When it comes to ocean sustainability, Pinellas County has a lot of reasons to take notice.
A 2014 citizen survey conducted in Pinellas indicated that people are mostly happy with the life they live here. Just over 30% said that the quality of life in the area had gotten better compared to five years ago, up nearly 10% from 2013. Above all else, they value opportunities to volunteer, attending social and cultural events, and abundant recreational choices . The over 500 miles of coast in the county are an easy place to begin thinking about ocean sustainability, even more so due to the high value that we place on having places to meet people and have fun.1 But these issues stretch far beyond our sandy shores.
In 2010, the president gave an order stating that “America’s stewardship of the ocean… [is] linked to environmental sustainability, human health and well-being, [and] national prosperity.” His words hit on all three pillars of sustainability – economic, environmental, and social. Social sustainability is often the hardest of the three areas to wrap your head around. The others, economic and environmental, tend to get more of the spotlight. In a broad sense, social sustainability can be thought of as how well all groups of people work with each other and how fairly costs and gains are shared.
How could we be risking the things we love about our county by adding to problems in our oceans? And how can we better focus on people when we talk about people, planet, and profit? Sign up for a film screening event on July 23rd, August 1st, or August 13th and join us in viewing Ocean Frontiers to see how other regions have balanced user demands to create answers that honor the environment while being mindful of the desires and needs of local people.
From the Florida Keys to Iowa’s farms, you’ll learn how people across the nation are working to tackle issues ranging from saving whales and the shipping industry to reducing nutrient runoff without hurting farmers.
References and Resources:
Pinellas County Coastal Management
What is Social Sustainability?
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