Diving into Ocean Literacy
This past October, Liana Greenberg-Nielsen and I joined the NEOSEC Ocean Literacy Summit, celebrating 20 years of ocean literacy! The New England Ocean Science Education Collaborative is a rich community of educators, scientists, and organizations dedicated to teaching and learning about our world’s oceans. This year’s conference took place in Freeport, Maine, at the stunning Harraseeket Inn.
The historic Harraseeket Inn.
This year’s Summit highlighted the groundbreaking Ocean Literacy Principles, which have guided NEOSEC’s work: “The ocean is the defining feature of our planet. Ocean Literacy means understanding the ocean’s influence on you and your influence on the ocean.”
The Ocean Literacy Principles are:
- Earth has one big ocean with many features.
- The ocean and life in the ocean shape the features of Earth.
- The ocean is a major influence on weather and climate.
- The ocean makes Earth habitable.
- The ocean supports a great diversity of life and ecosystems.
- The ocean and humans are inextricably interconnected.
- The ocean is largely unexplored.
(The Ocean Literacy Principles were the inspiration for our own Coastal Resilience Principles!)
We attended an incredible range of workshops, meeting and connecting with practitioners from across the region. Liana explored the science of seaweed (and even made an algae lava lamp), while I explored the coast and tried out a coastal flooding community science protocol. We heard about how ocean education can take many forms, from art exhibits to sailing excursions, virtual deep-sea dives and simulation games. Attendees also got to hear about the Lab’s work, and even take home our own education materials like our Climate Conversation Cards.
There’s nothing quite like connecting with fellow education nerds, getting the chance to socialize and experiment with new ways of thinking. We’re already looking forward to 2027!