Award-winning musician Sting performed an intimate concert to benefit the world’s oceans this week.
Sam Waterston, Ted Danson, Mary Steenburgen, Dean Norris, Jeff Goldblum, June Diane Raphael, Brooklyn Decker, Andy Roddick, Charlie Day, Mary Elizabeth Ellis, Paul Scheer, Anthony LaPaglia, Rosanna Arquette, Baron Vaughn and Kelly Lynch joined Sting at an exclusive concert in support of Oceana, the world’s largest international ocean conservation organization.
Hosted by Oceana Board President Keith Addis, the event raised $750,000 for Oceana’s Save the Oceans, Feed the World campaign. Oceana seeks to restore the biodiversity and abundance of the world’s oceans to support a growing global population. With the right policies in place, a fully productive ocean could provide a meal a day for a billion people forever.
Sting, a longtime supporter of Oceana and a dedicated oceans advocate, gave an intimate performance featuring many of his greatest hits. Sting and his world-class band opened with the iconic “Message in a Bottle.” The following hour was filled with hit after hit including “Every Little Thing She Does is Magic” and “Fields of Gold.” As dancing guests gathered at the front of the stage, Sting closed with The Police’s 1983 number-one hit “Every Breath You Take.”
“Tonight was a truly special event. It is wonderful to have the opportunity to enjoy the music of a world-class musician like Sting while supporting Oceana,” said Oceana board member Ted Danson. “Oceana is winning significant policy victories for our oceans, and tonightwe came together to celebrate that work and support their continued efforts.”
Guests also received an exclusive preview of Global Fishing Watch, an interactive digital platform built by Oceana in partnership with Google and SkyTruth that uses satellite data to visualize the history of commercial vessels’ fishing activities worldwide. The platform will be available to anyone in the world with internet access following its public launch later this year.
“With Global Fishing Watch, we will let anyone see where and when fishing is taking place around the world in near-real time,” said Oceana President Jim Simon. “This platform will deter illegal fishing and advance sustainable fishing. Scientists, governments, other nonprofits, fishing companies, fish buyers and interested members of the public will be able to ask and answer their own questions about what is happening on the oceans that belong to all of us.”
“On behalf of Oceana, I want to thank Sting and everyone who attended,” said Oceana Board President Keith Addis. “Because of our supporters, Oceana will continue to win important victories – victories that protect the oceans, the amazing creatures that call them home, and the people who depend on them for sustenance and survival.”
Throughout the night, guests were treated to specialty cocktails provided by Nolet Silver Gin, Ketel One and St. Raphael Aperitif. The event was sponsored by Panerai Watches.
