About this project

Premiered at the UC Santa Barbara Digital Ocean Event in the Bay Area in November of last year, the film was developed in collaboration with dozens of Bay Area high schools, aquariums, and organizations and is based on the book, “50 Ways to Save the Oceans,” by David Helvarg and cartoonist Jim Toomey of nationally syndicated “Sherman’s Lagoon.” The documentary was produced, shot, and edited in three months by MEDIAmobz's Senior Producer Satva Leung. The film highlights those actions that can be taken on a daily basis to improve the health of the oceans. Students Saving the Ocean was chosen as a top pick at the Gray’s Reef Film Festival and was also awarded an honorable mention at the Blue Ocean Film Festival.

Building on our success, our goal is to produce the Students Saving the Ocean series to include five 22-minute documentary film episodes in major coastal cities, such as New York, Boston, San Diego, Seattle, Santa Barbara, and Los Angeles. In the past, Students Saving the Ocean was filmed in the Bay Area and focused on five main organizations involving youth and ecologically sound marine programs. We hope to film our next documentary short in Santa Barbara and concentrate on an additional four environmentally aware organizations. We propose working with the following listed groups: • Jean-Michel Cousteau’s Ocean Futures Society: The mission of Ocean Futures Society is to explore our global ocean, inspiring and educating people throughout the world to act responsibly for its protection, documenting the critical connection between humanity and nature, and celebrating the ocean's vital importance to the survival of all life on our planet. One of the key fundamental programs that Ocean Futures Society started was the Ambassadors of the Environment Program (AOTE); this program focuses on ecological education principles and the program is based in locations all over the world. The Santa Barbara AOTE program is at El Capitan Canyon and brings a wide-variety of students teaching them the basic principles of marine science and sustainability. • Santa Barbara ChannelKeeper: Channelkeeper works on the water and in the community to monitor local waterways, restore aquatic ecosystems, advocate for clean water, enforce environmental laws, and educate and engage citizens in identifying and devising solutions to local pollution problems. They also have several programs integrating students concerning education and marine science; which includes partnering with the Coastkeeper Alliance and engaging students in the classroom, participating consistently in coastal cleanups, and reaching out the general public about the importance of oceanic sustainability. • MERITO (Multicultural Education for Resource Issues Threatening Oceans): MERITO is a marine conservation outreach effort comprising approximately twenty-five regional groups that participate in ocean and watershed education programs that serve students, teachers, adults and families living near the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary (MBNMS). The MERITO plan was developed in collaboration and partnership with agencies and organizations serving Hispanics (Latinos) in an effort to provide expanded bilingual outreach and education about marine and coastal environments and their conservation to youth, teachers, adults and families. MERITO has programs along the coast, including Santa Barbara, and the program is hosted through the National Marine Sanctuaries and National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). • University of California at Santa Barbara, Earth Science (K-14 Outreach): UC Santa Barbara presents educators, researchers, and graduate students from the Department of Earth Science to give presentations to local schools. Topics include a variety of discussions, such as climate change, oceanography, and geological science. Local students engage in discussions about energy issues, view slides of planets, and take field trips to the Earth Science's extensive Bancroft Mineral Collection.

The content from these videos will live online on the DigitalOcean platform, ourmedia.org, and other Internet sites. Students Saving the Ocean will serve as a resource for students, scientists, and community. Our hope for the documentary-short episodes is to be used as an educational tool for academic institutions, museums, aquariums, and other engaging settings where the film would reach a collective audience and inspire youth to make a difference in regards to the environment. We have also considered creating a partnership with a broadcasting network to globally distribute the message of youth healing the ocean. However, the plethora of avenues Students Saving the Ocean can take is endless and our overarching goal is have a broad and global distribution.

Please learn more about Students Saving the Ocean here: http://www.savetheocean.info/content/student-film-0