Last month I filled a bathtub full of fish- origami fish, to be precise. And I did it to protect our oceans. To prove that there is still hope, that we can make a difference.

In this day and age, we are surrounded by an unceasing wash of negativity. Press releases preaching the end of the human race, the end of life itself on this planet are constantly thrown up on the shore of our collective consciousness. Often the reasons are sound: to raise awareness of our plight, of the devastation we together wreak on our oceans, and the knock-on effects this must surely have on ourselves. But is it really all necessary?

For almost the entire history of the human race, there have been people amongst us who lived with the seas- learning to read the patterns of the waves, later to navigate the treacherous winds of the world. They are a life-giving force as potent as mother nature herself, providing everything from the air we breathe to the food we eat. Have we really forgotten this connection?

I wish to raise at this point the example of our sharks. These magnificent, ancient creatures have survived 450 million years of challenges including all five mass extinctions. They are advanced to a degree which us humans, benefactors of only a mere 3 million years in evolution currency, cannot hope to comprehend. Yet what do we do to these invaluable celebrations of life’s beauty? We kill them- whole swathes of them being mown down in our quest for utter dominion, to satisfy the cravings of medical quackery and placate the contorted child that is our current cuisine.

Yet how can we possibly revive what we have already lost? How are we able to turn back the clock, heal the wounds inflicted on our planet’s beating heart, on our oceans?

I propose that we look here to the root of the problem: our societal disconnect from the world around us and those teeming schools of other lifeforms which call it their home. To stem the suffering of our oceans we must look not to bandage her wounds but to diagnose her illness. And that disease is us.

The first step to healing is empowerment. Amidst the raging currents of the media and damning scientific reports, many of us- myself included- feel utterly alone and helpless to stem this proverbial tide. I mean, we have described but a fraction of the marine life out there, so how can we hope to save what we cannot even name? Yet this is misleading, a tragedy of the common, if you will. Because if no-one cares for our seas they do not stand a chance, yet if we raise up our voices together in their support there is nothing at all to stop us.

Next must come solutions. Not the tried and tested technologies of decades past, but new and innovative additions: a true green revolution. Micro-fragmentation techniques on coral farms, drones to survey and chart our waters, even tries for de-extinction of some of the most recent casualties- no answer can we afford to ignore.

Last, we need a celebration. Some clear way to acknowledge the contributions of countless citizens globally, to toast the successes we together have made, and to boost morale for even greater efforts in the future. Because saving our seas should not be a thankless task, as much of conservation in the present day sadly is. As long as humans walk this planet there will be naysayers and pessimists, selfishness and greed, but acceptance of this means defeat. Rejection means we fight.

My fish-filled bathtub raised 2.5K USD for marine conservation. That’s much-needed funds to empower kids in developing communities, to model new approaches and technologies, and to celebrate the successes of those already achieving advances in this field. Because no contribution is too small when helping to heal our planet. Once we appreciate lifeforms great and small, once we lose our apathy and work as never before- then, and only then will Moana be free.