World Oceans Day is coming up this Saturday, June 8. We’ve all heard of Earth Day, but this is the first year I’ve heard of World Oceans Day. On some calendars, today is also World Environment Day.
What does it all mean? Will naming certain days after the environment make it all better? Well, let’s hope so.
I remember feeling skeptical when Earth Day first came around, but it’s definitely a good thing whenever gangs of people descend on the beach to pick up trash for the day. Really though, we need to make every day Earth/Ocean Day.
The ocean is facing overwhelming problems these days. Here are just a few off the top of my head: ocean acidification, oil spills, coral bleaching, bottom trawling, miles of fishing nets that catch ocean life like whales, dolphins, and sea turtles, all leading to a major depletion of ocean life.
I like the idea of one Earth, one ocean. We all know by now that everything is connected. But do we really understand what that means? It means that everything we do makes a difference. Whether we leave a tiny piece of plastic on the beach or decide to pick it up, whether we use fertilizers and insecticides or organic gardening methods, it all makes a difference.
Let’s celebrate nature, the ocean, and this one world today and every day. For more information on what we can do to help the ocean and ocean life, click here.
Related articles
- Happy World Oceans Day . . . sort of (lawprofessors.typepad.com)
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- World Oceans Day! (1000oceanstars.wordpress.com)
- There Won’t Always Be More Fish in the Sea
- For Earth Day, Think of the Ocean
Sheila Hurst 
I like that thought–that each little thing we do contributes (or ruins) the earth and ocean. It makes you feel more like a hero when you throw your garbage away, or pick up after someone that littered instead of ignoring it. Nice post.
Thanks Char! Yes, we can all be heroes or villains. Thanks for being a hero! 🙂
Let’s not forget the seas of this planet. The Mediterranean Sea is smaller than an ocean but well worth protecting!
The whole planet needs our protection and we must protect it from humans.
Yes, the seas too. I like to think of it all as one ocean because everything is connected. That’s what I like about Oceana – it tries to solve worldwide ocean problems.
Would be grand if on Ocean Day people around the world cleaned up the “Great Pacific Ocean Patch”, however it wouldn’t solve the development of reoccurence. Global AWARENESS of our everyday things that effect the environment/ocean.
Think it’s difficult for people to see the how harmful chemicals (and other things we do..platic bottles) that run down your driveway enters the streams, rivers, oceans, fish, marine life, birds, air.. and back to us again when it’s not conceptual, real in the now.
Thank-you for this post.
🙂
That would be nice! When we stop and think that everything we do makes a difference, and that these things don’t just disappear when they leave our hands, then that awareness and change can really start to happen. Thanks for stopping by – I’m always happy to meet any ocean/earth lovers out there!
I too! 🙂
It’s good to have reminders such as World Oceans Day (and your post!) to give us new tips to help us take care of this beautiful planet of ours. Lovely photograph you included too!
Thanks Letizia! That one’s from a San Diego lookout area. I loved being able to see so many ocean colors from up there.
Great post, Sheila. My biggest love is the ocean and I’m hoping everyone gets involved in this 😀
Same here! I’m glad that’s one of the many things we have in common. 🙂
Too many people think, “I’m just one person, and what I do doesn’t matter or make a difference.” But if every “one person” would do some of these simple things, together we could make a huge difference. Thanks for sharing the Oceana link!
Exactly! That’s why I love Oceana too because it brings all those people together for that one purpose.
Well, I learned something new! Thanks Sheila!
I hadn’t heard of it until just a little while ago either, but hopefully it’ll help! 🙂
Wonderful post and reminder, Sheila! It’s hard for many to see the big picture, but if we all did our small (or big) part, it would make a big difference..It breaks my heart to hear of any wildlife or animals suffering because of human ignorance and carelessness..in the ocean or on the land..
Sending many hugs and thanks for sharing this with your beautiful photo, too! xx
Thanks Lauren! It is easy to forget sometimes that everything we do makes a difference because we don’t always see it happening. Thank you for making a difference with your beautiful poetry. Love and hugs!
It makes me sad to think of what we’re doing to our environment and the impact on the creatures who live in it, it doesn’t take much to be more aware of our actions but too often laziness and carelessness kicks in.
In can be really sad when we see those depressing headlines, so sad that some might give up. That’s great that you see the impact we’re having though because that means you know we’re making a difference. We just need to make a more positive one. 🙂
I am going to tweet this because the message is so important. thank you for sharing it. Last month my publicist was at South Beach and very disappointed. We found bottle caps, tampon dispensers trash and worse, jagged pieces of glass from broken bottles along the sand. One can only wonder what we could not see under the water, xo LMA
Thank you so much! Someday I’ll have to learn how to tweet. It’s so sad to see those things on the beach, especially because birds and sea turtles try to eat them and choke on them. If it’s on the beach, it usually makes its way into the water and to different kinds of ocean life – unless a caring person like you picks it up. xoxo
Wonderful post! I agree that every day we need to take care of the planet, and all its nooks and crannies. I love seeing people randomly picking up trash even when it’s not the designated day for it. If we make an effort every day, soon it’ll be just second nature.
Thanks Kate! Yes, if we stop and think about the impact it has, we’re probably more likely to pick that trash up whenever we see it or reduce the use of fertilizers or do those other little things. Now I’m thinking I need to get to the beach more often just to pick up that trash. 🙂 Hope you’re having a great summer so far!
Fine post Sheila, thank you. Looking out now on sparkling St Clement’s Bay it is unthinkable that the seas could suffer and die all because of our indifference. And yes I include me as part of the problem and solution.
Exactly – we’re all part of the problem and the solution. We can make things better too. Part of doing that is appreciating the beauty of the ocean like you’re doing. That sounds like a wonderful place to be. I hope you have a great summer filled with ocean dreams!
It’s nice to see more awareness about our oceans. Without water, we all die (us, animals, plants). There’s no life. Living in San Diego, you’d think people would be more concerned about the state of our water sources and our oceans. Yet, people continue littering everywhere, even when it ends up in the river and eventually in the ocean. I have no idea what happens between the time kids are taught in school to be good environmentalists (and they really seem to get it) and the time when they become adults and could care less. Our society is quite a selfish one.
I think some people believe it’s so huge that we can’t really change it, but we are changing it and that’s scary. We really need to believe that everything we do (and don’t do) makes a difference. Now that we can see that happening, maybe that will help to change things. By the way, that photo is from your neck of the woods somewhere around San Diego.
Oh, nice. Torrey Pines, maybe?
It was on a walking path at Point Loma – beautiful ocean you have there! 🙂
Oh, I’ve been there, nice views! Yes, it’s a nice ocean but way too cold. I’ve never put more than my feet in there. The Atlantic Ocean off the East Coast is a lot nicer for water activities.
I honestly believe that if one doesn’t start in our own homes, street, parks right around the corner shops, naming days won’t change many peoples bad, neglectful habits ~ thank you Sheila. Debbie xo
Hopefully it’ll help bring more awareness so that maybe we’ll think before doing something like buying water from little plastic bottles or using plastic bags in the grocery store. Even things that we might not think of as bad have an impact. If people stop to think about that impact, change will happen. Love to you and thank you for visiting!
Every little bit makes a difference, no doubt.
It’s sad that many of our people just throw stuff out and somehow believe someone else will pick it up after them.
And marking a day is certainly a good step. At least some people take notice, at least for a day. That’s better than nothing. But eventually the hope is that more people will take notice and more people will give it a conscious thought even for the rest of the year.
I love your love for our environment. Your environment and ocean is also mine – no matter how far we are.
Yes, and I’m so glad the ocean connects us. 🙂 The sad part about leaving trash around is that other people might not pick it up and instead ocean animals end up eating it and choking on it. They’re already struggling to survive, even without that happening. But we can make a difference if we try.
Maybe we humans will eventually get it right! I love the ocean, every walk we do to the same spot at my mums place, brings something new and wonderful. The ocean changes daily, just like a sunset. I would be lost with out it and will never get tired of sitting on the rocks and breathing that salty air.
I feel the same way. The ocean gives us so much, even if it’s just as a way to relax and breathe that air in. I’m glad you’re able to enjoy it too. I’m also hoping humans will get it right eventually. We have to keep hoping because if we give up, then the kind of change that’s needed isn’t going to happen.
You’re so right about this – it is precious, and we take it for granted. I assume you’ve heard of that giant gyre of plastic debris in the middle of the ocean somewhere. Just thinking about that gives me the heebie-jeebies. I sometimes wonder if the end of the oil age will be a good thing in terms of our decreased ability to make enormous amounts of non-biodegradable plastics.
Hi Kasia! Yes, it’s really sad that there’s so much plastic in the ocean that it collects and floats around like that. I wonder about our society too and what things would be like if everything had to completely change. That’s one of the reasons I loved your book!
I suppose it all boils down to holding our consciousness of what is important to us. If oceans are something where our energy lies, then that’s the way to go I guess.
Liked the post and its awareness creating message.
Shakti
Thank you – the reason it’s important to me is that in my day job I see devastating ocean headlines every day. Humans depend on the ocean for so much that if things continue the way they’re going, the future won’t be a very good one.
I think having a day to recognize something helps promote it and makes people more likely to think on it during the year. Yay for World Oceans Day!
Let’s hope so! At least on these designated days people might be more likely to do things like pick up trash on the beach and that’s always a good thing. Yay for World Oceans Day! 🙂