If we don't act, drilling will be allowed only 3 miles off Florida's east coast beaches.
From Mangaluru to Karwar, we have a 300-km stretch of sea. Tourism fuels Goa's economy and job creation. If they can do it, why can't we do it here?
I grew up at the beach and I was always involved in beach clean-ups and caring for my environment.
The residents and elected officials of Long Island have fought vigorously for many years and spent millions of dollars to preserve the quality of life that the Long Island Sound offers.
The government should promote community nurseries of mangrove species and other appropriate tree species chosen under the coastal bio-shield and agro-forestry programmes.
Our beaches should not be garbage dumps. Our oceans must not be cesspools.
I grew up in an area of a lot of growth, in Orange County, California, and spent most of my youth on the beach. I had witnessed the degradation of our Back Bay and the increased number of closed beach days over the years.
Oceans are a family heritage, because of my great-great-grandfather, but also my father, who spearheaded different initiatives to better protect the Mediterranean. He was very instrumental in setting up the Pelagos Marine Sanctuary, which is a sanctuary for marine mammals between Italy, France and Monaco.
I am delighted to learn that the small part I played in the campaign to protect the white cliffs of Dover has been so effective.
We have to initiate a bio-shield movement along the coastal areas by raising mangrove forests, plantations of casuarina, salicornia, laucaena, atriplex, palms, bamboo and other tree species and halophytes - all that can grow near the sea.
On the face of it there is a pristine white sandy beach, but within an hour, around 100 of us can collect up to 250-300 kilos of rubbish. It's mostly bits of plastic, fishing line, nylon, bottle caps. We've found everything.
There was a summer in college where I worked for a stretch picking up garbage at the beach. On the early shift, it was very meditative walking the shoreline and crisscrossing the sand, picking up the junk people had dropped or tossed or that the ocean had returned. And there was this strange fantasy element to it.
One of the first bills I helped passed was the Shore Protection Fund, which provides a stable source of funding for shore protection, something very important for Monmouth County and the entire Jersey Shore.
Seeing the rebirth of the Delaware Estuary as a valuable natural resource is certainly encouraging, and I am encouraged not just by the progress made in the Delaware Estuary but in estuaries throughout the country.
The Gulf Waterkeepers are our first line of defense against the BP oil disaster. Their incredible knowledge of the marshes, wetlands, beaches and inner-coastal waters make them invaluable first responders. Their commitment makes them critical and effective community leaders.
The Long Island Sound is an environmentally unique estuary that needs to be protected.
I've spent time in the coastal Carolinas and have seen what small business development has done to maintain the wetlands and reestablish the fisheries and secure jobs for the people that make their living off the water.
