On this past Wednesday, September 26, 2018, the sustainability and the future of fashion class at LIM College attended a meeting with the Waterkeeper Alliance in Downtown NYC. This meeting took place in the perfect setting for the topic being discussed that day, a conference room that overlooked the East River and Brooklyn Bridge. As we all sat down to discuss how the Waterkeeper Alliance is benefitting the bodies of water and water systems all over the world, the Chair and VP, Marc Yaggi, he explained the background story of NYC Rivers and how they have become as polluted as they are today. He immediately asked all of us why we think water is important, all being individuals, we all had relatively different answers. One of the major answers he said was that 50% of our oxygen comes from the ocean, which was incredibly shocking to me—I never knew it was that high of a percentage.
He went on to discuss how in the 1800’s NYC used to be known as the “Oyster Capital of the World.” NYC was so well known for being this capital they actually named several streets after different types of oysters costumers would see on the menu’s of restaurants in the area, for example, “Pearl Street.” These oysters were so such a big seller that today’s “hot dog carts” were “oyster carts” to them. Just like all good things in this world, New York was harvesting these oysters at a rapidly fast past to the point the oysters could not physically repopulate in time to sustain the amount everyone was consuming. Another big mistake Marc stated was that we did not place the shells of the oysters back into the water; instead, we made buildings out of the crushed shells. What we should have done was play the shells back into the bodies of water so that the new oysters would be able to latch onto the shell, which would strengthen their ability to survive as they are developing. An amazing thing about oysters is that they filter the water as they grow, so since we took so many oysters out of the water without giving them the ability to replenish already gave us a decrease in the ability to filter the water and an increase in the pollution that would be collected. Around the years of 1924- 1927, NY department of health band the sell of oysters due to the overharvesting, and a rising in illness due to oysters.
In the 1960’s the Hudson River, once known to be the richest in biodiversity, was now known to be a dead river of waste. Marc stated that you could tell what color major companies were painting their trucks in Tarrytown due to the color of the rivers changing. This also raised awareness in 1989 to have a Hudson River WaterKeeper patrol up and down the river to maintain the swimmers and boaters ability to use the river. Also, to ensure their use was not being disturbed by large corporations. By doing this, this protects everyone’s right for clean water. The first ever river keep was John Cowden, who went to NBC news after spotting Xeon tank discharging cancer-causing chemicals (such as petroleum) into the Hudson River. These discharged chemicals were being shipped from Aruba to NYC to be released, and the company was taking our fresh water back to Aruba for their use.
The Waterkeeper Alliance was established into incorporation in 1999 with only 33 groups in the United States and 1 in Canada. Today they have over 341 groups all over the world; some of these grouped countries are China, Chile, Brazil, Austria, Bangladesh, Bahamas, etc. The main reasoning for the Waterkeeper Alliance is to give the world the ability to access fresh water, catch a fish and bring it to their family without the fear of receiving a sickness from the toxic chemicals in the water. 50% of hospital beds are filled with toxic water-related diseases. More people today lose their lives to water-related illnesses compared to War and other illnesses combined.
Plastic has become part of all of our food, beverages, and product packaging. From the water bottles to vacuum-sealed plastic electronic packaging, All of these items are not properly disposed of – therefore, ending up in our Rivers and oceans, which ultimately ends up polluting in the food and water we consume. WaterKeeper Alliance is pairing up with companies that are creating products that are multiple use items such as shoes, jackets, volleyballs, etc. Made from entirely marine plastics (plastics found in rivers and oceans). By doing this, these companies are helping to clean and recycle these marine plastics as well as filter the water by being partners with Waterkeeper Alliance.
I learned so many amazing facts from this conference with Waterkeeper Alliance that I will make sure to put forth individually and also with my family and friends. To help future generations have a better and safer life due to our impactful decisions.
Maria! This report you is so full of facts learned from Marc Yaggi of Waterkeeper Alliance! From the New York harbour's history through the fishermen spotting Exxon discharging chemicals to the Waterkeeper Alliance today- you have filled this post with terrific and inspiring information. Thank you! Also it is really great to read that you with will be sharing what you learned with your family and friends! Yahoo!
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