RECAP: The HOC Goes to DC
“Policy is personal - and so is our approach to advocacy. ”
This month the Healthy Ocean Coalition team came to Washington, D.C. during Capitol Hill Ocean Week (CHOW) to bring our Coalition’s vision for a healthy ocean through just and equitable ocean policy to our decision-makers. Come along with us while we recap this amazing week.
Meet the HOC Capitol Hill Ocean Week Team!
Sarah Winter Whelan, Executive Director of the HOC; Jennifer Felt, Senior Strategist for the HOC; Priya Shukla, Ocean Climate Scientist, Ph.D Candidate; Casey Darling Kniffin, Advocacy Coordinator, Florida Oceanographic Society.
Representing the Northeast, West Coast, and Southeast regions of the U.S., the HOC CHOW team came together in Washington, D.C. to advocate for a suite of ocean protections, community needs, and all around request to move the work toward more equitable ocean policy along so that local communities and ecosystems begin to feel the beneficial impact of the policies and receive resources for implementation. The team met with the White House Council on Environmental Quality along with several federal agencies including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Department of Interior. The HOC team also popped into the offices of our members of Congress and talked with them about Ocean Climate Action.
The week was an absolute success because of how we worked together as a team. Policy is personal and so is our approach to advocacy. Building relationships within our team and with the agency and Congressional staff we met with made all the difference in the smoothness of our meetings and reception by staff. The folks we met with felt and responded to the passion and authenticity from Casey and Priya as they shared their stories and experiences around shellfish aquaculture, water quality, community engagement and partnerships.
The HOC is proud of the community we’ve helped build over the last fourteen years through our inclusive, relationship-centered ethos. The HOC community is a network of advocates from around the country who are making a difference every day in their communities and for the ocean.