Open to the Public, Space limited
Registration Deadline: Wednesday, March 24th, 2021
Register here: Writing Workshop for Ocean/Climate Advocacy
About the Writing Workshop
The Center for the Blue Economy invites Ocean Climate Action Virtual Lobby Day participants, Ocean Climate Action Youth Advisory Council members, and all interested citizens, to a free Spring Writing Workshop, Saturday, March 27, 2021, 10:00 am – 11:30 am PT/1:00 pm – 2:30 pm ET held online via Zoom. Youth from middle school age and upwards, Middlebury College and Middlebury Institute of International Studies students are encouraged to attend.
- Learn the ins and outs of drafting letters to the editor and op-eds
- Work with Blue Frontier’s writing and advocacy experts
- Develop collaborative media pieces to advance ocean action, conservation, climate policy, and protecting 30% of the ocean by 2030
- Gain attention in your local publications to build interest in Ocean Climate Action Virtual Lobby Day, April 14, 2021 (Capitol Hill Day)
Participants will have a chance to develop written pieces/opinions to place, share and help build a wider global voice for ocean action. The first ten participants to complete their pieces will have the opportunity to have their work edited by accomplished writers.
Preliminary Schedule, Saturday, March 27, 2021
Introductions and Overview
Breakout Rooms
Pitch Slam!
Q&A
About the Instructors
David Helvarg
David Helvarg is Executive Director of Blue Frontier, an ocean conservation group and the author of six books: Blue Frontier, The War Against the Greens, 50 Ways to Save the Ocean, Rescue Warriors, Saved by the Sea and The Golden Shore. He is organizer of ‘Blue Vision’ Summits for ocean activists, Peter Benchley Ocean Awards (with Wendy Benchley), and chaired the first global March for the Ocean in 2018.
Helvarg worked as a war correspondent in Northern Ireland and Central America, covered a range of issues from military science to the AIDS epidemic, and reported from every continent including Antarctica. An award-winning journalist, he produced more than 40 broadcast documentaries for PBS, The Discovery Channel, and others. His print work has appeared in The New York Times, LA Times, Smithsonian, National Geographic, Popular Science, Sierra, etc. He’s done radio work for Marketplace, AP radio, and Pacifica and led workshops for journalists in Poland, Turkey, Tunisia, Slovakia and Washington DC. He is also a licensed Private Investigator, body-surfer and scuba diver.
Eleanor (Elli) Kerlow
Eleanor is a lawyer, editor, author and award-winning public relations professional. She began consulting in 2018, after working for 18 years as head of public relations at three of the largest 100 US law firms, and 12 years as a reporter and editor, including writing a book about Harvard Law School.
As part of her consulting work, Eleanor has combined her passion for scuba diving and the marine world to advance media and communications for ocean conservation and policy thought leaders, scientists, ocean clean up pioneers and ocean youth advocates as they seek solutions to climate change. Eleanor and Blue Frontier’s David Helvarg have conducted media trainings for Earth Echo International’s Youth Action Network, 2021; AGU’s Ocean Sciences Meeting 2020; National Council for Science and the Environment’s Annual Conference 2020, and EarthxOcean 2019. Eleanor received her law degree at The George Washington University School of Law, and her undergraduate degree at Lawrence University.
About the Sponsoring Organizations
The Center for the Blue Economy is a research organization at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies. Our mission is to promote ocean-based sustainability solutions through leadership in economic research, education, and policy analysis.
Blue Frontier is a national leader in providing resources and opportunities to bring citizens who care about the health of our coasts and ocean into the decision making process.
Both organizations are co-convenors of the Ocean Climate Action Virtual Lobby Days, April 13-14, 2021 and the Ocean Climate Action Plan, a consensus policy paper, formed with input from hundreds of thought leaders from across industry, government, academia, and the indigenous, environmental justice, and conservation communities.
Questions
For questions contact: Rachel Christopherson at cbe@miis.edu or call 831-647-4183 (must leave message and receive call back).