CLEVELAND — The NFL Draft kicks off on Thursday in Cleveland and while the event is dedicated to all things football, the NFL is debuting some special environmental projects in Northeast Ohio.
On Tuesday, the NFL Green is partnering with the Greater Cleveland Aquarium to live stream the world premiere of a documentary film on one of its biggest projects yet, restoring a coral reef to the size of a football field.
While there are no coral reefs in Northeast Ohio, the organization stresses this still impacts our lives.
"And whenever we come into a great host city like Cleveland, we look for ways to leave a positive green legacy," NFL Green Associate Director Susan Groh said.
During Draft Week, NFL Green and the aquarium will show 100 Yards of Hope.
The documentary is about a two-year mission organized by the NFL and other scientists to restore a football field-sized coral reef in Florida.
"And coral is important because it protects against storm damage. They use it for research to create medicines, is responsible for a lot of jobs and also habitat for everything under the ocean," Groh said.
The goal of the partnership is to connect students outside the classroom.
"We want them to understand all the different roles it plays in the ocean, just like we want people to understand how important freshwater is that comes from the Great Lakes," Greater Cleveland Aquarium Director of Communications Samantha Fryberger said.
So far, more than 1,000 people from all over the world are registered to watch the film.
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