The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society received the “VeganOK Ocean Award 2013” at the VeganFest Indoor SANA Edition in Bologna.
The inaugural VeganFest Indoor 2013, held at SANA in Bologna, was met with great success. The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society enthusiastically participated in this new edition, and the public’s response was immediate and affectionate.
Sea Shepherd provided visitors with a vast informational area, set up with photo exhibits on the organization’s history and its campaigns, a large screen continuously showing video projections, an Info Point with official merchandise, and a space dedicated to the Infinite Patience campaign, which took place in Taiji, Japan, in defense of dolphins and entered its fourth season on September 1, 2013.
Volunteers from the organization, coming from various parts of the peninsula for the occasion, met with the public, who visited the Sea Shepherd space in large numbers every day. They witnessed the visitors’ strong emotional involvement and the immense support they expressed for the organization and its vital mission.
The excitement was particularly strong and palpable on Tuesday, September 10, the day on which the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society was awarded the “VeganOK Ocean Award 2013.” With this award, the VeganOK Network team wanted to pay tribute to the organization’s relentless and courageous activity in defense of ocean life and its victories.
Andrea Morello, President of Sea Shepherd Italia Onlus, took the stage at the Vegan Fest Indoor accompanied by Marianna Baldo, an onboard volunteer and official photographer of the SSS Bob Barker. Amidst applause, he gave way to images that tell the story of Sea Shepherd’s mission to defend the oceans through its history and campaigns.
The organization’s supporters and visitors were struck by the power of the videos projected on the large screen and by the clear and direct perception of the difficulties and risks associated with the daily work of the most determined and aggressive organization in the entire global conservation movement. At the end of the projection, President Andrea Morello, representing the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, received the prestigious “VeganOK Ocean Award 2013” from the hands of Renata Balducci, President of Associazione Vegani Italiani Onlus. The official content of the award states:
“To the international non-profit organization Sea Shepherd Conservation Society for its relentless activity in defense of cetaceans and biodiversity in the world’s oceans and its direct action interventions against illegal Japanese whaling in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary, in the name of international law for the conservation and the principle of the sanctity of life.”
The direct protagonists, the volunteer assembly, and the entire public experienced the award ceremony with increasing emotional involvement and great emotion, resulting in a long and heartfelt standing ovation. President Andrea Morello struggled to speak after the lengthy applause to express his gratitude to the VeganOK Network Team and the public and conveyed greetings from Captain Peter Hammarstedt, who was sincerely sorry for not being able to attend the ceremony as he had wished and had been officially communicated.
Here, you can relive this exciting moment through the video of the award ceremony:
This was followed by Marianna Baldo’s wonderful slideshow. Baldo was fresh from the most effective Antarctic campaign in Sea Shepherd’s history, Operation Zero Tolerance, which concluded in mid-March. Her photos, accompanied by the beautiful music of Xavier Rudd, an Australian singer-songwriter and supporter of Sea Shepherd, once again moved the audience and painted a picture of life aboard, actions at sea, and the pristine Antarctic environment.
Marianna shared her direct experience aboard the SSS Bob Barker and answered numerous questions from the public.
President Andrea Morello closed the long and exciting segment dedicated to the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society by recalling a beautiful and significant quote from the organization’s founder, Captain Paul Watson:
“Our ships are your ships, our crews are your crews, our victories are your victories, and the lives we save are the lives we all save together!”
He then invited all the volunteers present to come on stage to share one last warm applause from the audience.
Sea Shepherd Italia Onlus thanks the VeganOK Network Team for their constant support and wonderful and timely collaboration, Vegusto Italia, the official partner of the event, and in particular, Karin Ranzani and Raffaella Ravasso for their commitment and support of Sea Shepherd. It also thanks the public for its great affection and huge participation.
The entire meeting was recorded by VeganOK-TV and can be viewed in its entirety here:
We look forward to seeing you at VeganFest 2014!
www.seashepherd.it
www.veganok.com
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