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a message from Michael Lombardi, Founder & Director...
Dear Friends,
The ocean is a symbol of unity for the human race. Since humankind’s existence, we have depended on an intricate symbiosis with the ocean as a source for survival and cultural evolution. It harbors countless resources that drive our society; from a source of recreation and entertainment, to harboring clues into the civics of our modern world, to powerful natural energy sources, to fisheries, to new medicines. Our current understanding of the ocean is a direct result of the technologies which we have developed and applied in order to afford industry with ACCESS to this environment, thus striving to meet our current societal curiosities and demands. Still, due to our recognized limitations in these technologies, less than 3% of our ocean has been explored, let alone thoroughly understood, further exploited, and its resources managed. Seventy five percent of our planet is covered by water...this expansive area is incredibly difficult to conceptualize. For perspective, stare off into the furthest mountain range and imagine that space filled with water; that is only the tip of the iceberg. Compounding this complexity of this vastness is that this area constitutes three dimensional living space, which is an unfathomable reality for those who have yet to trek beneath the waves. The future survival and sustainability of our species depends on this unexplored frontier.
It is within these 'Oceans of Opportunity' that will drive the evolution of a seafaring community.
My vision has evolved considerably over the past decade. I have adopted the ocean as a vector for expressionism. Through its exploration, I have been inspired as a humanities scholar, with a true understanding and appreciation of exploration that has slowly exposed itself; that being a catalyst to drive humanity as we know it. While utilizing the ocean as a vector, its exploration goes much beyond the physical act itself. Exploration is equally a psychological pursuit yielding intellectual merits and discoveries. Herein lies opportunity for a model, and more tangibly, a viable ‘business of exploration’.
This model - a synergy between science, technology, and society - creates a vehicle to conceptualize new theories which will drive the materialized evolutionary processes of these physical and intellectual capacities, therefore improving our quality of life. Each pathway is an opportunity to harness many modern mechanisms that have yet to be employed in the ocean community such as free-agency, microventurism, and consorted initiatives with aggressive grassroots marketing campaigns.
Ocean Opportunity Inc. was founded and incorporated in 2003 as a non-profit organization which applies this model to give back - not just to those who have helped sculpt and support the organization, but give back to our Blue Planet in affording it a voice.
OO's activities strive to meet this model - science, technology, and society - capturing the benefits of each along the way. This model is reflected in all of our projects and programs, as it provides several tangible mechanisms to engage a broad audience with exploration.
Within the next several decades, society will again shift its full attention towards the sea, as our symbiosis becomes more clear and critical in improving the quality of life on this planet. My vision is to do our part, relentlessly.
Imagine a new life in the sea ... this is just the beginning.
Safe exploring,
ML
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