Mark Haver
Meet Mark Haver @oceanswarrior, a passionate advocate for ocean conservation, climate action, and sustainable fashion. As a digital nomad and consultant with his own firm, he has been at the forefront of movements to protect our planet, using policy, partnerships, and his unique voice to drive change through clients such as Sustainable Ocean Alliance, Deep Rising, Negotiation Hub, and Global Fashion Exchange.
IRK: Tell us your “Why”?
Beauty inspires, and hope motivates. Nature’s beauty inspires me, and her resilience brings me hope. Yet human ego threatens the ecosystems that we a part of, not apart from. We, especially as young people of the 21st century, have a unique opportunity to forge a future in symbiosis with nature. Unlike the juxtaposition where humans or nature thrive only in the removal of one another, we can break this paradigm and become a sustainable generation. When humans can realize their function in supporting ecology— not just the economy— we can create something beautiful. I see the vision and work young people lead to make this future a reality, and that gives me more than hope: it gives me faith in tomorrow.
IRK: What are you most passionate about with respect to taking care of people and the planet?
As Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in his synthesis of the recent IPCC Climate Report, we need a “quantum leap in climate action.” The status quo with our carbon emissions and warming trajectory endangers the livability of the future that my generation will stand to inherit and pass down to generations to come. My passion for activating young people to act to protect our planet is ritually renewed by the pride I have when I see the bold and serious actions that young people are taking. Young people are taking quantum leaps to dedicate themselves to this cause. I believe in the power of young people to rise up and claim the power we should have in being party to the decisions that will decide our future, and I am motivated to provide the support and resources that young people need to activate the hero in themselves— a hero we need, and a hero the planet needs.
IRK: What are some conscious actions you implement in your daily life?
I have not bought any clothes other than secondhand for several years now, and I am a practicing pescatarian as I travel the world. We can all take steps to protect the planet, and celebrating the contribution that each person makes, at whatever level, is something that can help us integrate sustainability into how we live every day.
IRK: What’s your hope for the future of the planet?
I hope that we can all recognize the urgency that is this moment. We are enduring a climate crisis and the sixth mass extinction event: both have been caused by human activity. Our success as a species does not have to be dependent on the destruction of the environment where we live or the species that cohabitate with us. It doesn’t have to be this way, and now, as we leverage this big green transition that we need, we get the chance to rewrite the script for our own generation. I hope that we can all step up and claim a role in writing the script for how we choose to live on this big blue planet.
What Sustainable Development Goal do you align with the most? (https://sdgs.un.org/goals)
SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production, SDG 13: Climate Action, SDG 14: Life Below Water.
