Marine biodiversity comes alive at the Green Living Show
WWF and the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) have partnered for the first time to present Canada’s Oceans and You, an inspiring and interactive exhibit for all ages at Toronto’s Green Living Show (GLS), April 13 - 15, at the Direct Energy Centre. With a shared mandate of environmental advocacy, WWF and the ROM believe that, through education and action, we can all make a difference.
Proudly presented by Loblaw Companies Ltd, Canada’s Oceans and You will connect visitors to all three of Canada’s oceans: the Arctic Circle Refuge Area, the Great Bear Sea and the Grand Banks of Newfoundland. It provides visitors the opportunity to talk to conservation staff and to see videos, interactive displays and creatures from coast to coast to coast. Visitors can also learn about WWF’s work on sustainable seafood, ROM research, and how to make smart seafood choices.
The exhibition features an 800 square foot, three dimensional installation with a series of more than 50 marine specimens and models, including the rare Spirit Bear of the Great Bear Rainforest, and the “Unicorn of the Sea”, the mysterious Narwhal of Canada’s Arctic ocean.
This exhibit represents an exclusive, first ever, off-site extension of the ROM’s Life in Crisis: Schad Gallery of Biodiversity, and is also the largest at this year’s Green Living Show - three times the size of most other GLS exhibits.
"Canada’s Oceans and You speaks to the collaborative approach needed in conserving nature," said Dave Ireland, managing director of Biodiversity Programs for the ROM. "The ROM's rigorous research expertise, partnered with WWF and supported by Loblaw, provides a high knowledge level to the public through this exhibit. Oceans are definitely in crisis - we barely know what lives in them, let alone how best to conserve them. Our hope for a sustainable future depends on them."
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization’s 2010 State of the World’s Fisheries and Aquaculture, 85 per cent of the world’s fisheries are either fully exploited, over exploited, depleted, or recovering from depletion.
“We have overdrawn nature’s bank account”, said Dr. Robert Rangeley, vice president, WWF-Canada, Atlantic Region. “Now it’s time to pay back that debt, but no one organization can do that alone. We need to work together, and involve corporations such as Loblaw, science-based organizations such as the ROM, and reach out to the public through events like the Green Living Show, to show them how they need to become a part of the solutions that will solve the problems facing our oceans.”
“Loblaw is working towards our goal of 100 per cent sustainably sourced seafood in our stores by year-end 2013. Our commitment and programs like Canada’s Oceans and You play important roles in helping to educate Canadians about the unprecedented crisis facing our oceans and how we can collectively act as change agents”, said Paul Uys, vice president, Sustainable Seafood, Loblaw Companies Limited.
ROM will be giving away Family Memberships and a ROM curatorial tour - a chance to go behind-the-scenes to discover how specimens are prepared, why there is "wet" and "dry" storage, and a sneak peak at the famous Horn and Antler room. Free tickets to the Green Living Show can also be downloaded from the WWF website at wwf.ca.
About the WWF
WWF is creating solutions to the most serious conservation challenges facing our planet, helping people and nature thrive. wwf.ca
About Loblaw Companies Limited TSX: L
Loblaw Companies Limited, a subsidiary of George Weston Limited, is Canada's largest food retailer and a leading provider of drugstore, general merchandise and financial products and services. Loblaw is one of the largest private sector employers in Canada. With more than 1,000 corporate and franchised stores from coast to coast, Loblaw and its franchisees employ more than 135 000 full-time and part-time employees. Through its portfolio of store formats, Loblaw is committed to providing Canadians with a wide, growing and successful range of products and services to meet the everyday household demands of Canadian consumers. Loblaw is known for the quality, innovation and value of its food offering. It offers Canada's strongest control (private) label program, including the unique President's Choice®, no name® and Joe Fresh® brands. In addition, the Company makes available to consumers President's Choice Financial® services and offers the PC® points loyalty program.