PARLEY WALL STREET SUMMIT: OCEAN NIGHT
A summit to raise awareness for the oceans and launch the first fashion collection made from recycled Ocean Plastic
“Every one of us must break through the attitudes that now are holding us back from doing everything we can to change the way people think and act toward the ocean — and to this little blue speck of the universe in general.”
SYLVIA EARLE
In a two-day event, 23 Wall Street was submerged underwater through an immersive audiovisual art installation in an effort to raise awareness for endangered marine species and ecosystems, and to introduce the kind of solutions that are possible through innovation, creativity and collaboration. As part of Mercedes Benz Fashion Week, guests were invited to walk the ‘blue carpet’ and kick off the weekend at a Parley hosted Ocean Night, where Pharrell Williams unveiled the first ever denim line made from recycled ocean plastic fibers, the spring/summer 2015 G-Star 'RAW for the Oceans' collection. 'RAW for the Oceans' is supporting the Vortex Project, an initiative by Parley for the Oceans in partnership with Bionic Yarn and Sea Shepherd Conservation Society.
Building on the themes and ideas introduced on the previous night’s presentation, Parley for the Oceans invited creators, thinkers and leaders in eco innovation, fashion and ocean conservation to participate in more in-depth discussions the next day, about the most imminent threats to ocean life, and to the life they support on land.
Parley Wall Street Summit speakers included Ocean Alliance President Roger Payne and CEO Iain Kerr, legendary oceanographer Sylvia Earle, NASA astronaut Leland Melvin, Sea Shepherd founder Paul Watson, Academy Award-winning filmmaker Louie Psihoyos and other key members of the movement to understand, conserve and protect the oceans.
Parley Wall Street Summit Speakers
SYLVIA EARLE
Sylvia A. Earle, Explorer in Residence at the National Geographic Society, Founder of Deep Ocean Exploration and Research (DOER), and former Chief Scientist of NOAA. Author of more than 200 publications, Sylvia has lead countless expeditions with 7000+ hours underwater. Her research focuses on conservation of marine ecosystems.
CAPTAIN PAUL WATSON
Paul co-founded Greenpeace with Robert Hunter, founded the Sea Shepherd Conservation society in 1977, and has been an activist for over 40 years. His work is recognized and supported by the best minds and feared by his opponents. He joined the conference live via Skype from aboard one of his ships on the sea.
PHARRELL WILLIAMS
Music artist, producer, serial collaborator, and entrepreneur. At Parley Wall Street, Pharrell represented his company Bionic Yarn, the first high-performance ecoyarn. Its patented spinning process is capable of incorporating fibers from recycled plastic bottles into durable and refined quality textiles.
LELAND MELVIN
Engineer, NASA astronaut, and former NFL player. After his NFL career was cut short by a Hamstring injury, he earned a MS in Materials Science Engineering from UVA. He is currently Associate Administrator of Education at NASA, and is a strong proponent of the STEAM (Science, Technology, Arts, Math) movement.
LOUIE PSIHOYOS
Louie Psihoyos is Executive Director of the Oceanic Preservation Society and Director of the Academy Award winning documentary The Cove. He has been widely regarded as one of the top photographers in the world. He was hired directly out of college to shoot for National Geographic and created images for the magazine for 18 years.
CHRIS JORDAN
Chris is an acclaimed photographic artist and cultural activist based in Seattle. His work explores contemporary mass culture from a variety of photographic and conceptual perspectives, connecting the viewer viscerally to the enormity and power of humanity’s collective unconscious. His images have been exhibited around the world.
THECLA SCHAEFFER
Thecla Schaeffer is CMO for the Dutch fashion label G-Star RAW. Known for its innovative work in denim, G-Star has carved out an enviable position bridging the luxury and streetwear markets. She began her career in advertising, managing numerous global accounts. Before joining G-Star in 2011, she was head of strategy at BBDO Amsterdam.
TYSON TOUSSANT
Co-Founder of Bionic Yarn. Being a native new yorker he wanted to create something that spoke to the urban person who had a passion for the environment. With a focus on science coupled with a love for the outdoors, Tyson set his eye on bringing something unique that mixed his active lifestyle with eco-conservation.
TIM COOMBS
Tim studied economics and product design in school, as well as textile engineering at leading fashion houses in New York. He cofounded Bionic Yarn in 2004 based on the concept of advanced recycled materials. Tim believes that environmental sustainability is possible if we can harmonize the economy with nature.
JOHN WARNER
John has published over 200 patents, papers and books. His recent work in the fields of semiconductor design, biodegradable plastics, personal care products, solar energy and polymeric photoresists are examples of how green chemistry principles can be immediately incorporated into commercially relevant applications.
MARCO SPIER
Founder of Psyop, an award-winning creative design and animation studio that works with global brands. His work is featured in the National Design Triennial of Cooper Hewitt and is part of the permanent collection at MoMA. Prior to founding Psyop, Marco was one of the original members of MTV’s Digital Television Laboratory (DTV).
IAIN KERR
Dr. Iain Kerr is the CEO of the Ocean Alliance, an organization recognized as an international leader in whale research and ocean conservation since its founding by renowned scientist Dr. Roger Payne in 1970. Ocean Alliance programs include the Voyage’s of the Odyssey and the Patagonia Right Whale Program.
ROGER PAYNE
Roger Payne, PhD, a biologist, environmentalist, and Founder/President of Ocean Alliance is best known for his discoveries that humpback whales sing songs and that the calls of blue and fin whales carry across oceans. He has worked tirelessly for the conservation of whales in international fora.
DIANNA COHEN
TED speaker, multi-media artist, painter and curator Dianna Cohen is best known for her works using recycled plastic bags. She is Co-founder of the Plastic Pollution Coalition, a global alliance of individuals working to stop plastic pollution and its toxic impacts on humans, animals and the environment.
CHRIS CLARK
Engineer and biologist, Imogene Johnson Senior Scientist in the Bioacoustics Research Program of Ornithology and in the Department of Neurobiology & Behavior at Cornell University. His research has concentrated on animal vocal communication with a particular interest in the application of advanced acoustic technologies for scientific conservation of endangered species, from birds to whales.
FELIX HALLWACHS
Felix Hallwachs is the CEO of Little Sun, a project with Studio Olafur Eliasson. Prior to Little Sun, Felix worked as a Studio Director for Olafur Eliasson from 2006 until 2012. Felix holds an architectural engineering degree from the TU Berlin, with additional interests in urban studies, sociology, politics, and economics.
MIRANDA WANG
TED speaker and student in Biochemistry and Entrepreneurship at the University of Pennsylvania. Alarmed by the plastic pollution crisis, she has worked on isolating and characterizing plastic-degrading bacteria from the natural environment. She continues to engage in developing new methods of bioremediation through synthetic biology.
SUSAN HARTLAND
Executive Director, Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, Susan Hartland’s work is focused on conservation, animal rescue and advocacy. Before joining the SSCS team as an employee, Susan was a volunteer onboard the Steve Irwin from 2009–10 as a Comm. officer and 2nd mate for three SSCS Campaigns.
HEIDI TAYLOR
Heidi is Co-Founder and Managing Director of the Tangaroa Blue Foundation, based in Australia, addressing marine debris in our oceans. Since 2004, Heidi has inspired over 30,000 people to volunteer and helped remove more than 3 million pieces of debris from the marine environment at 1,300 different sites across Australia.
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