Month: June 2024

(Coastal Conservation Association Florida issued the following news release on June 5, 2024.)

The team deployed 2 million clams in the IRL using state-of-the-art drone for precise distribution

EDGEWATER, Fla., June 24, 2024 /3BL/ – Coastal Conservation Association Florida (CCA Florida), the state’s leading organization dedicated to marine fisheries conservation, education and advocacy, joined Duke Energy, Capt. Blair Wiggins of Indian River Lagoon Clam Restoration Project, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and University of Florida (UF) Whitney Lab at the Riverside Conservancy Center to deploy 2 million clams using patented drone and continue their efforts for the Indian River Lagoon (IRL) Billion Clam Initiative.

The Billion Clam Initiative focuses on revitalizing and preserving the delicate ecosystem in the IRL by using state-of-the-art technology to systematically distribute clams on a large-scale basis.

The advantage of spreading clams with a drone will help overcome predation pressures and enable larger numbers of clams to be restored to the IRL. Drone distribution will also help plant clams in specific locations and densities, vastly accelerating the maturation process when compared to manual spreading.

“The Billion Clam Initiative is a broad-scale, science-backed collaborative effort that is using innovative technologies to drop millions of clams into the IRL.” CCA Florida Director of Habitat and Environmental Restoration Frank Gidus said. “We are proud to work with our awesome partners, like the Duke Energy Mariculture Center, as our efforts are improving the water quality in the Lagoon for today and generations to come.”

Since 2017, the partners have planted 40 million clams in the IRL. To help kickstart the Billion Clam Initiative, CCA Florida and the Duke Energy donated $100,000 in October 2023.

“Duke Energy’s Crystal River Mariculture Center has grown into one of Florida’s most successful fish hatcheries and conservation allies,” said Sharon Arroyo, Duke Energy Florida vice president of government and community relations. “To date, Duke Energy and its Mariculture Center, with help from CCA Florida, have released nearly 5 million fish and crustaceans along Florida’s coasts and has donated approximately $200,000 worth of submerged aquatic vegetation for habitat restoration projects in lakes, springs and shorelines across the state. Thanks to an outstanding collaboration with CCA Florida and others, we’ve been able to expand this work and revitalize and preserve even more of Florida’s most precious ecosystems.” 

Clams are filter feeders, removing excess nutrients from inshore coastal waters, as a result, creating clearer water. Improved water clarity allows more sunlight to penetrate the ecosystem and supports the growth of essential seagrasses, a vital need for the IRL. The restorative work from the clam planting will form the foundation for rebuilding shellfish populations, benefitting the needs for today and tomorrow.

About CCA Florida

The Coastal Conservation Association (CCA) was founded in 1977 after drastic commercial overfishing along the Texas coast decimated redfish and speckled trout populations. One of 19 state chapters, CCA Florida became the fifth state chapter in 1985. A 501(c)3 non-profit, the purpose of CCA is to advise and educate the public on conservation of marine resources. Through habitat restoration projects, water quality initiatives and fisheries advocacy, CCA Florida works with its over 18,000 members including recreational anglers and outdoor enthusiasts to conserve and enhance marine resources and coastal environments. Join the conversation on Facebook or learn more at ccaflorida.org.

About Duke Energy Florida

Duke Energy Florida, a subsidiary of Duke Energy, owns 12,300 megawatts of energy capacity, supplying electricity to 2 million residential, commercial and industrial customers across a 13,000-square-mile service area in Florida.

Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK), a Fortune 150 company headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., is one of America’s largest energy holding companies. The company’s electric utilities serve 8.4 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky, and collectively own 54,800 megawatts of energy capacity. Its natural gas utilities serve 1.7 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio and Kentucky.

Duke Energy is executing an ambitious clean energy transition, keeping reliability, affordability and accessibility at the forefront as the company works toward net-zero methane emissions from its natural gas business by 2030 and net-zero carbon emissions from electricity generation by 2050.

The company is investing in major electric grid upgrades and cleaner generation, including expanded energy storage, renewables, natural gas and nuclear.

More information is available at duke-energy.com and the Duke Energy News Center. Follow Duke Energy on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook, and visit illumination for stories about the people and innovations powering our energy transition.

Duke Energy Media contact: Audrey Stasko 
Media line: 800.559.3853

CCA Media Contact: Mary Hillyer Peelen Walther 
Phone: 407.617.0604 
Email: mhpwalther@ccaflorida.org

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International Olympic Committee news

Thirty-six athletes from 11 different countries, hosted by 15 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) and competing across 12 sports were named today as members of the IOC Refugee Olympic Team for Paris 2024. The announcement was made by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) President, Thomas Bach, during a live-streamed ceremony from Olympic House in Lausanne, Switzerland. Appearing at the Olympic Games for the third time, the IOC Refugee Olympic Team will represent the more than 100 million displaced people around the world.

“We welcome all of you with open arms. You are an enrichment to our Olympic Community, and to our societies. With your participation in the Olympic Games, you will demonstrate the human potential of resilience and excellence. This will send a message of hope to the more than 100 million displaced people around the world.”

Thomas Bach IOC President

“At the same time, you will make billions of people around the world aware of the magnitude of the refugee crisis. Therefore, I encourage everyone, around the world, to join us in cheering for you – the IOC Refugee Olympic Team,” IOC President Thomas Bach said, when addressing all of the team members, who had joined the meeting virtually.

The composition of the team was approved by the IOC Executive Board (EB) and was based on a number of criteria including, first and foremost, each athlete’s sporting performance and their refugee status as verified by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency. Beyond that, the team represents the more than 100 million displaced people around the world. Consideration has also been given to a balanced representation of sport and gender, as well as the spread of countries of origin. The full list of athletes is available here.

Chef de Mission for the Refugee Olympic Team Masomah Ali Zada, who competed for the Refugee Olympic Team at Tokyo 2020, and was present today during the ceremony, welcomed the athletes: “All of you had a dream, and today your dream to compete at the Olympic Games is closer than ever. With all the challenges that you have faced, you now have a chance to inspire a new generation, represent something bigger than yourselves and show the world what refugees are capable of.”

“I want to tell you: this will be your moment in Paris, enjoy it. I am looking forward to working with all of you to make this the experience of a lifetime.”

Masomah Ali Zada Chef de Mission for the Refugee Olympic Team

The vast majority of the athletes were selected from among the refugee athletes supported by the IOC through the Refugee Athletes Scholarship Programme, funded by the IOC’s Olympic Solidarity programme and managed by the Olympic Refuge Foundation. The 36 selected athletes are hosted by the National Olympic Committees of Austria, Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Kenya, Mexico, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and USA. They will compete in athletics, badminton, boxing, breaking, canoeing, cycling, judo, sport shooting, swimming, taekwondo, weightlifting and wrestling.

UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said: “The Refugee Olympic Team should remind us of the resilience, courage and hopes of all those uprooted by war and persecution. These athletes represent what human beings can do, even in the face of extreme adversity.”

“The team also reminds us that sport can be transformative for people whose lives have been disrupted in often harrowing circumstances. Transformative not just for Olympians, but for everyone. Sport can offer respite, an escape from daily worries, a sense of safety, a moment of enjoyment. It can give people the chance to heal physically and mentally, and become part of a community again.”

Filippo Grandi UN High Commissioner for Refugees

An emblem for the 100 million

For the first time, the Refugee Olympic Team will compete under its own team emblem – a unifying symbol bringing together diverse athletes and giving the team its own unique identity.

Hailing from different corners of the world, each team member is an individual with their own story. Like the 100 million they stand for, they also have the shared, lived, experience of their journeys – the emblem aims to convey this through its way marker arrow design.

At the centre of the emblem there is a heart, originating from the Olympic Refuge Foundation logo, to represent the belonging the team hopes to inspire and that athletes and displaced people around the world have found through sport.

Ms Ali Zada said: “This emblem brings us all together. We are all unified by our experience – though all different, we have all had a journey to get to where we are. The athletes are not representing a specific country, they are representing the Refugee Olympic Team – having our own emblem creates a sense of belonging and empowers us to also stand for the population of more than 100 million people who share this same experience. I cannot wait to wear it proudly!”

From the Olympic Games to supporting displaced people at all levels

Supporting refugees and displaced populations remains a key priority for the IOC, and is part of Recommendation 11 of Olympic Agenda 2020+5. The Olympic Refuge Foundation (ORF) was established in 2017 to build on this commitment. The Foundation functions in lieu of a traditional National Olympic Committee, managing the Refugee Athlete Scholarship-holders and the IOC Refugee Olympic Team for Paris 2024.

In addition to supporting elite athletes in their participation in the Olympic Games, the ORF works to provide access to safe sport for people affected by displacement worldwide. Through partnerships or its programmes across the globe, the ORF aims to build a movement where displaced people can enjoy the benefit of sports, wherever they may be, and through which sports can be adopted at all levels as a tool for supporting for refugees.

Since its inception in 2017, the work of the ORF has resulted in almost 400,000 young people being able to access safe sport. More than 1,600 coaches have been trained in delivering safe sport sessions, and its programmes have supported young people in 11 countries across all five continents.

Refugee Olympic Team Media Kit and Factsheet

Follow their journey on social media

As the 36 athletes prepare to compete at the Olympic Games Paris 2024, their progress can be followed on social media:

Refugee Olympic Team – XRefugee Olympic Team – InstagramRefugee Olympic Team – FacebookOlympic Refuge Foundation – LinkedIn

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The International Olympic Committee is a not-for-profit, civil, non-governmental, international organisation made up of volunteers which is committed to building a better world through sport. It redistributes more than 90 per cent of its income to the wider sporting movement, which means that every day the equivalent of USD 4.2 million goes to help athletes and sports organisations at all levels around the world.

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For more information, please contact the IOC Media Relations Team:
Tel: +41 21 621 6000, email: pressoffice@olympic.org, or visit our web site at www.ioc.org.

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The IOC Newsroom: https://newsroom.olympics.com/

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Everybody knows someone, at least that’s what the statistics reveal. Currently, there are nearly 49 million Americans living with a substance use disorder in the U.S. Data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reveals there were more than 107,543 U.S. drug-related deaths last year. Additionally, according to a study by RAND Corp, more than 40 percent of Americans know someone who died from an overdose.

However, these are not just numbers. These numbers represent lives – our children, siblings, parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, coworkers, and neighbors. And, a substance use disorder, a treatable chronic disease, knows no boundaries. It is impacting all sectors of society.

There is strong evidence that investing in drug prevention and addiction treatment makes good financial sense. The ongoing existence of addiction is more expensive than the cost of treating it. Not only would investments in treatment result in the rehabilitation of millions of people with substance use disorders, but it would also save the American people billions of dollars through improved workplace productivity, reduced criminal justice costs, and reduced medical costs. According to a recent study from Fors Marsh, a certified B Corp that conducts and implements research to solve complex challenges for public and private sector clients, substance use results in $740 billion in total costs nationally each year. If there was a greater investment, society would start to see the numbers reduce.

Most importantly, people need to understand that people with substance use disorders should not be defined by their disease and that with the right treatment, people can and do recover every single day.

For families needing support for someone who has a substance use disorder, here are a few recommendations to keep in mind:

Step #1: How to determine the right treatment 
Is the person willing to receive help? If so, there is often a short window of willingness and so one needs to move fast to get them the help they need while they are still willing to receive help.

A person can take an assessment to find out what level of care is needed for themselves or a loved one. Not everyone needs 28-day in-patient care. It is also necessary for many people to go to detox first —detoxing on one’s own from alcohol or benzodiazepines can be fatal.

Step #2: Find and compare treatment centers 
Once a person knows the suggested level of care, they can continue with Shatterproof Treatment Atlas to provide options and start making phone calls to secure a bed or a space in an intensive outpatient program. Treatment Atlas is a confidential and free nonprofit platform that helps someone find treatment facilities that provide appropriate, high-quality addiction treatment. The platform also helps determine the necessary treatment based on:

Location of the program,Facility protocol to follow best practices,Known information on insurance and alternate methods of payment selected,What groups are served and,The types of treatment services offered.

Step #3: Review insurance plan benefits and coverage 
Insurance coverage for addiction treatment varies by a person’s plan and where they live. It’s complicated but it’s doable. A person can find most of these online through their insurance portal’s website. They are called “certificates of coverage.” An insurance provider can answer any questions and that number can be found on the back of an insurance card.

Conclusion 
While investing in care, there are several ways to address substance use, reduce its costs to society, improve public health, and help individuals achieve stable, long-term recovery and become productive members of society.

By ensuring loved ones have access to resources, we can change how communities support and treat people impacted by substance use disorders.

Addiction can and should be treated with science and compassion – the way we do with any other chronic illness – and we hope that you can invest your time and resources in the same way.

Gary Mendell is the founder and CEO of Shatterproof, a national nonprofit that guides society, especially families, through the complexities of a substance use disorder; informs the public on prevention, treatment and recovery from addiction; and educates the public to reduce the stigma of addiction and ensure that everyone who uses substances or has a substance use disorder can have a full and successful life in recovery.

After losing his son Brian to addiction, Mendell founded Shatterproof to spare other families the pain his had experienced.

Mendell is a frequent speaker on how our society can end the stigma unjustly associated with addiction, including testifying in front of the President’s Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis and before the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance on Treating Substance Misuse in America. He has also been honored numerous times for his leadership related to reversing the course of the opioid epidemic. He has been a guest several times on CNBC and MSNBC to provide his perspective on commonsense solutions to the opioid epidemic, and his opinions are frequently reflected in Forbes, The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post.