Peace Boat US was given a warm welcome in Cozumel, Mexico, during our recent “Sailing 4 Social Innovation” sustainability project in Latin America (read more here). As part of this project, S4SI participants worked on a mural designed in collaboration with PangeaSeed and The Music and Art Peace Academy (MAPA) to highlight conservation work in the area and global efforts to help keep the ocean environment clean and healthy enough to sustain marine life and people. The mural was dedicated to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), established by the United Nations to help countries under the UN umbrella achieve more in the fields of conservation and sustainability, and the mural in Cozumel promotes awareness of them.
S4SI participants also had an up-close encounter with marine life through snorkeling activities, helping them understand through experience the marine environment at the heart of conservation efforts. “The scene was something I was used to seeing on TV, but it was happening right before my eyes. It’s hard to imagine ourselves wanting to destroy this ecological environment. Wouldn’t we want our kids to have the opportunity to enjoy this in the future?” asked one participant. The future of our oceans lies with us, and is dependent upon local and global efforts to achieve sustainable development and ecologically sustainable practices.