NAMEPA Tackles the Super Bowl

Stewardship and Sustainability Key Messages

February 3, 2020 – Weston, CT – The North American Marine Environment Protection Association (NAMEPA) tackled the Super Bowl last week in Florida with a youth tailgate event in conjunction with Sunday’s Super Bowl LIV in Miami, FL. The tailgate event was held at Boyd Anderson High School in Lauderdale Lakes, FL, on Friday, January 31st, and served to educate students and the community on the responsible management of plastics and other common items, as well as offer alternatives to current practices at school, at home and within the community.

The event supported NAMEPA’s educational and social media campaign “Change One Habit, Change the World” which utilizes educational programs, public service announcements, social media and other platforms to spread the message that changing one simple habit (for instance, using reusable rather than single-use bags) can change the world. The students participated in 5 activities including a “Recycle on the Run”, “Food Web Jenga”, a “A Trashy Timeline” game, and “Sharks and Turtles Bean Bag Toss”. The fifth activity was the “Locavore” food station featuring locally sourced and nutritious snack items. NAMEPA’s partners, former NFL player Ovie Mughelli and his educational foundation, along with former NFL player Sean Witherspoon, were on hand to inspire the students and challenge them in the games.

“We were delighted to create this unique opportunity to educate students, particularly underserved youth, on the value of the maritime industry and on how THEY can make a difference to protect the environment”, stated Carleen Lyden Walker, Co-Founder/Executive Director of NAMEPA. “We need to empower young people to be leaders in change by embracing our “Change One Habit” tools to improve our global future. The more than 200 students were engaged in the program and received additional materials to take home to their families.”

Several NAMEPA members sponsored and participated in the event including Port Everglades, Cargill, The American Club, SMIT Salvage, and Total Marine Solutions Florida. In addition, 12 members of the U.S. Coast Guard’s Sector Miami volunteered for the event.

While in southern Florida, NAMEPA also participated in a beach cleanup organized by Ocean Conservancy in Key Biscayne, mounted a display at the Ovie Mughelli Foundation’s Green Tailgate in Miami Beach, and visited member MSC Cruise’s Environmental Pavilion at the Super Bowl Village in South Beach.

About NAMEPA: The North American Marine Environment Protection Association (NAMEPA) was officially launched in 2007. NAMEPA is a marine industry-led organization of environmental stewards preserving the marine environment by promoting sustainable marine industry best practices and educating seafarers, students and the public about the need and strategies for protecting global ocean, lake and river resources. For more information, go to https://namepa.net/.

About OMF: OMF educates and empowers youth to save and sustain the environment. They have developed sports programs and gaming tools that interact and teach young children and teens about environmental issues and what they can do to help save the planet. Their most popular program highlights their Gridiron Green Comic to educate kids and teens about the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. For more information go to https://www.omfgreen.org/.