Are you COOL enough?

The Vine

May 2008 Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond, VA

Are you COOL enough?

By Heather Gioia
Staff Writer

They were stationed in the Student Commons earlier in the semester. They stormed the dorms in March. They have been providing endless opportunities for students and faculty to proclaim their “coolness” though their “I’m Cool” stickers.

The members of the Conserve Our Oceans Legacy (COOL) have focused efforts to educate students at Virginia Commonwealth University about the harm of over fishing and help stop it.

“COOL's main goal is get postcard petitions/e-petitions signed,” said Rachel Kistler, an enthused volunteer, as COOL members call themselves. “These petitions are being sent to the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) this summer because they're putting out laws that lessen the consequences for commercial fisheries that overharvest their fish or that use un-safe fishing practices.”

University of Georgia 2007 graduate Jenna Garland is the department head who takes charge of the group. Garland is the Virginia Field Organizer for COOL, coordinating the national campaign on the local level here in Richmond. Along with her volunteers, Garland has been informing people of the situation, collecting comments and using those comments to pressure the NMFS to make environmentally friendly choices during their summer rule-making hearings.

COOL is a National campaign that is trying to not only stop over fishing, enthused volunteer Pat Kardian said, but also pressure the NMFS to once again re-consider lessening the consequences for commercial fisheries that overharvest fish or use un-safe fishing practices.

In 2006, NMFS attempted to pass laws, similar to those placed on the table in 2008, lessening the consequences. Yet when they received a mound of 150,000 public comments that did not approve of their take and answer to the issue, they quickly backed down withdrawing the laws.
This year, the goal of the VCU chapter of COOL is to generate at least 1,000 comments through either their post card petitions or the e-petition available online. COOL across the Nation is planning to send at least 300,000 public comments to the NMFS summer rule-making hearing later this summer.

“Regardless of whether you purchase or consume seafood, everyone has a stake in the health of oceans and fish populations,” Garland said.

COOL claims that overfishing is a bigger issue then it may seem and scales down to affecting society as a whole.

“Aquaculture promotes disease; preserving wild fish reduces the need for fish farms,” Kardian said. “If we don’t conserve the fish population, the birds, seals, and dolphins that feed on them will start going extinct.”

COOL organizes different activities, including presenting the organization’s version of “An Inconvenient Truth” about oceans. COOL representatives also do presentations at events, such as Sustainable Seafood Workshop and travel to participate in debates. The groups favorite activity is called “the dorm storm.”

Earlier this year Garland, Kardian, and Kistler went door-to-door in Rhoads Hall asking residents and guest to sign their post card petitions to stop over fishing.

“I was overwhelmed by how enthusiastic, how kind, and how willing to help students were,” Garland said. “Tons of students signed our postcards, we met great folks, and hopefully introduced people to an issue they weren’t familiar with before.”

Members of COOL describe the overall experience of being a part of the action as “super fun.”

Ways to get involved or more information about COOL:

- Contact Jenna Garland at jenna@greencorps.org
- Visit the official COOL website:
http://www.oceanlegacy.org/
- Join the Facebook group, Conserve Our Oceans Legacy Campaign:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=9867041868
- Sign the e-petition and send it to friends and family:
http://actionnetwork.org/campaign/dusky_sharks_JG