Ocean Explorer/Submarine Pilot Embarks on Special Solo 'Expedition' to All 50 U.S....

Ocean Explorer/Submarine Pilot Embarks on Special Solo 'Expedition' to All 50
U.S. States, Territories

WASHINGTON, Jan. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Ocean explorer and conservationist Dr.
David E. Guggenheim, the "Ocean Doctor," begins a one-year journey of
education and discovery called The Ocean Doctor's 50 Years - 50 States - 50
Speeches Expedition. The expedition begins on January 7, 2009 at the Sonoma
Ecology Center in Eldridge, California.
Announced by Guggenheim on his 50th birthday, the expedition will bring,
at no charge, speeches about the oceans to schools in all 50 U.S. states plus
territories. By its culmination at the end of 2009, Guggenheim will have
reached tens of thousands of students in a wide range of communities,
including the northernmost city Barrow, Alaska.
Guggenheim will share his adventures exploring ocean depths with videos
from his experiences piloting a small, one-person submarine, bringing lessons
about the oceans and conservation. In return, Guggenheim expects to learn from
the students about their perspectives on the oceans. Guggenheim will share his
travels in real time via the Internet.
Guggenheim will bring students' messages back to Washington - literally.
He will deliver handwritten "messages in a bottle" to the Obama Administration
to share students' thoughts, hopes and dreams for the future of the oceans.
The project will also connect students with one another. Billed as "the first
social network for the other 70 percent of the planet," a new web site,
ExploreOurOceans.org, has been launched allowing students to create their own
ocean blogs and even seek advice from volunteer online experts.
Guggenheim's inspiration for this project comes from the fact that,
despite recent trends toward environmental awareness, a serious lack of public
"ocean literacy" remains. According to the Ocean Literacy Network, most in the
U.S. are unaware or only vaguely aware of environmental problems in the
oceans. Recalling the inspiration his generation enjoyed from the space
program, Guggenheim states, "I hope to stimulate the same sort of awe and
wonder, drawing students into ocean issues by inspiring their imagination,
setting the stage for learning about science and conservation."
Guggenheim's expedition is also a tribute to his father who was lost at
sea several months shy of reaching his own 50th birthday. "It was my days as a
boy, fishing with my dad that I truly inherited his passion for the sea, and I
feel lucky to have been able to spend much of my life near, in, or best of
all, under the water," says Guggenheim.
Speeches are still available for a number of states and territories (see:
http://OceanDoctor.org). The expedition is a project of The Ocean Foundation
(TOF), supported by tax-deductible donations. TOF (http://oceanfdn.org), a
501(c)(3) non-profit, international public foundation, is a unique community
foundation providing philanthropic advice for a community of donors who care
about the coast and oceans. TOF's mission is to support, strengthen, and
promote those organizations dedicated to reversing the trend of destruction of
ocean environments around the world.
Contact:

Elsa Palmer-Oden
(919) 342-9520
ElsaOden@TeamDoubleClick.com

Dr. David E. Guggenheim
Biography: http://1planet1ocean.org/about/
dguggenheim@1planet1ocean.org

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SOURCE The Ocean Foundation

Elsa Palmer-Oden, +1-919-342-9520, ElsaOden@TeamDoubleClick.com; Dr. David E.
Guggenheim, dguggenheim@1planet1ocean.org