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Why Alexandra Richards Cares About Oceanic Conservation
January 28, 2015 | by cait rohan | People & Parties
How is New Yorker Alexandra Richards helping to preserve marine life through The Ocean Campaign? We find out...
Model/artist/DJ Alexandra Richards can add conservationist to her list of titles. The daughter of Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards and model/actress Patti Hansen is a board member of The Ocean Campaign, a global organization backed by a young generation of tastemakers like Richards, Jimmy Jagger, Vito Schnabel, Topper Mortimer, and Poppy Delevingne, to name a few.
The Ocean Campaign recently threw a launch gala at the Capitale on January 20 in an effort to raise funds to support oceanic initiatives. The organization plans to start a worldwide "blue" movement for awareness, protect 10% of marine areas by 2020, increase the Ocean Health Index Score both worldwide and in local areas of need, and much more.
We caught up with Richards after the event to find out why she thinks saving our oceans is a no-brainer.
There are tons of causes to support. What specifically interests you about The Ocean Campaign?
ALEXANDRA RICHARDS: There are a lot of great conservation organizations doing work in the ocean, but all [of them] are underfunded and awareness is really low that the ocean is in trouble. The Ocean Campaign has been designed to raise global awareness in a big way and raise funds to finish all the projects that need critical funding so that we can put more of the ocean under protection. Right now only 2% of the ocean is protected. We're aiming for 10% for 2020 and 20% by 2030.
How did you first hear about The Ocean Campaign?
AR: I heard about it through Michele Clarke who got the ball rolling with a lot of other people I know.
What sets The Ocean Campaign apart from other organizations that support oceanic conservation?
AR: The Ocean Campaign is designed to provide support to organizations that are working to secure marine protected areas, like Conservation International, Oceanic Society, Seacology, Mission Blue, and many, many more. It's an umbrella campaign that exists to raise money and awareness to support existing work. No need to reinvent the conservation wheel.
Many of the primary supporters of this campaign are in their 20s. Why is it important for the younger generation to get involved with philanthropy? Why should they specifically care about oceanic conservation?
AR: First of all, who doesn't love the beach and the ocean? I think people [in] my generation are looking for ways to get involved, and this campaign will create a lot of ways for us to do that. The ocean is our life support system. We should care about our life support system, don't you think?
What has been the most interesting fact you've learned from your work with The Ocean Campaign?
AR: That the ocean is in crisis and we can fix it—we can fix it. The more knowledge we get about our ocean and what it needs to make it a better place for our Earth, the safer it will be.
January is prime time for New Year's resolutions. What is one simple, everyday thing that everyone can do to support ocean conservation?
AR: Eliminate single-use plastics from your life.
You travel a lot. What ocean conservation issues have you seen first-hand through your travels?
AR: I've been hearing a lot of conversations about overfishing.
What was the best part of the event last week?
AR: Seeing my friends and family. Bernard Fowler is a legend and always gets a great crowd together.
You DJed the event. How did you select songs to fit this event's mood/feel?
AR: I just played songs I knew we grew up with backstage at the Stones shows. It’s fun to get pumped to music like Chuck Berry and The Ronettes.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRAM VAN WOUDENBERG