World Ocean Day is June 8. Why should we care about the Ocean? Without this giant body of water, we wouldn’t have over half of the world’s oxygen that we need to breathe. Our climate is regulated because of the amount of the Earth’s surface the Ocean covers. Caring about the Ocean and implementing small things in each of our lives will make a positive impact and keep our Ocean healthy and able to support life in its many miraculous ways.
There are plenty of opportunities to step up and take action to protect and preserve our Ocean while encouraging others to do so as well. The World Ocean Day website has great resources for both individuals and organizations including events to participate in, educational materials, and social media toolkits with already crafted content that can easily be shared to show support for World Ocean Day.
Courtesy of NOAAAnother way to advocate for our Ocean is by supporting organizations that do so every day like the Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life at the New England Aquarium and the Ocean Conservancy. Researchers at the Anderson Cabot Center work to find practical, science-based solutions to mitigate human impacts on our Ocean and the Ocean Conservancy is working to protect the Ocean from today’s greatest global challenges for a healthy Ocean and the wildlife and communities that depend on it. Both of these organizations accept donations to support their research.
Campaign for Nature, a partnership of the Wyss Campaign for Nature, National Geographic Society, and a coalition of over 100 conservation organizations around the world, has a petition on its website that individuals and organizations can sign to call on world leaders to protect at least 30 percent of the planet’s land and ocean by 2030. After signing the pledge, people can pass along the link to their network by sharing the already created tweet that Campaign for Nature provides upon completion.
Improving the overall environment is another way to help our Ocean far beyond World Ocean Day. A couple of ideas from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) are reducing waste, shopping wisely and sustainably, and reducing vehicle pollution. To reduce waste, stop purchasing plastic bottles of water and replace them with water dispensers in both offices and homes. To reduce vehicle pollution, drive an electric vehicle, carpool with colleagues, or ride a bike. Shop wisely and sustainably by taking a moment to learn more about how companies create and package their products and opt for as many reusable items whenever possible, like canvas shopping bags.
As marine biologist Sylvia Earle said, “We need to respect the oceans and take care of them as if our lives depended on it. Because they do.” There is no act that is too small when it comes to conserving the only Ocean we have.
