Green Jersey

COA’s Cindy Zipf on 25 years of advocacy

This year marks a milestone for Clean Ocean Action, the ocean advocacy coalition based in Sandy Hook: 25 years.

The group hopes to inspire more New Jerseyans to care for our waters this year, from cleaning shorelines at beach sweeps to signing petitions. On Feb. 28, COA hosted a sold-out celebration at Langosta Lounge in Asbury Park to launch a year of action for the ocean.

Green Jersey asked executive director Cindy Zipf about the group’s battles past and present, and (if you read to the end) her favorite Jersey beach.

GJ: What was the impetus behind COA’s founding in ’84?

CZ: The waters off the Jersey Shore were the Ocean Dumping Capital of the World. We had eight ocean dumpsites: sewage sludge, toxic muck, cellar dirt, acid waste, industrial waste, deepwater municipal waste and a proposed ocean incineration site for PCB wastes. Our ocean was in terrible shape, there was a gigantic dead zone from Sandy Hook to Atlantic City, and a layer of foul-smelling slime coated the bottom of much of the areas off Sandy Hook to Monmouth Beach.

The American Littoral Society had a small coalition of groups called the Ocean Dumping Task Force. Their role was to try to end ocean dumping. Dery Bennett was the executive director, and I was hired as an intern. The coalition grew, ultimately spinning off and becoming Clean Ocean Action.

GJ: What have been some of COA’s biggest victories over the years? What was the first?

CZ: Ending ocean dumping was our most visible and tangible victory. The 12-mile sewage sludge site off Sea Bright was the first to go (it was closed in 1985). Unfortunately, the federal Environmental Protection Agency just moved the site further offshore, to 106 miles off Cape May. It took a little longer to close that one (1992).

In ending ocean dumping, we supported environmentally sound alternatives. We must continue to pursue better ways to manage our waste. We have the technology, we just lack the political will and funding. We are urging our elected officials to point some of the Stimulus funds toward environmental improvements for waste management: Reduce, reuse, recycle.

It’s less tangible, but our greatest sustainable success over the years has been the education and motivation of millions of folks to care about the quality of the marine environment and become advocates.

GJ: What have you been most proud of recently?

CZ: More than 500 people turned out at a federal hearing to discuss a proposal we call Insanity Island. A company called Atlantic Sea Island Group has this crazy idea to dump 14 million tons of material into the ocean (10 times the volume of the Empire State Building) to create an island to house imported Liquefied Natural Gas.

LNG is a foreign fossil fuel that will do nothing for the public interest. It is dirty, more expensive, and its major sources are countries like Russia, Iran and the Middle East. The fact that 500 citizens turned out to say no to LNG and yes to a greener domestic energy future proves the ocean spirit is alive and well in New Jersey.

GJ: How can the power of the ocean be harnessed for renewable energy in a way that doesn’t harm ecosystems or the environment? What is your stance on wave power generation? Offshore wind farms?

CZ: COA is not opposed to renewable energy. We want it done right, which means we want regulations, good criteria for siting the facilities, and management requirements so we don’t end up with another E-ZPass type fiasco that New Jersey is so prone to.

GJ: What are the most pressing issues facing our waters today?

CZ: The number one threat to our ocean today is our energy policy. Our ocean is turning more acidic, and if that gets worse, game over. As (ocean advocate) Wendy Benchley has said, “The ocean is the lungs of the world.” The microscopic plants in the ocean and the ecosystem create 50 percent of the breathable oxygen in the air — so every other breath you take is thanks to the ocean.

The ocean also absorbs up to 70 percent of the carbon dioxide that is causing climate change. In so doing, a chemical chain reaction occurs, making the ocean more acidic. These creatures cannot survive in an acidic ocean — so while nonpoint source pollution is very much a concern and we must address that issue too, we must all band together to reduce our use of fossil fuels.

GJ: What do you think of the practice of sinking train cars to make artificial reefs?

CZ: COA supports the Artificial Reef Program to create long-term, healthy habitats for marine life. Any materials used should meet these standards. While some cars may meet these standards, others did not, in our view. The Redbird subway cars were thin (the metal was as thin as a nickel) and coated on the sides, top and bottom with asbestos-containing materials. Based on nine scientific studies, asbestos can be harmful to marine life at very low levels (levels safe for humans to drink).

We were deeply dismayed that many of our fishermen friends disagreed with us on that one — however, the good news is that we agreed with fishermen on most of the other materials placed (rock, concrete, cleaned ships, tanks and the like). In fact, all told, we agreed on 99.8 percent of the materials placed. In how many relationships do you agree 99.8 percent of the time?

GJ: Tell us a little about yourself.

CZ: I grew up along the Jersey Shore and always had a love for the sea — swimming, mucking around the river banks, shelling. My father was a recreational fisherman and he helped encourage my love of the sea. My favorite shows were “The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau” and “Flipper.” In sixth grade, when we went around the room, my goal was to be a marine biologist.

I was fortunate beyond words to have landed an internship at the Littoral Society with Dery Bennett, the guru of ocean/marine advocacy for so many. I got the bug to use science to advocate for the ocean. So here I am.

GJ: What is your favorite beach in New Jersey?

CZ: All shorelines are just beachy.

Visit COA on the web at cleanoceanaction.org.