"Everything matters. Every single little choice matters."
Beatrice Frank - On the Power of Positivity and the Georgia Strait Alliance's Past, Present and Future Fights for the Salish Sea
"It really has become a powerhouse for the protection of the Salish Sea."
Long before we started sharing stories about the Salish Sea on Skaana, I was aware of an organization that always seemed to be fighting the good fight. And most of that fighting used one of the most powerful weapons out there. Education.
They also know when to call in the lawyers.
The Georgia Strait Alliance has been one of the biggest champions of the Salish Sea for 35 years. The traditional 35th anniversary gift is coral - which is sort of on-brand – but we went with an interview instead and sharing the wild ride their newish executive director – Beatrice Frank - took to her new job.
We talked about fighting threats with awareness - and lawyers - keeping the ocean clean, working with American eco-organizations in the age of Trump and the power of positivity.
We also talk about the tremendous legacy of Beatrice’s predecessor - Christianne Wilhelmson - who I also owe a special thanks to. When I was trying to wrap my head around an issue - or get a sense of someone I was thinking of interviewing - Christianne was always there to help out behind the scenes.
She also frequently shared our work to her own network and there’s a chance that if you’re reading this right now, you first heard about Skaana because she steered you to us. So I’d like to thank her her for her support of what we’ve tried and try to do here and wish her all the best with whatever she does next.
"We sue the government often... we just want them to be accountable for what they say they will do." - Beatrice Frank
Special ending tune for this episode… written by the legendary Bob Bossin… We Don’t Want Your Pipelines
Meanwhile… on other podcasts… Mark Leiren-Young talks Octopus Ocean
I had a blast talking to one of the great ocean educators Andrew Lewin:
And reconnecting with the champion of Canadian authors, Joseph Planta:
