The ocean is increasingly seen as a new economic frontier. While investments are rapidly growing, these are mainly directed to unsustainable practices and a huge funding gap remains to ensure that ocean industries are in line with the aspirations of a truly “blue” economy. Acknowledging the role of financial actors as both gatekeepers and enablers of a sustainable ocean economy, this thesis explores the financial landscape of the 100 largest ocean companies – the ‘Ocean 100’ – which collectively account for 60% of total ocean economy revenues. The study uses a mixed-methods approach, combining network analyses, descriptive statistics, and more qualitative examples, to identify financiers of the Ocean 100 and discuss their potential for incentivizing ocean stewardship. It explores two potential leverage points: the use of sustainable loans and bonds and the influence of shareholders. New sustainable debt instruments that link interest rate to sustainability targets are increasingly used by the Ocean 100 and have potential in becoming a new norm, however, the connection to the ocean remains weak. There is a need for transparency and regulation in the sustainable finance market to ensure quality and to scale up sustainable finance instruments. The results also highlight the financial impact of large passive asset managers whose influence span over several ocean industries, some of which are characterized by high market concentration. As interest in the ocean economy is growing, regulations and public pressure to change investment norms represent a much needed incremental, if not radical, change towards improved sustainability.

The purpose of this action research study was to document 8th grade students' experiences at a residential marine learning facility as they discovered the interconnections between life on Earth and its dependency on ocean health. My goal was for students to take their new knowledge and share it with others in a quest to become educated and caring stewards of the Earth's ocean. Students in this study participated in open peer and instructor discussions, performed full and guided inquiry activities, and snorkeled among the shallow water habitats that transition from mangroves toward coral reefs to discover the interconnections among shallow water marine habitats and the critical necessity of biological diversity among habitats. The processes used to collect data for this action research study were a pre/post knowledge assessment about coral reefs, videotaped conversations among peers and instructors, photographs documenting student engagement in activities, and interviews conducted at the conclusion of the trip. The themes that emerged included a mindset of ocean stewardship, deep engagement in inquiry-driven activities while interacting among peers, the ability to clearly articulate the effects of human impact on biological diversity and the need to maintain sustainable shallow water ecosystems that are biologically diverse. Although this study was only conducted over a three day weekend, the emergent themes highlight the value of providing students with opportunities to interact with nature. Experiential learning not only contributes to the various ways of knowing but such experiences help students develop a stronger sense of self perception and values as they begin formulating their sense of relationship to and responsibilities toward their own communities and the larger, natural world.