Democracy Online Project Awards Oceana.Org For Innovation - Oceana

Democracy Online Project Awards Oceana.Org For Innovation

Press Release Date: October 6, 2009

Location: Washington

Contact:

Anna Baxter | email: abaxter@oceana.org
Anna Baxter

Today, the Democracy Online Project of The George Washington University’s Graduate School of Political Management awarded the Golden Dot Award for Civic Excellence in Online Issue Advocacy to Oceana.org, the website of Oceana, a non-profit ocean conservation group. The award was given in the category of Innovation, recognizing the website for its success in stimulating grassroots activism.

The Golden Dot Awards, which have been presented annually for the last four years, highlight individuals and groups that have made notable strides in online politics. Oceana.org allows supporters to contact the Bush Administration and Congress directly to urge the enforcement of ocean conservation laws and to end destructive fishing practices. Oceana.org also integrates online polling to gauge public opinion and interactive maps of the world’s oceans for educational purposes.

“We are proud that Oceana.org has allowed nearly 60,000 activists to learn more about the destruction of our world’s oceans and to voice their concerns to the administration and Congress,” said Cheryl Contee, Oceana’s Webmaster. “Currently, oceans and marine life are imperiled by overfishing and destructive fishing practices. Concerned citizens can make a difference by logging on to our website.”

“Oceana… developed html e-mails that enabled supporters to act right from the e-mail itself, leading to greater activist participation. Furthermore, Oceana better enabled local organizations to act by making video and still images available by category and region,” the GW Democracy Online Project stated in a press release earlier today.