Business Leaders Uniting For Our Oceans

Rising Tide Summit Encourages True Collaboration to Protect The Oceans

Who should care about the health of our oceans? While scientists and researchers might be the first to come to mind, this year a group of dedicated entrepreneurs and businesses are leading the charge and taking action.

Over the past 30 years, I have attended summits and conferences whose focus has been on science, research and the future of our planet’s most valuable resource: oceans. At all of those events, experts analyzed and presented data hyper-focused on the problem, and it didn’t sit well with me. I thought to myself, this can’t be the only way to get more people involved.

As an entrepreneur, I am inspired by other businesses, especially ones that are actively contributing positively to their local communities and the environment. It is important to me to bring together a diverse group of stakeholders to go beyond discussing issues and start taking action. That’s why I created the Rising Tide Summit — to bring business executives, non-profit leaders and innovative entrepreneurs together to collaborate and come up with scalable solutions.

“The Rising Tide Summit’s focus on actionable and scalable solutions is just the kind of hopeful and empowering shot in the arm that the environmental movement needs right now,” said Nathaniel Stinnett, Founder and Executive Director of Environmental Voter Project and one of this year’s featured speakers.

Businesses are the cause of most of the major issues our oceans are facing, and they need to be the ones driving the conversation towards solutions to protect our oceans and the economies that depend on them. It is my hope that this year leaders will brainstorm how to engage voters on legislation, focus their energy on solutions to plastic pollution, turn the tide on coral bleaching and much more.

“We take oil out of the ocean and then return it in the form of toxic plastic.” said Shaun Tomson, professional surfer and former world champion, who will keynote the event. “It is time to stop this petrol-plastic cycle of destruction. We can break the cycle starting right here in California.”

I am honored to have this year’s speakers open the dialogue and inspire radical collaboration amongst all stakeholders interested in protecting our oceans. Speakers include Dan Pingaro, President and CEO, Ocean Institute; Emma Rose Cohen, CEO and Co-Founder, Final Straw; Jenny Krusoe, Executive Director, AltaSea at the Port of Los Angeles; and so many more.

Those who attended last year’s event, like Dune Ives, Executive Director at the Lonely Whale Foundation, say the experience is unlike any they’ve had before.

“What I love about the Rising Tide Summit is that there is true innovation being shared both at a large scale and at the grassroots,” Ives said. “There’s no grandstanding, false promises or wishful thinking. This may also have been the nicest bunch of attendees for whom true collaboration and transparency is of highest priority.”

One of the features of this event that I am most proud of is the fact that it brings together a remarkable group of investors, entrepreneurs, companies, non-profits and scientists like never before.

“The conference embodies so much of what AltaSea is trying to achieve here in the harbor, bringing together research, STEM education and sustainable business incubation to create the knowledge, jobs, companies and workers for our area to thrive in the future,” Krusoe said.

The second annual Rising Tide Summit will take place on Wednesday, March 27 and Thursday, March 28 at The Plaza at Cabrillo Marina in San Pedro, California. Wednesday will feature Stinnett’s keynote address, “We’re Winning the Battle for Hearts and Minds. Now Environmentalists Need to Vote.” Thursday will feature Tomson’s keynote address, “The Power of Purpose.”

For those who are interested in participating but find that traveling to California is not possible, rest assured that all of our talks will be available online in both video and audio format. We are excited to share our ideas and inspiration not only with our attendees, but around the world.

I am immensely grateful for the support from XPRIZE Foundation, Marisla Foundation, AltaSea at the Port of Los Angeles and HDX Mix. Without your support, we wouldn’t be able to tackle these most important issues.

I hope you are as excited for this year’s summit as I am! I hope to see you there, ready to roll up your sleeves and get to work.

For more information, agenda and speakers list, visit risingtidesummit.net and follow @votetheocean and #risingtidesummit

Vipe Desai / CEO of HDX and Founder of Rising Tide Summit