The Plan – A Commentary

“All that’s at stake is the whole human race.”

Dr. Sylvia Earle, TED Presentation, February 2009

Advocates for clean water and healthy oceans are as numerous as those seeking world peace and the cure to cancer.

How is it possible for the Ocean Rights Alliance to be more than a small pimple on a large elephant?

                                         Here’s How 

           Phase One – September 2011 – September 201

The Advocacy Phase

"The Paul Revere Ride"

We’re putting together a Plan made of five clearly – defined Components; each and every Component has been used and proven to be successful by thousands of advocacy groups and for-profit companies over many, many decades.

These Components are not complex models; nor difficult to implement. They do require hard, nut-grinding, effort from a widely distributed, mostly volunteer, work-force.

The Hard, Sweaty Work

Their fundamentals are not unlike building the third, forth and fifth Pyramids. Except for tapping into the creative artistry of those willing to freely give, to include those with special, geeky skills in Social Networking, the use of these Components “simply” require hard, sweaty, daily – let’s face it – ‘down in the mines’ grubby work.

This is not “putting man on the moon stuff”. This is following blueprints written and traveled by those who have already traversed a well-trod, profitable path

THE REALLY, REALLY GOOD NEWS?

Like the Pyramids, those who join us will be part of something of huge, inter-generational value. The Clock of the Long Now kind of stuff.

But, unlike the Pyramids, — which, let’s face it, are masterfully made tombs for long-dead kings. Our effort calls for the preservation of life and the protection of all of its creatures.

Including “the whole human race.”

WHEELS, SPOKES AND WAGONS, ALREADY INVENTED!

Our Plan is to gather wheels that have not just been invented, but have been put to wide, profitable use. Our job is to put them on frames already well-tested. We apply our own graphics, signs and images for the coverings; then we will use 21st Century megaphones to attract thousands – or millions – to come on board. What’s so hard about that?

WHO DO WE WANT ON BOARD?

Just about everybody!

Kids from pre-school to post-graduate. Scientists, scholars, school teachers, seniors, surfers, scuba divers and sailor. Employees, employers, and those in-between. Corporations which recognize marketing opportunities by riding the Green Wave. Foundations and NFP advocates out to do good. Geeks who need to show off their kooool megaphones. Search-engine experts out to prove how get high rankings. Politicians who want photo-opportunities — and a crystal clear record they are Leading-The-Charge! Billionaires who would like “He Saved The Planet” etched deeply onto their tombstones.

THE TERRITORY IS ANYTHING BUT HOSTILE !

Be assured, this is not “hostile territory”.

Who doesn’t want clean water? Or healthy oceans? To protect whales, dolphins, sharks, coral reefs? Who doesn’t believe, deep, deep in their gut, that the oceans have been over-fished? Are used as a toilet? Treated as if their bounty can never, ever run dry?

What scuba diver will not sadly confirm how much the view underwater has changed — all for the worse?

Where is the sailor no testify how rare it is to sight a shark’s fin? How many sailors have even seen one single sea turtle? Ask any surfer anywhere in the world about the trash on the beach and the crap in the water? Be prepared for some harsh language!

               What politician will say it’s O.K. to pollute?

The terrain ahead is the friendliest, most fertile territory an advocate could dream up. Ours is a message of hugely crucial, terribly urgent, life-threatening, planet-threatening importance…right at the top of every tribe’s totem pole — all over the Earth.

Who is not willing to listen? How many tens of thousands will attach themselves to a wagon they can ride by only a signature to an line Petition?

How many hundreds will voluntarily provide horse-power, man-power, wheel-grease, saddles and shelter?

Yes, this is a long trek. But the path is as wide open as the Ohio Valley. All that’s at stake is “the whole human race.”

So much for the polemic.   Now for the Components.

THE ART COMPONENT

September – March 2011-12

Introducing: Sir Blake…

This Component is a ‘Contest-Campaign designed to deliver An iconic image that will do for the Ocean what Smokey The Bear) has done for the Forest.”

The short of it is we will partner with schools in the business of artist development and job-training. The underpinnings will be the advantages of an “Iconic Contest — (on an ongoing basis, with many variants_– to deliver “Sir Blake” — Smokey’s “Ocean’s counterpart”. Slogan: “Only YOU can protect the Ocean!”

Sir Blake

This is a win, win, win partnership. The contest will be exciting for their students, be geared to increase enrollments, and tie us all to substantial revenue opportunities as a result.{The long of it is, for now, under wraps.}

THE CONTEST AND THE PARTNERSHIPS – A LYNCH PIN

This Contest, these partnerships, and this particular Component will be the lynch pin that will hold and grease all the wheels to the rest of our Wagon.

It’s also the most fun — because if we do it “right” we will have both an income stream and an organized work force we couldn’t buy for hundreds of thousands. And our partners will increase both the number and quality of applicants to their schools. (More later.)

                         IT’S ALL BEEN DONE BEFORE!

THIS IS NOT “a pie-in-the sky concept”. Contests are as much a part of marketing as billboards, junk mail and television advertising. That much is well known.

What is less well known is how some in the “Oceans business” have very successfully tied their advocacy to for-profit operators It’s a win-win relationship quite similar to that we envision for our Art partners.

EXAMPLE: PLANET WHALE

Planet Whale widely promotes tour operators worldwide who make their living showing on whale tours.What a made-in-heaven relationship!

Those on such tours are bound to “fall in love” with what the experience — the first and most important step to the protection of the animals they view.

For more about Planet Whale, click here.

For more about the tours the promote, click here.

For more about Planet Whale Founding Partners, click here

Then, check back to this page to learn more about our partnerships in the business of making “Sir Blake” as iconic as “Smokey”.

For the Contest, with whom will we partner?

Our Plan is to build relationships with for-profit art schools all over North America. Their students can provide the whole range of visual artistry in a quest to create images that will do for the Ocean what Smokey-the-Bear did for the Forest. For many students, we believe this will be their “Signature Project.” Then, the job of OceanRights will be to promote the visuals to the hundreds of advocacy groups perfectly positioned to reach millions – worldwide. Out of this we anticipate increased interest, and increased enrollment for the participating schools. Together with the Petition and Proclamation components, if we – all of us – do it “right”, the outcome will be iconic.

That’s not a polemic. That’s a Plan built on sound fundamentals from the ground up.

NOTE: Why Sir Peter Blake? Click here.

Last Blog Entry From Sir Peter Blake:

Last Log Entry of Sir Peter Blake Before His Murder

This quote is from the last log book entry the night before the murder of the legendary yachtsman Sir Peter Blake, winner of the Around the World Whitbred race, America’s Cup winner 1995 & 2000 for New Zealand, and previously head of Jacques Cousteau Foundation. The murder, by thugs and pirates, took place on the Amazon River, in Brazil where Blake had spent the first several weeks in the launch of a worldwide conservation effort to which Blake had made a lifetime, personal commitment to protect the oceans.

THE PETITION COMPONENT

January 2012-April 2012

Petitions have been around since before the Magna Carta…put on steroids by the Net.

It is now possible to gather signatures of thousands – even millions – on line, for not much more very small dollars and very large results.

The key to the Petition (and Proclamation) Drive is two-fold.

First, to convince a Really Big Name Individual that these drives should be under his or her umbrella advocacy group. (First choice, for us, is obvious: Dr. Slyvia Earl)

Second, attract other advocacy leaders who already have a large following in the oceans/clean water arena. For us, it will be a combination of outreach to those on The Short List, those we who have participated in the Blake/Iconic Poster Contest, and carefully selected “Big Name” scientists, scholars and oceanographers of a kind that lend weight to whole of the undertaking.

THE PROCLAMATION COMPONENT

The value of Proclamations executed by mayors, county supervisors, state governors, and other government officials should not be underestimated. Almost automatically, they cause mention in the local media – both print and broadcast.

We have a data base with substantial contact information of over 1,700 Mayors, more than 3,000 County Supervisors, and (of course) all 50 Governors. We also have names of yacht club commodores, local leaders in the sailing, scuba and surfing communities. (We call the Seals -what else?)

Our goal in 2012 is to acquire not less than Proclamations from 400 Mayors, 400 County Supervisors and 30 Governors. When? April, May and June, 2012. Why then? Because we want their help to promote World Ocean Day, June 8, 2012.

Phase Two – September 2012 — and thereafter

THE ULTIMATE GOAL? Inculcating into millions of children deep, life-time convictions that a healthy life depends on healthy oceans. How? In a nut shell? By helping to motivate friends and allies of those already involved in serving school lunches to elementary age children; i.e. highly creative, highly innovative “partnerships” with game, comic and child book publishers, recyclers, and nutrition advocacy outfits, and very smart use of Very Smart Phones.

Example? Try Red Socks Day in New Zealand….for starters.