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Five for Friday: World Oceans Day

Do you purchase products from overseas, eat seafood, or enjoy a day at the beach?  If so, you are benefiting from the vast oceans that make up over 70% of our planet.  The ocean is more than a source of food or entertainment.  The oceans serve to connect countries throughout the world to one another, allowing us to exchange goods, customs, and traditions far beyond our borders.

The oceans, however, are in critical danger.  Over-fishing, as well as
global pollution, have put marine species at risk worldwide.  In order
to raise global awareness of the issue, Canada proposed to recognize a
World Oceans Day in 1992, at the Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit.  Since
that day, the event has been held yearly throughout the world, gaining
official UN recognition in 2008. 

Video courtesy of The Ocean Project

To commemorate World Oceans Day, National Geographic Education offers five ways for you to make a positive difference in our oceans’ future in our weekly “Five for Friday” series.

1. Participate in a World Oceans Day event
Over 70 countries will be hosting events today to celebrate the ocean and recognize its importance.  Visit the Events page to sign up and participate. From beach cleanups, to commemorations, to surveys, this site has it all! 

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2. Share #WorldOceansDay on your social media sites
Don’t live near the ocean? Do you part from your computer!  Pose with a
sign advocating ocean conservation, make a video marine life, and share
it on your social media networks!

3. Make a pledge to help the ocean
Use one of these, or be creative and think up your own!
I pledge to buy sustainable fish
I pledge to ask my local grocer to stock sustainable seafood
I pledge to not eat meat on Mondays
I pledge to bring reusable bags to the grocery store
I pledge to get a reusable water bottle
I pledge to bike to work one day a week instead of drive
I pledge to shop a thrift store first instead of buying new
I pledge to buy local food first

4. Visit a Marine Protected Area near you
Marine Protected Areas allow marine life to regenerate and
thrive.  If you live anywhere near a coast, there is bound to be one
near you.  Take a trip to go visit the bountiful marine life
under the surface at one of North America’s Marine Protected Areas.


Video courtesy of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation

5. Educate about the ocean   
The
most important part of all conservation work, it can be argued, is
education.  By teaching younger generations about the benefits of the
ocean, and the threats that it faces, you will be impacting the policies
and actions of future generations towards our prized ocean.

Resources
World Oceans Day
One World One Ocean
World Oceans Day – Wikipedia

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