Marine Biologist Heather Spence On 5 Things We Must Do To Inspire The Next Generation About Sustainability And The Environment
…Take a sound walk. When you go for a walk with your kids, don’t talk on the phone or put on your earphones or earbuds. Really listen to the world around you. Try walking in silence or a little while, and then pause and share what you heard with each other.…
As part of my series about what we must do to inspire the next generation about sustainability and the environment, I had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Heather Spence. Heather is a marine biologist as well as a musician and composer. Known as the “voice of the ocean,” her unique blending of science and music has led her to be featured on National Geographic and funded by the National Academy of Sciences. She learns about coral reefs by listening to them, and incorporates her research recordings into music that inspires deeper connections with our ocean planet.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about how you grew up?
As a kid, I was obsessed with sound and music. I was very sensitive to sounds, and it made me interested to learn more about why and how sounds can affect us so deeply and emotionally. For me, composing music was a necessity to harmonize with my environment.
I went to college on a music scholarship, for cello. George Washington University. My scholarship did not require me to major in music, and I was drawn to scientific explorations of how sound and the world works. I proposed a unique major in Acoustic Biophysics, that would draw from the departments of music, biology, physics, and speech and hearing. However, with all the coursework each department wanted, I realized I would be in undergrad for like seven years and then what? So, I majored in Biology, minored in Physics, and had a ton of music courses that didn’t count for anything.
And then I went on and got a masters degree in Marine Biology, did an academic fellowship in Mexico, and then came back to the United States and did my doctorate in Behavioral Neuroscience with a focus on marine bioacoustics.
Was there an “aha moment” or a specific trigger that made you decide you wanted to become a scientist or environmental leader? Can you share that story with us?
For my senior thesis in college, I wanted to integrate my interests all together. My biology advisor told me about snapping shrimp! This was the key to how I got into marine biology. Snapping shrimp are cute little creatures, each about the size of your pinky finger. They have one little claw, and one big claw. The big claw, when they snap it shut, makes a popping sound. It’s very fast, and the sound actually comes from a vacuum bubble bursting! These tiny shrimp are responsible for some of the loudest and most common sounds found underwater. Learning about them made me realize how important sound is underwater. In the ocean, visibility can be quite poor, yet sound travels very well, and faster than it does in air. Creatures that live in the ocean are adapted to this place where sound is central. This is why I call the ocean a “world of sound.” When I realized the role of sound in the ocean, it helped me to see a personal way that I could understand and contribute.
Is there a lesson you can take out of your own story that can exemplify what can inspire a young person to become an environmental leader?
Follow your passions. All of them! Every step of the way along my academic journey, I was told that I was trying to do too much, that I needed to narrow my focus. Yet it was the way that I integrated my interests that gave me my unique perspective on how to help the environment. There is a role for everyone to play in helping the planet. The best way to find that role for yourself is to think about what you enjoy, and what your interests and skills are. There are many possible paths toward becoming an environmental leader, and the most likely way you will find success is by continuing to pursue your varied interests and finding connections.
Can you tell our readers about the initiatives that you or your company are taking to address climate change or sustainability? Can you give an example for each?
Collecting data about the ocean is critical, yet can be very challenging — the ocean is not an easy place to work! The Ocean World of Sound initiative, which grew out of work I started in 2005, is recording the sounds of the coral reefs in Marine Protected Areas in the Mexican Caribbean — the MesoAmerican Reef — to provide information to local resource managers. This method of listening is called Passive Acoustic Monitoring — it is non-invasive, relatively inexpensive, and can be left recording day and night, even during storms, without the need for constant human presence. We can learn a lot by listening, including information about the health of the reef, biodiversity, and even behaviors of individual animals. If you want to learn more, you can try our free 30 day listening challenge and other resources on my website or the Ocean World of Sound youtube channel..
Another thing I work on is marine energy — that is, energy from the ocean itself, either from motion (waves, tides, currents) or gradients (temperature, salt). Imagine, powering our ocean sensors — such as the ones we use for Passive Acoustic Monitoring, which currently require a bunch of batteries to last a few months — with power from the ocean itself! We could collect really valuable long term datasets from all over the world.
Can you share 3 lifestyle tweaks that the general public can do to be more sustainable or help address the climate change challenge?
- CHECK YOUR OUTDOOR LIGHTING. Follow Dark Sky guidelines on your exterior lighting, better for the environment and for safety: https://darksky.org/resources/guides-and-how-tos/lighting-principles/
- Energy Masters
- REDUCE. Reduce Reuse Recycle is in an order of priority. While recycling gets the most attention, the BEST option of the three is Reduce. Think about, what items (e.g. things that produce trash) or activities (e.g. things that pollute) can you easily cut back on or avoid? The emphasis here is on easily. Something that removing it or cutting back will not at all feel like a sacrifice. Maybe it will even feel like an improvement. Then, you will really make the change and keep it that way.
Ok, thank you for all that. Here is the main question of our interview: The youth-led climate strikes of September 2019 showed an impressive degree of activism and initiative by young people on behalf of climate change. This was great, and there is still plenty that needs to be done. In your opinion, what are 5 things parents should do to inspire the next generation to become engaged in sustainability and the environmental movement? Please give a story or an example for each.
1 . Take a sound walk
When you go for a walk with your kids, don’t talk on the phone or put on your earphones or earbuds. Really listen to the world around you. Try walking in silence or a little while, and then pause and share what you heard with each other. You might learn something, realize something you can do, get inspired, or just have a nice outdoor experience. Training your ears to be more active might put you in a better frame of mind to listen to other people better, as well and be more receptive to the unexpected. If you want some ideas for how to learn to listen, try our 30 Day Listening Challenge. You could even do the challenge together with your kids, or do it separately and compare notes.
2 . Embrace ignorance
Learning is not just in school, and it’s not just for kids. Show your kids how you find out about things you don’t know, but are curious about. It’s okay not to know everything! Science-based solutions are not about knowing the answers but rather all about asking questions striving to find out more. Try some ways of researching that aren’t just asking google — for example, you can go to a library, and check out a book on the topic or ask for help from a librarian. You could think of a friend you have who knows something about the topic of the question, and see if they would be up for a chat with your kid. You can visit a zoo, aquarium, museum, store, etc. If you aren’t sure what to do, ask your kid what they think might be a way to find out more — they might surprise you.
3 . See the glass half full
Focusing on environmental damage can be extremely discouraging and sad. While there are many tragic situations in, for example marine conservation, there are also many areas of hope. When we focus on the good, it can help us to find reasonable paths forward. Just because there is something very bad happening, doesn’t mean the situation is hopeless. A lot of research and science communication movements are now focusing on the idea of ecosystems rebounding after a crisis, and hope for the future. Many years ago I wrote a research paper — and a corresponding music composition — about the environmental situation in Cancun, Mexico, and I called it “Vale la Pena” — It’s worth it. Every person can do something to help the environment, and it’s worth it. As Michelle Gardner-Quinn put it, “small actions equal big changes.”
But how can you work on this with your kids? When you consider environmental problems, big (climate change, coral bleaching) or local (trash on the street, polluted air from a car, loud leaf blowers), think about something small you can do to help. Maybe you learn something, and share what you learn. Maybe you donate time or money to a charity. Maybe you pick up some trash. Maybe you write a letter to the newspaper or a politician, or sign a petition. Every little bit helps and it feels good to be part of the solution. Even just saying optimistic things can be a help.
4 . Create art
The arts help us connect emotionally with important topics. Learning to care for our planet is not merely an academic exercise; it is important to feel the connection as well. The arts can also inspire us to innovate and problem solve, and open our minds to new ideas. Find a medium you enjoy — it can be drawing, sculpting, stenciling, scrapbooking, photography, storytelling, dancing, singing, composing, acting, writing, logo design, sewing, whatever floats your boat. Create art together with your kids exploring a topic that you find challenging and interesting about the environment. Some theme ideas could be climate change, pollution, waste, bycatch, plastics, beach erosion, development, wetlands, resilience, water quality, air quality, endocrine disruptors, or extinction. You could tie the theme to the art if you want, such as, if you are exploring waste, you might think about packaging materials, and incorporate those into your art project. Talk about your experience and what you got from it, and maybe even share your art with others.
5 . Imagine the future
Humans are not actors on nature. Humans are part of nature. Some people think that we need to lessen — or even stop altogether — humans’ impact on the environment. This is not a possible, or advisable, goal! Humans will continue to impact the environment as long as we exist — and personally, I would like me and generations after me to exist. The question can be reframed from, how can we minimize our impact, to how can we have a positive impact? This opens up an entirely different sort of dialogue and possibilities.
With your kids, think about what you want the future to be like. Get as specific or wild as you like. But really give it some careful consideration, not about imagining what horrors that lie ahead but about what you hope for the future. How will the future look? sound? feel? smell? taste?
Once we can imagine future scenarios that we like, we can start to think about how to achieve them.
How would you articulate how a business can become more profitable by being more sustainable and more environmentally conscious? Can you share a story or example?
Something to think about is the concept of efficiency.
Imagine a motor. The motor makes sound. However, the purpose of the motor is not to create sound! The purpose is to do some kind of work. That sound is actually energy that is lost in the form of noise. Consider then, that by finding ways to reduce the noise, you are lessening noise pollution, and also increasing the efficiency of the system, thereby saving money.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
I have gratitude towards many people! I’ll call out specifically Dr. Terry Hufford, who unfortunately passed away just last March, who was my undergraduate Introductory Biology teacher. He helped me see that there was a place for me in Biology. His passion for life and the study of life was so, can I say, infectious? Ha! He mentored me not only in biology, but also in teaching and mentorship. He believed in me and helped me to believe in myself. After taking his course, he invited me to be his Teaching Associate, a position he created especially for me in which I helped with teaching the course but also helped him with the curriculum design and research. The process made me even more appreciative of the careful planning behind every class you attend, and the challenges of science communication.
You are a person of great influence and doing some great things for the world! If you could inspire a movement that would bring the greatest amount of good to the greatest amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
LISTENING! I am always trying to get people to listen more. It is amazing what you feel and experience when you truly actively listen. It can be quite transformative. Go for a walk and take out those earbuds! And as we listen and consider how different sounds affect us, and our ecosystems, this can lead us to imagine how the future will sound and how we want the future to sound.
Do you have a favorite life lesson quote? Can you tell us how that was relevant to you in your own life?
“The investigation of truth is in one way hard and in another way easy. An indication of this is found in the fact that no one is able to attain the truth entirely, while on the other hand no one fails entirely, but everyone says something true about the nature of things, and by the union of all a considerable amount is amassed.”
-Aristotle
My path integrates several different disciplines. As I mentioned before, combining and merging my interests together was the key to my perspective on how to help the environment. I think everyone has something to contribute and it is important to be open minded about that.
What is the best way for people to continue to follow your work online?
Thanks for asking! My website is www.HeatherSpence.net, on which you can sign up for my monthly newsletter. You can find and follow my music on bandcamp, spotify, youtube, etc. I’m on instagram (@heathers2pence) and the platform formerly known as twitter (@heatherspence) and LinkedIn — these links are all on my website. Also, check out OceanWorldofSound.org and the Ocean World of Sound youtube channel for more info about coral reefs and soundscapes and to try our 30 Day Listening Challenge.
This was so inspiring. Thank you so much for joining us!
My pleasure!
Marine Biologist Heather Spence On 5 Things We Must Do To Inspire The Next Generation About… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.