I Heart Blue: An Ocean Love Affair in NYC with Dr. Susan Shaw and Poets, Musicians and More

Tonight! It is often said you are what you eat, but in truth you are what you wear, touch, consume, sit on, sleep in, clean with and drive. Everything your skin and body interacts with impacts your well being, and quality of life. Learn about how your consumption habits affect your health, body burden tests and so much more at I Heart Blue: An Ocean Love Affair. Dr Susan Shaw of the Marine Environmental Research Institute will be the Keynote speaker. Fabien Cousteau will be moderating the roundtable conversation between ocean luminaries, which will be followed by exceptional performances by renowned names. An Ocean Conservation Fundraiser “I am literally watching the oceans become toxic soup. It is breaking my heart.” – Dr. Susan Shaw Time: 7pm – 10pm Location: ACA Galleries 529 W. 20th Street, 5th Floor, (between 10th & 11th Ave) Immersive multimedia, zero-carbon event that will raise money and awareness for the Marine Environmental Research Institute, a leading organization in the ocean community dedicated to protecting ocean life and human health through research, outreach, and advocacy. Founded by Dr. Susan Shaw, a pioneering marine toxicologist, explorer, and ocean advocate, the Institute is at the forefront of understanding the rising pollution in the world’s oceans and engaging the public and policymakers in innovative solutions to end the flow of contaminants into the sea. Renowned musicians, dancers, actors, and other performers will be providing entertainment for the event: live music, interpretive dance, theatre, rap, and poetry. Tickets here. Silent Auction: art, autographed books, award-winning photography, gift certificates, luxury items, and more. Gourmet catering, wine and our event’s signature cocktail: Surf Kiss Major news outlets (tv, print and internet) have committed to covering the event Green Mountain Energy Company is proud to help I Heart Blue go green by offsetting part of its estimated carbon dioxide emissions! In partnership with Green Mountain Energy Company, Blue Beyond Boarders has calculated and offset the carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions associated with powering the I Heart Blue event. We are offsetting 1,500 pounds of CO2 – that’s like not taking 630 taxi rides or 5,700 car trips across the Brooklyn Bridge!” ACA Galleries is generously donating a portion of the proceeds of any piece of art from their collection sold at the I Heart Blue event to the Marine Environmental Research Institute. Speakers: Keynote Speaker Dr. Susan Shaw Founder of M.E.R.I. Dr. Shaw is widely known for her pioneering research on the toxic legacy of man-made chemicals in the ocean environment. She is credited as the first scientist to show that flame retardant chemicals used in home interiors and consumer products have contaminated marine mammals and commercially important fish stocks in the northwest Atlantic. Her research has influenced policy decisions in the U.S. and abroad. http://www.meriresearch.org/ Roundtable Discussion: (A thought-provoking discourse between Dr. Susan Shaw, Rebecca Alban Hoffberger; moderated by Fabien Cousteau) Roundtable Moderator Fabien Cousteau, Founder of Plant a Fish Oceanographic Explorer Growing up on decks of his famous Grandfather’s (Jacques Yves Cousteau) ships, Calypso and Alcyone, Fabien Cousteau was destined to work to protect our planet’s immense and endangered marine habitats. From his vast experience in the field, coupled with a degree in environmental economics from Boston University, he has refined a public policy platform grounded by his strong belief that environmental discipline can be the basis for innovative solutions that strike a balance between regional and global environmental problems and the realities of market economies. http://www.plantafish.org/ Roundtable Participants Dr. Susan Shaw, Founder of M.E.R.I. Scientist / Conservationist Widely known for her pioneering research on the toxic legacy of man-made chemicals in the ocean environment, Dr. Susan Shaw is credited as the first scientist to show that flame retardant chemicals used in furniture and consumer products have contaminated marine mammals and commercially important fish stocks in the northwest Atlantic. Her research has influenced policy decisions in the U.S. and abroad. An outspoken and influential voice on ocean pollution, Shaw was the first scientist to dive in the Gulf of Mexico oil slick and report on the impact of chemical dispersants on marine life. She currently leads GULF ECOTOX, an investigation of the effects of dispersed oil in the Gulf and serves on the U.S. Department of Interior’s Strategic Sciences Working Group, a team of scientists charged with assessing consequences of the spill and recommending policy actions. She has appeared in several documentary films on the Gulf disaster including Animal Planet’s Black Tide: Voices of the Gulf and Green Planet’s The Big Fix, the Official Selection documentary at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival. A Fulbright Scholar with dual degrees from Columbia University in film and public health/environmental health sciences, Shaw published Overexposure, the first book on the health hazards of photographic chemicals, in 1983 with Ansel Adams. In 2011 Shaw received the Society of Women Geographers’ Gold Medal Award, joining the ranks of Amelia Earhart, Margaret Mead, Jane Goodall, and Sylvia Earle. In 2012, she received the Explorers Club Citation of Merit Award for “extraordinary feats of exploration and research” and her leadership role in ocean conservation at the Explorers Club Annual Dinner ceremony at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, New York City. Shaw was recently honored with the 2012 Next Award by MaineBiz magazine for her work in shaping the future of Maine. Rebecca Hoffberger, Founder & Director of AVAM Rebecca Alban Hoffberger is the dynamic founder and director of the American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore, Maryland, America’s national museum for outsider art. She was honored with the Urban Land Institute’s coveted National Award for Excellence and an honorary doctorate from the Maryland Institute College of Art. AVAM hosted the 2012 State of Our Earth Eco Conference featuring three acclaimed environmental leaders – Dr. Sandra Steingraber, Dr. Susan Shaw and Dr. Shira Kramer. Among her recent projects is “Raising an Army of Poets to Save the Spirit Bear Coast Rainforest” in which 22 of the world’s greatest poets contributed one line to a collaborative protest poem against installing an oil pipeline through the pristine Spirit Bear Coast. Podcast: Documentary Filmmakers Josh & Rebecca Tickell Award-winning filmmakers Josh & Rebecca Tickell will show an excerpt from their film The Big Fix, (a Green Planet Productions film), which was the Official Selection documentary at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival. Josh Tickell is a documentary film maker, director, blogger, author, and public speaker, focusing on topics related to biofuels. He is a thought leader at the intersection of new energy, new technology, new fuel, and new urbanism. Rebecca Harrell Tickell is an environmental activist, author, producer, director, musician, and actress. She is the CEO of Green Planet Productions and, with her husband Josh Tickell, has dedicated her life to environmental activism through the medium of film. Performers: Poetry Wallace J. Nichols Dr. Wallace “J.” Nichols is a scientist, activist, community organizer, author, and dad. He works to inspire a deeper connection with nature, sometimes simply by walking and talking, other times through writing or images. Lately, he is working on BLUEMiND: The Mind + Ocean Initiative, merging the fields of cognitive science and ocean exploration. Nichols contributes regularly to The Huffington Post. http://wallacejnichols.org/ Ballet Viki Psihoyos and Waves of Love Dance Troupe Viki Psihoyos trained at George Balanchine’s School of American Ballet for nine years, resulting in her being chosen to dance with his New York City Ballet. She also handled communications for Oceanic Preservation Society, when they released their groundbreaking film, The Cove. In response to the waves of adulation and activism that resulted, she created Ocean Action Tracker, http://www.oceanactiontracker.com to connect the ocean loving community. Rap Baba Brinkman Baba Brinkman is a Canadian rap artist, writer, and former tree-planter who worked in the Rocky Mountains every summer for over ten years, personally planting more than one million trees. The Rap Guide to Evolution, The Canterbury Tales Remixed and Ingenious Nature– have all recently enjoyed extended off-Broadway runs at the Soho Playhouse. http://www.bababrinkman.com/ Music Garth Stevenson Garth Stevenson is a Brooklyn-based composer and double bassist. His most recent and critically acclaimed release, Flying, is a seventy-five minute homage to a recent life-changing trip to Antarctica. Of Flying, iTunes praises, “Garth Stevenson joins the likes of Brian Eno, Sigur Rós, and David Sylvian as a practitioner of this ethereal yet accessible genre… http://garthstevenson.com/ Theatre Seth Michael May & Acting on Impulse Ensemble Seth Michael May (SAG, AEA, AFTRA) began acting in 1989 and coaching in 1995. In 2010, he won the Backstage Reader’s Choice Award for Favorite Improvisation Class and Teacher. . He has studied acting and worked with Herbert Berghof, Terry Schrieber, Viveca Lindfors, Marty Fried, and Harold Guskin, among others. He has taught workshops in sensory work, improvisation, and classical theatre in New York, Los Angeles, and Europe. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0562127/ Master of Ceremonies: Creative Conservationist Asher Jay Asher Jay is a multifaceted creative conservationist. She is the founder of Garbagea (www.garbagea.com) and Sea Speak Sphere (www.seaspeaksphere.com), under which she exhibits the collaborative installation piece Message in A Bottle (www.asherjay.com) Event Details: Date: Wednesday, January 30, 2013 Time: 7pm – 10pm Location: ACA Galleries 529 W. 20th Street, 5th Floor, (between 10th & 11th Ave) Sponsors: Green Mountain Energy Company is generously donating $10 per person who signs up as a new Green Mountain Energy customer at the I Heart Blue event to the Marine Environmental Research Institute. Green Mountain Energy Company is proud to help I Heart Blue go green by offsetting part of its estimated carbon dioxide emissions! In partnership with Green Mountain Energy Company, Blue Beyond Boarders has calculated and offset the carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions associated with powering the I Heart Blue event. We are offsetting 1,500 pounds of CO2 – that’s like not taking 630 taxi rides or 5,700 car trips across the Brooklyn Bridge!” www.greenmountain.com ACA Galleries is generously donating the event space and a portion of the proceeds of any piece of art from their collection sold at the I Heart Blue event to the Marine Environmental Research Institute. www.acagalleries.com 4food is generously donating their catering services for the event www.4food.com Susty Party is generously donating biodegradable tableware www.sustyparty.com