With the realization that I am going to dedicate my life to another Olympic campaign comes the awareness that this is not just a chapter of my life, this is my life. I always had in the back of my mind when I was finished sailing I would find a line of work in helping the environmental crisis; since my sailing isn’t stopping it’s becoming clear to me I need to make this a parallel mission.
I reached out to the non profit Live Ocean because I’ve always admired the research they do and the causes they support as sailors. The call I had was much more important than I could have imagined, I was advised to really take some time to listen to others, and to think about what my values are and how I want to use my voice.
The one thing that really hits home for me is the fragile ecosystem in the everglades. I’ve spent a lot of time biking, hiking, and watching alligators in a place so close to the massive city of Miami. I’ve learned a lot over the past decade of being here, about the great Marjorie Stoneman Douglas who fought to stop developers from building out the everglades, about the many invasive species that are not native to the area and have no predators (lion fish, pythons, and iguanas to name a few), and I am just beginning to learn the history behind big sugar and all of the side effects of chemical runoff -both into the Gulf of Mexico and into Lake Okeechobee.
What can I do? I’m not sure what will make the biggest impact at this point, but I know I can continue to ask questions, to sit in silence and observe, and lean on scientists to become informed so by living here I can use my dollars and actions in ways that help and don’t further hurt.
My first documentary to understand what’s behind the sugar industry is this one: Part 1 and Part 2
Have a wonderful day!
Love, Lara
Life with Lara 