Guest Speaker: Garrett Stuart, CEO of the Eco Preservation Project
Talking “Red Tide” algae bloom, combating climate change and common sense preservation and conservation
Garrett Stuart, aka “Captain Planet,” is a marine biologist who passionately promotes conservation and education. The CEO of the Eco Preservation Project, he not only talks the talk, he walks the walk by promoting sustainable agriculture and cleaner oceans. His weapon of choice is education, and he is renowned for sharing the importance of protecting natural resources, especially in Florida, which is facing enhanced algal blooms (“Red Tide”) and an alarming rate of coral and fish die-offs. After receiving his bachelor’s degree in Field Biology specializing in algae, he worked for the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks and the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, restoring tall grass prairies and building artificial wetlands before entering the field of agriculture. After a time as a crop consultant and working in Puerto Rico managing an Agroforestry Farm, he returned to the Florida Keys to become a Marine Scientist, focusing on outreach educational programs. .
What you’ll learn about in this episode:
*Why Lance Edwards believes that water management and eco-preservation will have a huge impact on Florida real estate values
*Garrett’s unique background that includes studying algae under 54 well known algae scientists and entering the agricultural field as a crop consultant
*How the show “Blue Planet” inspired a move to the Florida Keys and his passionate work in saving reefs
*Why our biggest problem isn’t pollution itself but apathy towards it
*How being tagged in a video of bacteria discharges from a Florida lake led him to become “Captain Planet” and start educating people on the state’s major algae problems
*How a cavalier approach to water conservation will lead to the choking out of the Everglades, whose reef is needed for 9000 years.
*The percentage of the ocean’s species that coral reefs are responsible for.
*The correlation between the extinction of coral reefs and the possibility that plastic will one day be more prevalent in the ocean than fish.
*The detailed differences between blue green algaes and “red tide” algae bloom.
*The fact that “red tides” existed before fertilizer, and how dumping mosaics phosphate over it helps it grow
*The pervasiveness of algae blooms across the planet, and how human activity has made the problem worse, speeding up the planet’s clock
*The correlation between climate change and the extinction of dinosaurs who could not survive the ice age
*How old school farming practices and illegitimate yard landscape practices add fuel to the climate change fire
*The “red tide” problem in the Mississippi River
*Naming Mosaic and Mosanto as two companies that thrive on a crashing ecosystem
*Florida is the largest repository of phosphate in the world, and why the state is experiencing phosphate and nitrate problems
*How Hurricane Irma contributed to recent algae blooms in Lake Okeechobee
*The pollution problems caused by Big Sugar plantations
*How dumping polluted water without filtering is similar to what occurs in septic tanks
*Garrett’s belief that limiting building development would increase the value of the buildings that exist
*Nevada’s encouraging financial incentive for replacing sod with eco-landscaping
*The lie being told about the percentage of revenue generated by agriculture in Florida
*The percent of the phosphate used in America that originates in Central Florida
*The problem of nutrient pollution and how it manifests in dead porpoises and turtles washing up on shore
*The astounding number of species we are losing every day to extinction, and the high percentage of species we could lose within 100 years if we keep going at this rate
*Why Stuart is adamant about the reality of human assisted climate change
*The difference using a fishing line or spear instead of a net makes
*How American business practices and the material used by manufacturers contributes to the buildup of plastic refuse in our oceans
*How buying certain products can make one an “eco warrior”
*How these ecological problems have devastated the tourism industry in Florida
*How $60 million dollars and duck weed permaculture implementation could save Lake Okeechobee – and the folly of officials declaring duck weed “invasive”
*The “magical” properties of duckweed, and how it, combined with the use of floating greenhouses could contribute to saving the lake
*Reducing methane by implementing macro algae like kelp in to the diets of cattle
*The percentage of the oxygen we breathe that comes from the ocean
*Why and how Garrett started his non-profit The Eco Preservation Project, how you can get involved and reasons why it’s crucial to participate. Donations are always welcome as well.
*The number of citizens versus the number of politicians and how people can get involved in eco preservation without the help of the government.
*The key to Garrett’s success as an educator – he’s not just a scientist, but an incredible storyteller!
Resources:
https://darkfingloves.com/blog/they-call-me-captain-planet/
https://theecopreservationproject.org/
https://www.facebook.com/ecopreservationproject/
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