Hi! I’m Sara. I am from Long Island, New York, but I now live on the outskirts of Auckland, New Zealand. I have a strong affinity to the ocean and so my whole life revolves around it. I currently work as an Outdoor/Marine Educator and I love my job, I have the opportunity to inspire many young people to care about the environment and engage with nature.
How did I get here? A few months before I finished my bachelor of science in Biology at Adelphi I had decided I would go abroad at the end of the summer to gain more experience in Marine Science before deciding on a masters program. Through a research fellowship studying an invasive parasite which affects crabs, I met an inspiring woman who did her PhD at University of Auckland’s Leigh Marine Lab and it sounded like a really cool place, perfect for someone after an adventure. I made contact with some people there and confirmed that I would have a place to stay while I volunteer at the lab and so I booked a flight.
When I arrived at Leigh Marine Laboratory, situated on the edge of the Cape-Rodney to Okakari (Goat Island) Marine Reserve I can recall how elated I was to be at a real lab where marine science is everyone’s passion. I never wanted to leave. That’s how I ended up in New Zealand, you’ll have to wait for another blog post to hear more about why I stayed.
Why am I writing a blog?
Because it allows me to share my journey and my story with others. You can share thoughts with people you know, and ones you don’t.
My goal is to inspire others to care about the ocean by sharing stories and photos of my ocean experiences. I also want to remind these readers that they can have these experiences too, the opportunities don’t fall into your hands, you do have to seek them out.
If I can spark a love for the ocean or even just inspire someone to care for the environment a little more, that means more people will join me on this journey; looking for ways to reduce our impact on the planet whilst living a fulfilling life.
I am bound to write about sustainability and innovative ways to lessen impact on the planet, I have been learning from many others about ways you can reduce your waste. Thinking about what things we send to landfill is actually great place to start if you’re not aware of the impact our ‘disposable culture’ has on the planet.
I promise I am not going to tell anyone what to do, merely share with you what I do to educate and inform. We can make much more of a difference if we do this together.
