Alumni Updates
Ali Miller ('15)
Partner, Travel Manager,
Denver Divers
Denver Divers and the Swim School of Denver are committed to environmental conservation and education. The two organizations recently launched a non-profit, Generation Ocean, which works with younger divers (age 12-21) to engage in environmental education through multiple platforms.
Denver Divers' current project with Generation Ocean, in collaboration with another non-profit, Ocean Doctor, involves a group of five students who are working with the University of Havana and their coral reef resiliency studies in Isla de Juventud, Cuba. These students allow the scientists to study the reefs unencumbered by the governmental influences requiring them to have a tourism purpose to be in the ocean. In return, the students are learning firsthand how to conduct coral reef studies and they are also able to conduct their own research project, based on their current interests. To support the students and their studies, Ali and her partners also invite her shop's divers to join in on the trip and learn alongside the students. This summer will be the group's second expedition to Cuba, with the hopes of many future expeditions to continue to support the research projects of the University of Havana.
In addition to Denver Divers' work with Generation Ocean, Ali and her team are also always continually working on small ways to make their every day operation more sustainable. For example, the shop has invested in re-usable shopping bags and encourage all of shoppers to bring back their bag for carrying out any additional purchases. also are participating in recycling programs around Colorado and have recently worked with a non-profit to better support how we recycle as a business and use recycling companies that use best practices for our area.
Check out more big picture ideas at generationocean.org, or visit Denver Divers' website, Facebook, or Instagram.
Jim Toomey ('15)
Syndicated Cartoonist
Sherman's Lagoon
It's been quite the busy year for Jim Toomey! He's been living on a sailboat for the last year and a half, shooting lots of video, and doing tons of ocean exploration in the Mediterranean and the Atlantic. In November 2016, he even sailed across the Atlantic Ocean!
Jim recently released another Sherman’s Lagoon collection called “Happy as a Clam,” which features Sherman's Lagoon cartoons from 2015. You can purchase it here.
Jim's also been busy producing a number of ocean education videos and series. In partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), he developed a series of two-minute videos intended to raise awareness of the importance of oceans and the coastal environment. The videos use animation and humor to explain in clear and simple language the role oceans play in our lives and our very survival.
Additionally, Pew Charitable Trusts joined forces with Jim on