1. Name: Craig Downs
2. Job Title: Executive Director, Haereticus Environmental Laboratory
3. Degree(s) held and from where:
BA:
Hiram College
MSc:
Syracuse University
Ph.D.:
University of Hawaii – Manoa
5. Briefly describe the project(s) you
are currently working on:
In
Maui, we are working on two projects:
(1) The Kapalua Bay
Restoration Initiative – Kapalua Bay’s coral reef “collapsed” beginning in
2006. We have spent the last 5 years
conducting scientific investigations into the stressors impacting the Bay and
the relative contribution of these different stressors to ecological
degradation. Our goal is to mitigate
these stressors and return the Bay back to health.
(2) Impacts of
sunscreen on coral reefs – our organization has partnered with about a dozen
other organizations around the world to examine the ecological impacts of
different chemicals in sunscreen lotions. It is estimated that coral reefs the
world over can be exposed to at least 14,000 tons of sunscreen lotion a year. We have demonstrated that some ingredients in
some sunscreen formulation can be a significant threat to coral reefs, and that
it is possible to formulate sunscreen lotions that could be relatively safe for
coral reefs.
6. Explain how/why your job is
important to society:
Very few organizations conduct research on
environmental degradation or on anthropogenic factors that pose (e.g.,
sunscreen use, pesticide use) a risk to ecological integrity. Our organization partners with government
agencies, academic institutions (high schools to universities), large
international NGOs and small, grassroots community coalitions to understand the
factors that threaten wild environments through scientific/forensic
investigations. Once we understand these
causes, we develop or facilitate the development of solutions that mitigate
these destructive processes. This can
range from advocating the use of better tertiary sewage treatment systems for
island communities to ecologically safe sunscreen formulations used near coral
reefs.
13. What do you like to do on your days
off?
What days off?
