Carolyn Berger

Hello, my name is Carolyn Berger. I was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii, but currently live in Sicily, Italy. I studied Global Environmental Sciences and Political Sciences from the University of Hawaii and then got my Master's in Chemical Oceanography from UC- Santa Cruz. Now I am currently part of a really interesting project here in Italy, a museum that revolves around the skeleton of a sperm whale that died due to an illegal drift net and plastic it had ingested (www.mumamilazzo.com). We are really active in environmental marine education with local school and the surrounding community. I worked in the Yacht Charter Industry in the Aeolian Islands, Sicily for 14 years, and have recently published a Nautical Guide: https://www.guidanauticaeolie.com/ (at the moment available in Italian, but the English version should be available for summer 2021). I'm optimistic for the future of the Ocean, and am focused on Ocean Literacy and how important it is to educate kids and the community. Ocean sciences to study the sea are fundamental, but the other aspect that is equally important is taking these concepts and making them available to kids and the general public. One of the other aspects that is really important is creating a sense of pride and admiration for the local waters and the Sea, as one of the problems seems to be a lack of compassion towards nature.