Fifty Ways to Save the Ocean

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Overfishing, pollution, global warming, species extinction: it’s hard to overstate the seriousness and scale of the problems facing our oceans; just as it’s tempting to assume there’s little or nothing we can do about them. (See, for example, this classily written, highly informative, but paralysingly depressing inventory of oceans-related woes by Julia Whitty in a recent Mother Jones.)

But don’t be too quick to curl into the fetal position! There are (at least) 50 things you can do to save the ocean, from being a smart seafood consumer, to keeping your home aquarium ocean friendly, to joining in a coastal cleanup, to supporting local marine education. These suggestions come from an important and recently updated book, “50 Ways to Save the Ocean,” by David Helvarg, president of the Blue Frontier Campaign (www.bluefront.org), with illustrations by cartoonist Jim Toomey. Click on the cover image to go check it out.

(And don’t forget: there’s another way you can do your bit for the oceans—by signing up for Mother JonesOcean Voyager campaign, a five-part virtual journey—complete with stunning photos and spectacular video footage—to the world’s ocean hotspots.)

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WE CAME UP SHORT.

We just wrapped up a shorter-than-normal, urgent-as-ever fundraising drive and we came up about $45,000 short of our $300,000 goal.

That means we're going to have upwards of $350,000, maybe more, to raise in online donations between now and June 30, when our fiscal year ends and we have to get to break-even. And even though there's zero cushion to miss the mark, we won't be all that in your face about our fundraising again until June.

So we urgently need this specific ask, what you're reading right now, to start bringing in more donations than it ever has. The reality, for these next few months and next few years, is that we have to start finding ways to grow our online supporter base in a big way—and we're optimistic we can keep making real headway by being real with you about this.

Because the bottom line: Corporations and powerful people with deep pockets will never sustain the type of journalism Mother Jones exists to do. The only investors who won’t let independent, investigative journalism down are the people who actually care about its future—you.

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