10 Ways Honor World Oceans Day

Today is World Oceans Day which for some might set off alarm bells about getting the latest over-priced swim suit (definitely the highest cost-per-square foot piece of merchandise available), stocking up on summer reading or purchasing BPA-free sand toys. But, for all of us, whether you’re going to the Jersey Shore, the San Juan Islands or Malibu, it’s hard to ignore the environmental crisis in the Gulf of Mexico.
No matter where you live in the country, the oceans belong to all of us. Oceans are a critical part of the fragile environmental balance of our planet. The BP oil spill is emblematic of the catastrophic consequences of human behaviors and the real possibility of forever destroying our oceans. The environmental, economic, social and health impacts are too great to ignore. We all have a responsibility to help with the Gulf clean-up and to keep all of our oceans clean. A Greenpeace message I read recently summed up our communal possibilities and responsibilities: Earth: Too Big to Fail. We can do all our part this Oceans Day with the following 10 tips:

1. Say no to off-shore oil drilling. Our desperate attempts to quench our thirst for the Earth’s remaining drops of oil contributed to the BP oil spill. The consequences are too high to continue with these practices. Tell the Obama Administration to end all off-shore drilling.

2. Volunteer or support the Gulf clean-up efforts. You might have envisioned yourself lounging under an umbrella with a great book and a good drink with sea water lapping at your toes. But, helping rescue efforts will go a long way to making your summer vacation meaningful and worthwhile. Perhaps there might be a day when you can reminisce to your grandchildren about the time when we polluted our oceans with millions of gallons of oil but how you were part of the solution.

3. Make BP pay. After the Exxon Valdez spill, the first President Bush signed legislation that caps oil companies’ liability fees for spills at a measly $75 million. Tell Congress that the company which reported profits of $5.6 billion in the first three months of this year, not taxpayers, needs to pay to clean up their mess.

4. Cut your oil use. Our never-ending appetite for this finite resource caused the Gulf disaster. We can each make a difference to reduce our oil consumption and support efforts to switch to clean energy sources.

5. Choose sustainable seafood. Our dinner table options are getting slimmer because of our zealous appetite for fish. Most fish populations have been depleted by 75-90%. Do your part by choosing sustainable seafood.

6. Don’t support marine mammals in captivity. As the Oscar-winning documentary, the Cove, showed, thousands of wild animals are captured annually for a destitute life in a depressing turquoise-tinted tank. Instead of marine parks or swim-with dolphin programs choose a humane option, such as whale-watching.

7. Skip plastic. Our oceans are drowning in plastic, killing marine life and polluting our shores (it’s hard enough to swim through kelp. Plastic bags don’t make the situation any easier). This isn’t hard because there are plenty of easy consumer alternatives to plastic.

8. Keep your garden green. Our oceans are downhill from everything. This means that all of your garden cleaners—no matter where you live in the US--eventually find their way into our oceans. Before the oil spill, the Gulf of Mexico was plagued by oxygen-free Dead Zones, created by chemical run-off from throughout the nation (primarily nitrogen) and climate change. Green gardens mean healthy oceans.

9. Save sea turtles. Turtles have lived on Earth since the dinosaurs. But they are now threatened with extinction due to destructive human activities like fishing, plastic pollution and coastal development. US citizens can make a huge difference to protecting sea turtles since six of the world’s seven species live in our waters.

10. Provide your tip! Share with others your suggestions for how to celebrate World Oceans Day and to keep our oceans healthy for future generations.