Gulf Oil Spill Awareness Workshop, July 21

The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk in conjunction with the Connecticut Maritime Association and supported by The Connecticut Audubon Society and Mystic Aquarium will host an evening seminar on the challenges of responding to a major oil spill. The program, while shaped by the three organizations, is in fact the product of a high school student led initiative entitled e3.
 
Standing for education, environment and energy the initiative is the result of a desire to develop something positive on a local level to the tragic spill going on in the US Gulf. The evening seminar will demonstrate some of the heroic and practiced response efforts being applied by industry and local communities to the environmental attack.
 
Presentations will explain the nature of the official response system – the Deepwater Unified Command currently headed by former United States Coast Guard Commandant Thad Allen, and the Tri-State regions contribution to the response; The Connecticut Audubon Society will demonstrate how birds are cleaned; and, there will be discussion on how as long as we rely on fossil fuels we can all make a difference through conservation in our lives and by being prepared and understanding how we can help if some accident should occur in Connecticut’s waters.
 
The CMA which is sponsoring the e3 website (http://www.enereducation.com) represents the largest center of international commercial shipping in the country.  As such its members are intimately knowledgeable about the situation in the Gulf. Many of its members are actively involved providing clean-up equipment, crews and ships to assist with the response.
 
Admiral Allen has met with the CMA community many times stressing the goal of maritime safety with cooperation between industry and the US Coast Guard necessary to achieve those goals.  The Association is enormously supportive of his efforts in the Gulf.
 
Support of the seminar, website and student initiative reflects the CMA's commitment to education. Along with being the leading provider of student scholarships and internships in the maritime industry the Association thru its members actively engages in community and school program outreach.
 
Beth Wilson-Jordan, CMA President, commented, “We are all saddened by the tragic accident in the Gulf, but immensely impressed by the many contributions from the maritime community, our own, and from around the world to assist with the response.  Part of the lessons learned from the Gulf should be to avoid something like this ever happening again.  But also for us all to learn more from the experience and each other what we can each do. The CMA is committed to educational outreach and where we have a resident expertise want to share it and where we see student initiative support that as best we can.”
 
Kelsey Kunkel, a Norwalk High School Senior and President of Norwalk High's Key Club added, “The tragedy in the Gulf made us realize how lucky we are to live along the Connecticut Coastline. We wanted the community to understand how important an organized response is to the beaches and wildlife. So e3 was born"
 
Beth Wilson-Jordan concludes, “This is an opportunity to reach out to the Connecticut community to ensure we are prepared and understand what we can all do and what heroic efforts are underway in the Gulf today. The CMA applauds the efforts of Connecticut’s student organizations for their initiative.”
 
CMA members fill roles in each logistics step needed to carry food aid around the world, transport oil safely for our homes and businesses and move finished products around the world facilitating trade and economic health.

This free seminar will be held 6:00 pm-8:00 pm on Wednesday evening, July 21, 2010 at The Maritime Aquarium, 10 North Water Street, East Norwalk, CT. (Enter at the North Entrance – i.e. not the IMAX side).
 
RSVP’s are required to attend and contact info is noted below:
 
For more general information on this initiative please visit:   http://www.enereducation.com
 
For Student and Community Outreach info and RSVP’s:
Kelsey Kunkel at email: [email protected] or visit the Facebook page: e3forum
 
CMA Members and Members of the Maritime Industry Community RSVP’s:
Lorraine Parsons – Tel: +1-203-406-0109 Ext 3717 or email: [email protected]