For this upcoming Earth Month, I will be taking four — one action per week — actions to further my understanding and involvement with the fight against shark finning.
Week One: I will sign and share a petition that condemns shark finning. The difficulty in this will be in selecting a petition, particularly one that will reach the ears and eyes of somebody who can inflict change. My hope is to reach somebody within the Chinese government or a Chinese public figure with great cultural influence. When a culture around something changes, it makes legislative change a little bit easier. I hope to use Change.org to find a petition from a reputable source.
Week Two: My second action will be to donate to an organization. Due to their positive reputation, I will donate either to the World Wildlife Fund, Nature Conservancy, Ocean Conservancy, or another organization mentioned in my previous posts concerning shark finning. The challenge here will be picking a denomination in which to donate and deciding which organization will have the most impact on this particular issue.
Week Three: I will take the public education approach here by making an infographic about shark finning. What’s hard about this action is simply the time and effort that goes into creating a good infographic. I will then post it on social media and tag an organization doing good work about shark finning and encourage my friends and followers to donate, get involved, or become informed about the topic.
Week Four: My final action will be to contact a representative. Since this is a matter of foreign relations to a certain extent, a problem could be in choosing a representative. A few possibilities include congresspeople on committees concerning the environment, committees concerning which types of companies can produce in the United States (for instance, ask that the U.S. doesn’t allow companies that endorse or condone shark finning to produce here), or a government representative that works with foreign countries about the environment. Another option would be to send a letter to a U.S. representative to the United Nations asking them to open a dialogue about the issue with other world leaders.