My daughter's eyes, they are two tiny seas…

                “The Whaler”, Thrice, 2007

75% of the Earth is covered by water. By 2025, 33% of the world population will be without safe drinking water. It’s hard for me to imagine at 22-years-old that the impact of my water usage today will impact my own children, and the children of others around the world.

But some people are obviously better prepared than me. Danni Washington, a 21-year-old graduate of University of Miami with a degree in marine science and biology, understands the importance of water to the world, and fully intends to teach reverence for our seas to today’s young. She is currently working on selling a television show called The Big Blue and You, a children’s show meant to teach kids about the sanctity of our oceans. As the host of the show, Danni goes on adventures that deal with the ocean and its inhabitants, ranging from catching and tagging sharks to exploring the black mangrove forests.

“It began when I was six years old, I just knew that there was something in me that was very connected to the sea. I loved all of the creatures in there, I loved going to the beach, so I decided I was going to become a marine biologist.” After completing her studies at UM, Danni decided she didn’t want to sit in a lab all day. With a passion for bringing science to the people, she decided to use her zeal and talent’s to children via The Big Blue and You.

The show will “empower children to become leaders of the future and want to desire change for our environment,” according to Danni. “I believe that children really have the power to change the course of the future because they’re going to be the leaders one day and they’re going to make the decisions, just like the adults are right now. And a lot of times I feel like adults are kind of tainted already. They’re set in their ways and they don’t like to be flexible and change, but kids are just so open and they love to explore. I think that if we can show them why the ocean is important, they can make better choices when they become adults.”

Danni lists global warming, overfishing, and pollution as just a few of the issues that will face the young in the near future. “A lot of scientists are projecting that many, many different species that we eat are going to be gone in the next 50 years, and that is a huge issue for the next generation.”

Beyond overfishing, Florida will be very uniquely affected by global warming. The Everglades, for example, is the only place in the world where one can find alligators and crocodiles together in the wild. In Danni’s words, “Florida is a treasure in the United States.” Disrespect to the ocean could cause major catastrophe for Florida, and checking www.floridawarming.com, I found that my house in Coral Gables would go the way of Atlantis with just a 6 foot rise sea level. “[Floridians] are at the forefront of this battle,” Danni says. “We need to come up with ways and solutions so we can figure out this global warming problem and stop it while we have time.” Ironically, the Florida Department of Motor Vehicles does not require a smog emissions test on vehicles in the state. Florida also ranks in the top five most polluting states for many different air pollutants.

Given the stakes for Florida, Danni would like to see our politicians address alternative energy to resolve our energy needs instead of looking to off-shore drilling. “We are moving at such a fast pace with technology, as far as electric cars and hybrid cars are concerned, that our dependency on oil should really be decreased as much as possible.”

                While tackling such issues seems like a daunting task, Danni has a few recommendations for young adults who want to get involved. “First of all, they need to get involved in any kind of environmental club they might have at their school or college and really get informed. The second thing would be to help with any kind of beach clean-ups, coastal clean-ups, and to do anything they can when they go to the beach to clean up trash. [They can] set an example, not only for the [kids younger than them], but also for the adults, so they can see that young people are taking a stand and are willing to work toward making their future brighter.”