Sustainability and leadership are central to the core values of Slow Food Urban San Diego, and on April 26 we were honored by San Diego Oceans Foundation with an Ocean Leadership Award for Community Group of the Year – presented at the Oceans Benefit Gala celebrating sustainable seafood. April also saw the launch of the newest committee initiative of SFUSD – the Sustainable Seafood Committee. The committee will work to support local sustainable seafood initiatives in our community and link San Diegans with artisans of the sea, the local fishermen, to promote a direct market and working waterfront. The award recognizes an organization for making “a significant impact in enhancing the marine environment, protecting sensitive marine resources, and promoting community involvement by inspiring, motivating, and educating others.” We will take that as affirmation that we are headed in the right direction. The Sustainable Seafood Committee will provide another avenue to support sustainable food in a manner that honors the region’s rich maritime history while fulfilling our role as a trusted community resource.
The award and the committee are milestones of achievement and vision – how far we have come and where we hope to lead. Over the past year SFUSD has shown its growing commitment, as a sponsor of the 3rd annual Maritime Gala Dinner & Awards Ceremony – A Sustainable Seafood Feast (put on by The Maritime Alliance – “promoting Blue Tech & Blue Jobs” that support sustainable oceans), as a trusted source in the selection of San Diego Coastkeeper as the 2011 recipient of the maritime community’s Sustainable Seafood Award.
The committee is chaired by Kristen Goodrich (Board Member, 2009-11). Kristen is the Coastal Training Program Coordinator at the Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve in Imperial Beach. She has a masters degree in marine affairs and policy and experience in developing sustainable seafood guides and fisheries management.