By Csaba Petre
Living in a coastal community such as Ocean Beach raises questions about environmental conservation, sustainable use of resources, and equity of coastal access in San Diego. Given the scope of these issues, one may question the efficacy of individual contributions toward the conservation of threatened habitats and other environmental endeavors. These questions have been sharpened in the present Trumpian era of pro-industry sentiment wrapped in climate change denialism at the national level.
Clear answers are hard to formulate alone; it takes a community to tackle pressing environmental concerns. Recently, Coastal Roots Farm in Encinitas facilitated this global yet local conversation, featuring two environmental documentaries as part of their Farm Film and Music Series: Faka’apa’apa & Out of Mined, as well as an informative panel discussion. The event took place on a recent, chilly late October night on the farm’s property. It had the feel of a summer family movie night in the park, but with a message of pressing urgency.
The panel was made up of: Mayela Manasjan (moderator), executive director of the Association of Women in Water, Energy & Environment; Dr. Greg Rouse – Marine Biologist at Scripps Institute of Oceanography; Coach Jackson – Founder and executive director of Coastal Defenders; and Amber Sparks – Marine Biologist and Co-founder of the Blue Latitudes Foundation.
The 30-minute discussion centered on ocean conservation and access, as well as climate justice from the point of view of coastal indigenous communities. The discussion, while broad, honed in on one common point: tackling the problems of equity of coastal access, conservation, and climate change all come down to engagement and education. The panelists had different approaches, but all emphasized the importance, now more than ever, of grassroots and local efforts to engage with local communities in events such as this film screening.
The first film, Faka’apa’apa, told the story of two Blue Latitudes Foundation researchers, including Amber Sparks, one of the panelists, as they explored the relationship between the Tongan people and the Humpback whales that make the offshore waters their breeding ground. As the Tongan King made whale hunting illegal in 1978, the locals turned to the fragile and highly seasonal work of ecotourism. While the ban on hunting has allowed whale populations to massively recover, many Tongan people must travel and turn to offshore labor in the off-season to make ends meet. A very striking fact revealed towards the end of the film was that, while ecotourism started as a local business, by now only 20 of the 50 government-licensed tour boats are locally owned; the rest are all owned and operated by foreign businesses.
The second film, Out of Mined, produced by Protect the West Coast, was a thoroughly researched and documented look at the impact of mining for diamonds and minerals on South Africa’s West Coast. As revealed by the first-hand perspectives of members of an indigenous community, inhabitants of a fishing village, naturalists, and outdoor adventurers, there is a decades-long battle playing out and shaping the future of one of the most biologically diverse and wild coastal regions on Earth.
Predictably, mining companies have been using up the land and leaving it barren, full of massive holes, or littered with debris. Their reluctance to take responsibility is made clear in a jarring interview with the CEO of one of the largest mining companies; he makes tired claims about “doing the best they can” and, in a revealing moment, says outright that while they ‘could take responsibility for the last 50 years, and probably should… well, they just can’t. You understand.’
The film, however, ends on a positive note. A local group of trail runners has raised awareness of a stretch of coast under imminent threat of mining by forming and expanding a running group, now numbering 250 participants. The organizer poignantly states that the best thing to do is to take action yourself, and that once you do that, others will follow.
A common thread united both films: the push-and-pull, continuous conflict between local communities and their efforts to preserve their environments and ways of life, and commercial entities seeking to exploit local resources, with varying levels of destructiveness, for profit benefiting absentee outsiders.
So, what can one person do? The takeaway from this event was, more than one might think.
Concretely, San Diego has many environment and climate justice related events, and coastal conservation and access equity organizations, such as the ones represented in the event’s panel. Other nonprofits focused on coastal conservation in San Diego include the Surfrider Foundation, the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, The Nature Conservancy, and the Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve; other coastal indigenous equity-focused groups with a San Diego presence include Native Like Water and Wildcoast. And there’s also San Diego 350.
If a group or event doesn’t exist yet, however local, it might be time to make it. Even something as simple as picking up trash when already on a beach stroll can motivate others to do so in the future. Even in OB, there are many opportunities to incorporate sustainability and conservation into our everyday lives.
