Save the Mermaids: Three Girls Out to Save Our Oceans

Jen Woo:

Even with the severe degradation of the environment, our profit-oriented global community has refused to take initiative to sacrifice a comfortable and convenient lifestyle to stem global warming, deforestation, and other impacts of living unsustainably. Despite the green movement and efforts such as the Kyoto Treaty, it still would take an 80% decrease in U.S. global warming pollution by 2050 to prevent the worst consequences of global warming. We are headed towards a 15% increase in America’s carbon dioxide emissions by 2020 if we do not cap pollution.

The “mermaid sighting” in Israel several months ago, although was fictional, brought to realization the thousands of plants and animals becoming extinct due to human recklessness. Studies show a link between the increase in the extinction rate and growth in human population. From 1600 with a worldwide human population of one billion, to 410 years later at over six billion today, the species extinction rate has increased to one species a day. In order to raise awareness and decelerate detrimental effects on the environment, a group of three bright, passionate, and beautiful “mermaids”, founded the Save the Mermaids foundation.

Save the Mermaids is a small grassroots nonprofit dedicated to addressing and working to solve environmental issues associated specifically with the ocean. The three mermaids, Kate Nelson, Jaclyn Smith, and Jordan Lerum are dedicated to healing our oceans and working to prevent pollution that harms its delicate ecosystem. Based out of Santa Barbara, the mermaids are spreading the news of the dangers of single-use plastic and how to protect our world’s largest ecosystem – the ocean.

With the goal of bridging the gap between environmental science and the average person’s curiosity, Save the Mermaids wants to provide people with a fresh and entertaining medium for environmental news. They aim to implement a ban or tax on plastic bags in Santa Barbara and hope to set an example for the rest of the country. Ultimately, the girls hope to inspire the world to lessen its dependence on single-use plastic. They are confidant that they will be able to make an impact, especially after their realization of how interconnected the world is through their travels.

Save the Mermaids Mural

Save the Mermaids is currently working with Todd Capps, son of U.S congresswomen Lois Capps’ and founder of the Holden Foundation, to set up a station to hold presentations, films, lectures, etc. at the Holden Ecology Center being built at Earl Warren Showgrounds. The center will be a geo dome-shaped solar paneled building that is essentially alive with greenery growing on the roof and walls; allowing easier collection of rain water to run the building. This will serve as a demonstration on how to create sustainable living environments (offices, houses, and schools). Similar to the earth ship sustainable living communities in New Mexico, the Holden Ecology Center will also deliver ways to develop large ten story buildings with this design.

In addition to setting up the station, Save the Mermaids is also developing an after school teaching program for the Holden Foundation to educate younger generations about recycling, sustainable living, energy efficiency and environmental protection. The program will be a few days a week and possibly some Saturday afternoons. With full access and use of the water resource center near Hendry’s Beach, as well as the building at Earl Warren to have meetings, classes, and demonstrations, it seems as if there will be a high demand for admission to the program. Classes are planned to begin in April 2010. For more information about the ecology center visit www.theholdenfoundation.com.

In Santa Barbara, Smith and Lerum are also continuing spread the word about single use plastic through blogging on the website (www.savethemermaids.net) and working with local documentary maker, Scott Walker on a special project that will be released to the public shortly. They are also in the process of planning kick off events and working on scheduling interviews and shots for the documentary.

Headless Mermaid Sheet

Their Traveling Mermaid, Kate Nelson, is now in South America working tirelessly to influence individual behavior change to live a more sustainable lifestyle, in addition to generating awareness about plastic pollution. Amid surfing gorgeous waves in Costa Rica, Nelson is giving elementary school presentations, organizing beach clean ups, hosting educational social gatherings, and painting Save the Mermaids murals all over numerous towns, all while shooting footage for the Save the Mermaids documentary, posting updates on the site, and learning about how people in different countries deal with their man-made waste and how much they know about existing plastic pollution.  In order to include new Save the Mermaids’ friends, Nelson travels with the Headless Mermaid Sheet, a Save the Mermaids banner, allowing people to post photos of themselves as mermaids protesting pollution. Her newest project is taking individual pledges for the Save the Mermaids documentary. With a chapter being established in Nosara, Costa Rica, Save the Mermaids has already been invited back for the Environmental Festival in June.

Save the Mermaids also works with Ocean Futures Society, HOT Coalition, Surfrider Foundation, and Surf Happens to ensure a cleaner ocean.

About the Mermaids

Kate Nelson graduated from UCSB with a degree in philosophy. As an environmental activist throughout school, she worked on banning and taxing plastic bags found in Santa Barbara. After learning about trash gyre, she immediately enrolled in a documentary film course and interviewed Captain Charles Moore, who discovered the gyre, and Dr. Andrea Neil, who recently went on a research expedition to the gyre. Nelson formed Save the Mermaids with Jordan Lerum and Jaclyn Smith as a means for providing people with current environmental news and to keep the “plastic issue” fresh in society’s consciousness.

Kate Nelson, Founding Member

Jaclyn Smith received a degree in Advertising with an emphasis in Spanish from the University Of Boulder, CO. Growing up in Colorado, Smith has always loved nature, but became much more aware of environmental issues while taking numerous atmosphere and weather courses in college. After graduating, Smith moved to Santa Barbara and began working for an ethical PR firm that is founded on sustainability and specializes in the organic and green sector. There she and Nelson met, became friends, and started the H.O.T. (Healing Oceans Together) Coalition where they worked to raise awareness about the dangers of single use plastics and their effects on the oceans. Smith has been working with other environmental film makers and activists in the hopes of making a ban on plastic bags a reality.

Jaclyn Smith, Founding Member

Jordan Elliott Lerum, documentary film maker, journalist, and environmental activist was born in Dallas Texas. At 15 she came to California to attend boarding school in Ojai. It was there that she first began to explore the sea. She started to surf and scuba dive which brought her to a deeper understanding of our ocean ecology and the negative impacts of pollution. Eventually, she would travel the world from Costa Rica to Bali to film ecological documentaries as well as provide outreach/education materials to raise global awareness of ocean conservation. As her involvement in preservation grew, she began working with the Surfrider Foundation as project manager for fundraising events. She went on to work for the Environmental Defense Center. Jordan majored in visual journalism at Brooks Institute and is currently studying media psychology at Antioch University. She recently co-founded Save the Mermaids and continues to work hard to educate the public about green issues such as plastic pollution and the need for a clean ocean.

Jordan Lerum, Founding Member

New members of Save the Mermaids include: Robin Fisher, Lillie Stanton, China Cisney, and Gail Kvistad.

Get Involved

• Start a chapter in your city
• Paint a mermaid mural with information about the trash gyre
• Submit photos and video clips to the website to share what you are doing to help make a change
• Spread the word about Save the Mermaids and single-use plastics!

Stay ocean-conscious!

For more information visit www.savethemermaids.net or send an email to mermaids3@me.com to get on the Save the Mermaids mailing list.

To view more of Jen’s photography, miscellaneous art, and current projects, check out her blog.