these are the words of sarah stroup, ph.d., director of the conflict transformation collaborative at middlebury college, spoken as she closed out day 1 of the 2025 planet forward summit, held april 17 and 18 in washington, dc. 

hearing people’s stories, through deep listening and by extending curiosity, is a key way to connect with others, help find common ground — and find a path to understanding. and that connection, forged through the power of storytelling, was a theme heard throughout the 12th annual summit. 

more than 300 in-person attendees and students from 50-plus colleges and universities joined planet forward at the george washington university for two days of inspiring talks, invigorating panels, and enlightening workshops centered around this year’s summit theme: “the climate divide: new narratives to transform the crisis.”

the 2025 event was presented in association with the conflict transformation collaborative, a groundbreaking initiative dedicated to addressing and combating the increasing levels of divisiveness present in much of the world today. 

stroup and netta avineri, ph.d., both leaders in the collaborative, kicked off the summit by explaining that everyone experiences conflict, but that it doesn’t need to be a scary thing. in fact, stroup said, conflict can actually be productive — if we approach it the right way.

“you may have heard the phrase, ‘facts don’t change minds, stories do,’” stroup said. “this insight that stories can foster curiosity and complexity informs all sorts of interventions, like solutions journalism. if we are able to shift the stories that we tell, we can take a step toward more constructive conflict.”

our panels on thursday brought together students, storytellers, and scientists for discussions about navigating conflict, communicating complex data, preserving and respecting traditions, and connecting with people with different perspectives.

a keynote from environmental filmmaker bilal motley highlighted the importance of citizen journalism and recognizing the value of your unique perspective and voice as an environmental storyteller. 

“use what you have,” motley said. “use what you have and tell these stories … you are the answer.”

thursday’s discussions all had one central idea in mind: conflict doesn’t need to be something that we shy away from, especially if we’re equipped with the tools to deal with it in a productive manner. while many attendees began the day viewing conflict as something to be avoided because it made some feel uneasy, most left thursday’s discussions with a much more optimistic outlook on their abilities to approach it productively and constructively.

during thursday’s programming, planet forward also announced two new student experiential learning initiatives. 

first, a partnership between mystic aquarium and the gw alliance for a sustainable future that will send two gw students to mystic, conn., for an 8-week science storytelling fellowship at the aquarium this summer.

“[the fellows] will have access to all aspects of our mission,” said allison d. tuttle, chief zoological officer at mystic aquarium. “we’re going to show them everything: how we inspire our guests, how we educate and engage the public, our citizen science efforts, our world-class animal care and our conservation research. it’ll be a smorgasbord of elements for them to explore, reflect on and choose from. then, they’ll create a piece to tell the story of their choosing.”

the second is a storytelling expedition to the ted turner reserves in new mexico, where a group of students will join planet forward for five days of honing their visual storytelling skills in the remote and wild landscapes of the southwest.

day 1 of the summit ended on a high as the storyfest winners were announced, each of whom will be joining planet forward and lindblad expeditions on a storytelling adventure to the galápagos islands this summer. 

day 2 of the summit began with an inspiring keynote from renowned climate activist and author bill mckibben.

“the fossil fuel industry has so much money and so much power that they were able to figure out how to keep their business model going even when it became clear that it was ruining the earth,” mckibben said. “in the absence of billions of dollars, the only currency that will work is the currency of movements of getting people together to get things done … we can do that work, but only if we build momentum, and that, at some level, is a process of telling stories.”

mckibben’s talk was followed by workshops that engaged students and attendees on a range of topics from creating careers in a changing climate, to centering cultural storytelling in filmmaking, to presenting data in an easily digestible, audience-first manner.

this year’s summit brought together some of the best and the brightest in the worlds of storytelling, science, and conflict transformation. the two days of inspiring conversations instilled in the audience a renewed hope that we can use our voices to continue moving the planet forward.

these are unprecedented times and this year’s storyfest winners have risen to the challenge. from environmental justice to raging fires and rising seas, these students have produced stories that inform and inspire.

this year’s winners will embark this summer on a 10-day voyage to the galápagos islands with lindblad expeditions aboard the brand’s newest ship, national geographic gemini. guided by veteran expedition staff, including expert naturalists and scientists, plus educators, students will explore the extraordinary biodiversity of the archipelago and gain valuable insight into conservation efforts at the frontlines of climate and ecological change.

“travel has the power to open minds and build bridges of connection and understanding. it also has the power to influence how human beings engage with the natural world,” said amy berquist, vice president of conservation, education, and sustainability at lindblad expeditions. 

these outstanding student storytellers represent colleges and universities across the globe. through short films, social media videos, podcasts, longform writing, and multimedia packages, they tackled pressing topics like invasive species, emerging contaminants, and equitable access to nature. their work was selected by a panel of professional journalists, educators, and environmental leaders for its originality, clarity, and impact.

“we are honored to sponsor the planet forward storyfest awards for an eighth year,” berquist said. “the college and university storytellers who win this expedition experience are important voices for our planet; their stories will center on issues that shape the future.

“as a company that believes in the power of science and education — and making our ships available as platforms for research and learning — we are always inspired by hosting students. it is an honor to facilitate a way for them to use their energy and talents in support of the world’s wild and remote places.”

the winners’ stories illustrate the power of compelling environmental communication. above all, the 2025 storyfest winners give us hope on our journey to 2022年卡塔尔世界杯官网 . a hearty congratulations to our winners:

best short video
farron taijeron – university of guam 
“swimming with snakes: the backyard science of an invasive species in guam”

best social media video
mario castroviejo  – university of navarra | the george washington university
“how climate change impacts one of our favorite sweets: chocolate”

best podcast
avril silva – the george washington university
“a pfas problem: emerging contaminants in water in frederick, maryland”

best multimedia story
devin santikarma – middlebury college
“water gods: an ancient irrigation method in bali comes under threat”

best written story
kayla smernoff – howard university
“understanding the demographic discrepancy in park visitorship”

gw award
paul leoni – the george washington university
“cutting through the fog: the future of lobsters in the warming gulf of maine”

spotlight award
karli moore – stanford university 
“a native farmer growing a native crop: the role of fiber hemp in a more sustainable future”

fan favorite award 
sagen lily quale – university of wisconsin-madison
“seeding stories: manoomin and anishinaabeg relations”

with politics ever-changing, how we view our environment should not be impacted. simple understandings aim to find common ground for everyone while taking a deeper look at how the next generation of leaders understand our environment today. in this story, learn how high school students from upstate new york, to vieques, puerto rico are engaging with environmentalism at pivotal points in their lives.

check out the full story by clicking on the image below!

this video is an investigation into the relationship between art, science, and the environment, aiming to emphasize the importance of using art to convey science, particularly in the environmental sciences. this story is told through an interview with bonnie monteleone, co-founder of the plastic ocean project, a non-profit focused on the plastic pollution crisis based in wilmington, north carolina.

their mission is based on three pillars: scientific research, artistic storytelling, and collaborative solutions. monteleone, an artist at heart, created the traveling art exhibit “what goes around, comes around”, a mural made of plastic waste collected from the ocean in the shape of “the great wave of kanagawa” by katsushika hokusai.

monteleone is an expert in merging the arts and sciences in environmental storytelling and emphasizes the importance of using art to convey science, “it’s this little dance that we’re constantly doing, just so hungry to share, to communicate with one another. and that’s where, when i started this conversation the science was locked up, and helping people understand how horrible we were treating the ocean because we weren’t communicating.”

access to electricity is already unstable for much of the world and economic inequality has been rising exponentially. in addition to the human equity side of this issue, the foundation of our electrical supply is one of the driving forces of climate change and the sixth mass extinction.

whether it be knowledge about our nervous system or potato radios, most people are familiar with the presence of electricity in organisms. last year, our biodesign team at the university of richmond outlined a plan to explore this as a renewable energy source, centering the invasive species english ivy.

a foot long clipping of the vine from right behind the university’s library produced over 0.5 v. while small, this is a notable amount of electricity which can theoretically be scaled up with biomass, as well as stabilized with capacitors, and stored in batteries.

few of us in this day and age would do well without electronics for a month; imagine losing everything from your phone to washing machine to heating. yet all of us come from places affected by natural disasters, climate change, poverty, or other forms of instability.

a “grassroots” power source has the potential to alleviate the financial and physical burdens of the most vulnerable populations. this project is an interdisciplinary study of biology, electrical engineering, design thinking, and sustainability with the purpose of making electricity environmentally sustainable and socially conscious. 

for balinese people, water is the site where the seen and the unseen worlds meet.

for a thousand years, bali’s sustainable subak water irrigation system has embodied spiritual harmony with nature. these days however, tourism to the island soaks up 65% of its water supply, threatening subak and local livelihoods.

in this photo-essay, balinese-american devin santikarma captures a meditation on this quickly disappearing cultural heritage site and paints a portrait of the community keeping subak alive.

read the full story below.

editor’s note: this story was funded in part by the planet forward experiential learning award with support from the walton family foundation. all editorial content is created independently.

students at planet forward pillar schools are eligible to pitch stories for travel funding here.

the cranberry industry has surrounded me throughout my life. the bogs of bright red plants roll past my windows on all my drives home to southeast massachusetts. in 2010, the north and south rivers watershed association reported that massachusetts was home to over 900 cranberry bogs covering 14,000+ acres, spanning from mattapoisett up to plymouth and out to orleans on cape cod. as of 2023, the number of functioning bogs were reportedly producing 2 million barrels of crop per year, decreasing 12% from numbers reported in 2022 according to the packer.

when i was growing up, the bogs and water reservoirs would completely freeze over during the winter. the neighborhood kids would run outside after the snow had fallen, ice skates in hand, to chase each other around above the frozen berries. according to reports from the boston magazine, in 2012 over 300 of the 415 cranberry farms in massachusetts were in plymouth county, with my childhood home sitting in the center.  

while large companies like ocean spray, located in carver, ma have established farms in the area, most of the farms are family-run and passed down through generations. these family farms have been suffering greatly with the recent rise in temperatures across massachusetts.

the massachusetts wildlife climate action tool reported that the state should expect an annual increase in average temperature of 5°f under a high emissions scenario. with better resources and manpower, the larger corporations have been much more successful in adapting to this new climate. but warming winters are causing cranberry farmers to significantly alter the systems they use throughout harvest; systems they have spent decades fine-tuning and establishing.

crimson cranberry farm

isabella correia, a good friend of mine from high school, has spent most of her life on a set of bogs created and sustained by her grandfather.  

crimson cranberry farms is nestled deep in rochester ma, the family house rising from the middle of their three large bogs. off to the side, their man-made pond holds all the rainfall throughout the year to utilize when it’s time to flood the bogs come harvest and winter.  

this past harvest was not an easy one for crimson cranberry. despite its once-a-year harvest, cranberry production is a yearlong process. starting in spring, from april to november the berries take time to grow into the full red berries we see in supermarkets.

during this time, the plants are fertilized either through sprinkler systems or by hand if needed to help maintain nutrients. cranberries are native wetland plants, allowing the vines to live on very minimal nutrient supplements, so established beds need to be fertilized only once during the growing season.

come mid-september, farmers will start to harvest the berries through one of two methods; wet-harvesting and dry-harvesting. wet-harvesting entails flooding the cranberry bog with freshwater from a nearby reservoir. cranberries have air pockets that allow them to float in water and rise to the top of the flooded bog once they’re knocked loose off the vine.

water reels, also referred to as “egg beaters” because of their whisking motion, are used to churn the water and remove the berries from the vine. wooden or plastic “booms” are then used to gather the loose cranberries and scoop them out of the water to be inspected and cleaned.

cape cod cranberry growers association (cccga) reports that almost 95% of the cranberry crop in massachusetts is harvested through wet-harvesting. this harvest is used for dried cranberries and those used in juices, sauces, and as ingredients in other processed foods. 

dry-harvesting is a more meticulous process of combining the plants, using a large walk-behind machine, to free the berries into a burlap bag. the vines must be completely dry at harvest; any amount of moisture can delay the process until the right conditions are met. once the berries are gathered, they are pulled out of the bogs with trucks or by hand.

the berries are then hand-checked for freshness, looking at the color and imperfections and testing the berries’ ability to bounce. a fresh, ripe berry will bounce similarly to a rubber ball. dry-harvested berries are the only cranberries that can be sold fresh. 

warming winters means bitter berries

to protect the plants from overnight frost during the colder months, farmers spray the vines down with water through an irrigation system. as the water freezes on the vines, heat is released, protecting the plants throughout the night. the ice insulates the plants helping them survive through the dormant state that they are sent into by the cold temperatures.

according to reports by the university of maine, cranberry vines need to have at least 62 days in temperatures under 45°f in the winter to properly go into dormancy. without dormancy, plants have less fruit yield the next harvest, abnormal growth patterns, and face significant frost damage, especially if the plant is younger and less developed.  

warmer winters and falls greatly affect a cranberry’s ability to mature and the plant to remain healthy. a mature cranberry is bright red in color, plump and crisp, with a tart flavor that most people have come to love. immature cranberries are light pink and white in color with a very tart, astringent taste and quality.

when i visited isabella this fall, she walked me through the poor fertilization of one of their bogs. due to a mild winter the year before, their back right bog did not get the chance to freeze and reach a dormancy period, compromising the plants and crop yields. when it came time to fertilize the plants in early fall, isabella shared concerns about the process.  

“i tried to help fertilize the bogs,” correia said. but, she adds, her grandfather is really the only one who knows how to properly do it. “[isabella’s grandfather] is getting older so he can’t be out in the field so much, [so] i’m trying to learn.”

the dangers of decreased rainfall

but the most important aspect in this process is the water — more specifically, rain water. this rainfall is crucial to maintaining the water reservoirs used to flood and freeze the bogs. isabella expressed how depleted their water has become this season, significantly impacting their ability to harvest. “we barely had any water to flood our third bog… [the bog] was diseased anyway so the harvest wasn’t good.” 

rainfall is the main source of freshwater used to flood the bogs for harvest. it takes over 300,000 gallons of water per acre to properly flood a bog, and in typical conditions rainfall produces enough to last through the harvest with some left over for the next year. however, in the fall of 2024, massachusetts reached a critical drought level and the rainfall was well under the typical 44 inches a year. 

due to rising temperatures in massachusetts, residents are also experiencing dry, hot summers and falls. less snowfall and earlier snowmelt is leading to low water levels throughout the spring and summer. with little to no precipitation and lack of access to proper resources, family-built farms like crimson cranberry will gradually cease to exist.

from cranberry bogs to wetlands

family farms have also begun to lose their efficiency in growing when competing with the large industrial cranberry marshes in wisconsin. as these bogs die out, federal programs have begun to convert them back to wetlands.  

wetlands help prevent the coastal erosion along cape cod occurring due to the declining climate. the cranberry bog program is a massachusetts-based federal program that focuses on buying farms that are deemed inefficient and converting the bogs back into wetlands. recently, a historical cranberry bog once on the mattapoisett river reserve in mattapoisett named the bogs was converted back to wetlands after the plants had become diseased and it was retired from commercial production. 

wetland restoration has become a complicated topic in buzzards bay, an area comprising the southern coast of massachusetts and the western coast of cape cod. this area is home to most of the bogs within plymouth county, however they stretch down the arm of the cape and up north to plymouth.  

farmers who have given their whole lives to their bogs and creating the systems that run them are watching their plants die without any control. while at first, farmers across cape cod were hesitant to give up their bogs to restoration, the financial incentive has become undeniable.

with cranberry farms now expanding across wisconsin, washington, and oregon, the smaller family-run bogs in massachusetts simply cannot keep up with production. especially now that the warming climate is stunting growth across the bogs leading to smaller crop yields.  

when i moved to chicago for college, missing the cranberry bogs was the last thing on my mind. they have always been here, growing and changing with me as i got older. i still remember watching isabella slip on her waders every fall in high school, scooping the weightless cranberries into her hands.

i would tell my college friends from the midwest about the bogs and the bright red color that would blossom in the fall. i would boast and brag about them, my own sliver of agriculture that i was proud of, the way my friends were of corn and soybeans.  

but when they came to visit massachusetts, gabbing about wanting to see a cranberry still on its vine, i had so little to show them. i drove them to the bogs, and we watched the restoration team remove the bits of farming material that were still left that summer of 2024. we stared at the farms tucked behind my hometown’s famous seafood restaurant, turk’s seafood, the berries still clinging to their plants. 

when i see these bogs and remember isabella’s grandfather staring out at his farm, his life’s work ahead of him, i realise that it is about so much more than just cranberries. 

the orca pod-cast explores the taxonomy and definition of orca whales as a species.

in it, i discuss how i was inspired by a post i saw from emma luck, the northern naturalist on instagram, and get into topics such orca ecotypes, and the recent recommendation to consider orca subspecies, resident and biggs, to be their own species.

works consulted.

podcast transcript:

hello, my name is emily.

i’m a senior undergrad in wildlife science, and today i’d like to talk about killer whales after seeing an instagram post from a marine biologist named emma luck, username northern naturalist, that inspired me to read up on the proposal of two new killer whale species.

we’ve all heard of killer whales. many of us probably saw free willy as kids. these iconic citations are actually in the delphinidae family, classifying them as dolphins despite their common names containing, “whale.”

this is said to potentially be a result of a mistranslation of the spanish name, “asesino de ballenas,” which means “whale killer” rather than “killer whale.” keeping on theme, their genus name, orcinus, is in reference to an etruscan god of the underworld. they’ve also earned the nickname, “the wolves of the sea,” because of how they hunt as a group.

you might be wondering how such a charismatic species ends up with major taxonomic changes. i know that i personally often assume that because a species is popular or well known, it must be super extensively and thoroughly researched by now.

however, it turns out that’s not necessarily true, and with orca whales there are a lot of knowledge gaps on the species, actually. a lot of new species or reclassification of a species in the modern day comes from filling the knowledge gap on known organisms, rather than from undiscovered organisms.

not that we don’t still discover new organisms, but they’re usually found in places humans have historically struggled to research because of physical restraints and technological limitations. so places like the deep sea or caves.

the definition of what makes something distinct enough to be a species seems pretty intuitive at first.

like, you know, a bird and a dog are obviously different species, but how do we know that a dog is a different species from a wolf? or that crows and ravens aren’t the same species?

reproductive isolation – not being able to reproduce with species outside of your own species – is the most clear definition.

however, it isn’t the only definition and there are many exceptions to it. a species can be based on morphology, feeding habits, social behavior, and geographic location which are usually supported by genetics.

one of the more “out there” examples i can think of, is the time my evolution professor told us about a bird, whose name i can’t recall, that was delineated into a few species based solely on their unique songs, as the species would only reproduce with birds who use the same song as them, even though they were compatible with other birds.

and if i recall correctly, they weren’t significantly genetically different either.

but for the sake of this podcast, i’ll focus on the definitions provided from a paper that i cover later.

it defines a species as a separately evolving lineage composed of a population or collection of populations. and it defines subspecies as a population or collection of populations that appears to be a separately evolving lineage with discontinuities resulting from geography, ecological specialization, or other forces that restrict gene flow to the point that the population or collection of populations is diagnosably distinct.

so with that being said, let’s dive back into orcas. a lot of what we know about orcas varies depending on the specific population.

orcas have a diverse range, being found in every ocean around the globe, so naturally there’s been variation observed based on region. orca pods are also a tightly knit matriarchal community, so even different families in the same area can be pretty distinguishable from each other.

while all orca whales are considered understudied, so much so that the iucn red list feels that there is not enough data to assess the species risk of extinction.

orcas, in particular in the southern hemisphere, are considered significantly less studied than other northern orcas because there isn’t really a lot of land mass in the southern hemisphere, so historically it’s been difficult to observe them in the open ocean.

because of the extensive range of the killer whale, they have been broken down into ecotypes. however, as i was reading the literature, it sounds like most scientists are suggesting that the risk of oversimplifying these understudied individuals outweighs its usefulness.

the northern naturalist on instagram cited a 2013 paper by dee brune et al. titled, “killer whale ecotypes: is there a global model?” this paper does a deep dive into the concept of ecotypes and critiques the concept.

as someone who didn’t know anything about ecotypes going into it, i found the paper very easy to understand and i felt like it gave me a pretty solid grasp on the concept while introducing their critique as well.

the ecotypes in the eastern north pacific include the resident, offshore, and transient ecotypes.

transient also being known as biggs, named for the canadian scientist michael bigg, and in the southern ocean it includes the ecotypes type a, b, c, and d.

while the paper does describe a population in the north atlantic, it doesn’t name them as the type 1 and type 2 ecotypes i’ve seen mentioned in a few articles.

one of my biggest takeaways is that a major thing that really makes a population of orcas unique is their hunting strategy that gets passed down through generations and is specialized to their prey of choice.

about a year ago now, the paper by moran et al. titled, “revised taxonomy of eastern north pacific killer whales (orcinus orca): bigg’s and resident ecotypes deserve species status,” was published and this paper reviewed the data available on resident and biggs ecotypes.

as the title suggests, they concluded that they deserve species level status. they focused on these ecotypes because they have the most extensive data available.

they used a combination of ecology, behaviour and morphology, and molecular genetics to support their findings.

the resident killer whale is named subspecies ater and bigg’s killer whale is named subspecies rectipinnus.

their names were actually given by edward drinker cope way back in 1869.

the paper mentions that the common name of resident killer whale is a placeholder, while they hope to consult indigenous people for a new common name, which i think is a really nice way to acknowledge the history indigenous people have with the species, but also especially since their people are often overlooked in western science.

the post i originally saw said that the two species proposed were accepted as subspecies, not species. and i reached out to emma luck on instagram to ask if she could help explain who gets the authority to approve a new species.

i’m very grateful for her quick response that pointed me to the taxonomy committee of the society of marine mammalogy.

they do an annual review of marine mammal species and subspecies, and it was in this that they explained the reasoning for classifying biggs and resident ecotypes as a subspecies rather than the proposed species.

their big concerns were about gene flow and a desire for a more comprehensive data on orca clades globally to understand just how distinct these groups are from other orcas. 

however, emma luck commented that this wasn’t the most popular decision and it might change in the future. 

i’m excited to see what taxonomic changes come from the orca community in the future and i hope we are soon better able to research the southern populations.

it’s pretty crucial to have an understanding of these populations so that we can take steps towards the best management practices and assure that we don’t let more vulnerable populations suffer because they were lumped together with better off populations.

it’s also important to research the species now so that we can better understand how climate change is impacting them.

thanks for listening and i hope you enjoyed learning more about the species as much as i did.

growing up with my grandparents, who are farmers, had a profound impact on my life. every saturday, i was expected to help out on the farm. however, in 2018, when the anglophone crisis in my country of cameroon began, our routine changed. we had to stop attending school on mondays, and instead, spend those days on the farm. as a result, mondays and saturdays became our designated farming days.

my grandmother practiced traditional farming methods, using natural manure for crops and weeding by hand instead of relying on chemical sprays. however, as the area around the farm began to develop, with people building houses nearby, our farm became polluted with waste products like baby nappies and plastic bags. this contamination destroyed the soil quality, making it challenging to produce healthy crops. we were forced to start buying produce, and the widespread use of fertilizers for vegetables led to stomach problems.

one sustainability initiative in cameroon that inspired this poem is the “mount cameroon ecotourism project.” this initiative aims to promote eco-friendly tourism practices, conserve biodiversity, and support local communities around mount cameroon, an active volcano and biodiversity hotspot.

the project encourages sustainable farming practices, reforestation efforts, and waste management, while also promoting cultural heritage and community-led tourism. by supporting local communities and promoting eco-tourism, this initiative helps preserve the natural beauty of mount cameroon and its surroundings, aligning with your poem’s themes of environmental stewardship and harmony with nature.

we forgot our roots

i saw how tenderly my grandmother toiled the soil,

under scorching skies, 

back bent like alkebulan trying to pick up her innocent child from shame.

i remember the scent of freshly harvested green vegetables entrancing me,

as visions of the green vegetable meal danced, 

like butterflies in my belly

the branches of broad trees became the safe place we ran to,

escaping weary backs and tired feet,

the smell of nature,

the crisp breeze that whispered secrets on lazy saturdays.

it was a picture perfect world.

but dear mother earth,

i confess that i’m lost.

i’ve been trying to protect you, but in doing so, i’ve died twice. 

now, i am the villain in my own story.

your soil which once you treasured, 

now lies barren and ignored. 

you hold humanity in your gentle hands like a lamb,

yet remains an entity in an unforgiving world.

the universe is burning, 

consumed by a fire that never ceases, not a flame fueled by passion, but rather the dark releases of greed. 

we’ve ravaged the land, depleted the seas, and yet we still demand more.

we’ve lost our connection with nature, forgotten the sweet scent of blooming flowers and the soothing rain that falls from the ocean’s sky. 

the ocean’s tears rise,

she is lamenting for its pain, 

screaming through the desolate landscape.

forgive us, gentle mother, for our thoughtless ways.

we’ve strayed, 

forgotten our roots, 

and lived recklessly. 

please,

call us back to order, 

that we may rediscover our place in harmony with you.

yet, there is hope for a brighter tomorrow,

a future where sustainability and innovation lives in harmony,

we can harness renewable energy, reduce waste, and preserve,

restore the balance of nature, reviving our earth.

together, 

we can make a change, a conscious shift in our ways,

embracing eco-friendly technologies, and sustainable living days.

we will nurture the soil, protect the seas, and preserve the air,

and create a world where humanity and nature align, 

without a single care.

beneath the surface of the ocean we can find a hidden world, vast and full of life. it is a world of mystery, where light fades into darkness, and silence is filled with the whispers of unseen creatures. but beneath all this beauty, a battle rages—a battle not of war, but of survival.

sharks, the guardians of the oceans, have ruled these waters for longer than humans have roamed the earth, keeping the ocean in balance. yet they are hunted, misunderstood, and feared, with around 100 million sharks killed globally each year. this is the story of one shark, caught in the struggle between survival and extinction. a creature feared as a monster but destined to be a protector.

people call me a monster, a murderer. but if i wasn’t important, i wouldn’t have a place in the ocean. without me, the ocean would die. i am lurking in the deep, gliding through the water watching the sunlight dance on the waves above. i hunt the weak, the sick, keeping the ocean healthy and thriving. when a human sees me, they only see fear. looking at my sharp teeth or the shape of my body, they swim away in fear. but they don’t understand that without sharks like me, the ocean would be a desert, a blue lifeless desert.

after a night’s sleep, i wake up, ready to hunt. but even when i sleep, i am never truly at rest. only half of my brain sleeps, while the other half remains awake, keeping me alert to any predators. my eyes never fully close. no, i am not the biggest animal in the ocean. orcas, larger sharks, and, of course, humans are my predators. having this unique ability helps me survive.

like you, i also need to eat. i spend most of my day swimming alone, searching for food. i am a solitary hunter. when i find a fish that looks like a good meal, i approach carefully, circling it from a distance, watching its every move. then, with a burst of speed, i strike, biting it before my prey even realizes i am there. that first attack is enough to weaken it, making an escape impossible.

i play a crucial role in the ocean. by hunting the sick and the weak, i ensure that only the strongest fish survive. i also keep fish populations in check. if certain fish become too abundant, they can destroy algae beds and disrupt the delicate balance of the ocean.

yet, despite my importance, you fear me. you judge me by my sharp teeth and the stories you’ve heard. but the truth is, i should fear you more than you fear me. every year, humans kill an estimated 100 million sharks, while sharks only kill around 10 humans annually. i don’t hunt humans. i approach out of curiosity, wondering what these strange creatures with two legs and no fins are.

but something is wrong. i am becoming hungrier. there are fewer fish, and i don’t understand why. when i gather with others to reproduce, i notice fewer and fewer sharks. our numbers are falling. something is happening to my ocean, and i don’t know if it will ever be the same.

suddenly, i see a fish’s tail flicker in the distance. hunger takes over. instinct drives me forward. i don’t think, i just act. i lunge at my prey, jaws open, ready to strike.

then pain.

a sharp, unnatural pull tugs at my lip. i try to escape, but something is holding me back. the ocean around me feels wrong. i try to dive, but i can’t. i am stuck, pulled upward, against my will. the light gets brighter. the water gets thinner. i break the surface, gasping, but i am no longer in control.

i am being taken.

it doesn’t feel right. i can hear loud noises, feel rough hands grabbing me and placing me on the boat. i try escaping but i can’t. i’m trying to breathe, but i am suddenly paralysed. after a few minutes i become unconscious.

by surprise i wake up, disoriented. this feels wrong, the water is different, thinner and unnatural. i am surrounded by invisible walls. i don’t see the vast blue horizon like i used to. i decide to swim forward searching for a way out. i swim and swim but there is nowhere to go. i am stuck in a cage made from glass. doomed to swim in circles for the rest of my life.

suddenly i feel a vibration through the glass. i go to take a closer look and see these strange, pale fleshy objects pressing against the glass. hands. these creatures are humans. a small one comes closer and presses her hands against the glass. her wide eyes look into mine, then she runs away in fear. and she screams, “it is going to eat me? look at his teeth; they are so pointy!”

this happens every day. small humans press their faces in on the glass, make faces at me or sometimes scream. but then in the background i hear a voice, the voice of an angel, calm unlike the rest. “don’t be scared; sharks are not dangerous!” amazed by this voice i turn toward the sound. this human speaks not with fear but with passion. in a calm voice, she explains, “did you know that sharks only kill 10 humans a year?”

the children looked at her with surprise.

she carried on talking with such passion and says, “but do you know how many sharks are killed by humans every year? around 100 million, so who are the real monsters?”

the children were all gobsmacked and responded, “wait, are we really more dangerous than sharks?” the brilliant scientist answered, “yes, we are. sharks are incredible animals, so vital for the ocean’s health. the first shark appeared over 400 million years ago, long before dinosaurs were around. and if they have survived for so long, this means that they have an essential role in the balance of the ocean.“

the children turned to look at me. i could see that the fear in their eyes had turned into curiosity. questions poured from their mouths, their excitement growing. and then one child, smaller than the others, said softly, “i thought they were monsters… but they are not. we need them and i want to protect them.”

for the first time since being trapped i saw a glimmer of hope. if these children could understand, then maybe one day the entire world would, too. maybe one day, everyone will see me for what i truly am. not a monster, but a guardian and a protector of the sea. until then, i wait, watching and hoping that it will change.