World Ocean’s Day

Pure Earth Pets World Oceans Day

 

By now, you might have noticed a reoccurring theme in the Pure Earth Pets blog. We may serve dog owners in our business, but we love all of the creatures that inhabit the earth. We love dogs. We love cats. We love the earth itself. And we love all the creatures that inhabit the earth. That’s why we share tips on things like helping turtles and tortoises, ways to reuse a cardboard box, or how to participate in the global Restore the Earth initiative. We are all in this together, every human, every animal, from the largest whale down to the smallest microorganism. And so, we are very excited to write about World Ocean Day, why every day should be world ocean day, and how you can make a difference in the health of our oceans.

What is World Oceans Day?

The idea for World Ocean Day was proposed by Canada back in 1992 at the Earth Summit in Brazil. Ten years later, World Ocean Day was formally organized, and was celebrated with 25 events around the world. Since then, World Ocean Day has grown tremendously, with an audience of over 454 million people just in June 2020.

World Oceans Day is supported by hundreds of events throughout the world that focus on cleanup efforts and education. This year’s focus is called 30*30, which is a global movement to protect 30% of the world's oceans by the year 2030. According to the World Ocean Day Website, “By supporting 30x30, we can protect our planet’s life support systems – specifically the interconnected issues of ocean, climate, and biodiversity.”

Why Every Day Should be World Ocean Day

The Earth is made up of around 70% water, 96% of which is found in our oceans. The amount of water on earth is constant. We do not gain or lose water; it simply changes form. Some of our planet’s water is liquid.  Some is solid in the form of ice. Some is in the form of a gas as water vapor.  It moves around by changing form, like when water evaporates, becomes a cloud, moves to a new location, and then rains down liquid somewhere else.  

This is why protecting our oceans is so critical to protecting the earth; just because water is in the ocean right now does mean it will stay there. When the oceans become polluted and filled with plastics, it affects every single one of us. The polluted waters never go away, they simply cycle throughout all the forms of life on earth.

Water also cycles throughout living creatures. We humans are made up of 50% water, so our own health is directly linked to clean water. We are only as healthy as the water on earth, which is only as healthy as our oceans. Even if you don’t live near an ocean, or the 5.25 trillion pieces of trash floating around the oceans seem like someone else’s worry, it is something that is likely to personally affect every living creature on earth.

How to Support World Oceans Day

 

Share the 30 * 30 Mission

Regardless of how many followers or friends you have on your various social media accounts, you can share the 30*30 mission. World Oceans Day offers social media toolkits for individuals, organizations, and event planners to share the importance of World Oceans Day.  You can download tools to share this message at this link: https://www.worldoceansday.org/resources. Whether you have 10 followers or 10 million, even if you inspire just one person to take steps to make the oceans cleaner, we will have one more person helping the 30*30 mission.

Attend a World Ocean Day Event

You can find events to support World Ocean Day through Eventbrite, Google, Facebook, and the World Oceans Day website. Many events focus on cleanup efforts, educational sessions, or activities spend simply enjoying our oceans for fun and relaxation.  You might also consider starting to plan your own event for World Ocean Day 2022.

Write to Your State and Federal Representatives

On June 8, write to your state and local representatives to urge them to support World Oceans Day and the 30*30 initiative. There is excellent information on the website https://www.campaignfornature.org that you can use to draft emails to elected officials. Remember to include legislators at all levels of government, from local to national. Remember that the small creek running through your neighborhood matters just as much as the largest ocean, and local ordinances can have a lasting impact on the health of your local bodies of water.

Simple Summertime Steps You Can Take at Home

With meteorological summer under way and our minds on summer fun and sunshine, here are two things you can do at home to impact our oceans.

Switch to Reef Friendly Sunscreen

One of the easiest changes to make that can have a dramatic effect on our oceans is to switch to reef friendly sunscreen. The chemicals in many brands of sunscreen are harmful to coral and other marine life. According to the National Ocean Service, sunscreen can have negative effects on marine life ranging from plants to mammals, including green algae, coral, mussels, sea urchins, fish, and dolphins. Even if you do not visit the ocean, it is important to choose reef friendly sunscreen no matter where you live.

When choosing a sunscreen for humans or for pets, the National Ocean Service recommends that you avoid the following chemicals: Oxybenzone, Benzophenone-1, Benzophenone-8, OD-PABA, 4-Methylbenzylidene camphor, 3-Benzylidene camphor, nano-Titanium dioxide, nano-Zinc oxide, Octinoxate, Octocrylene.

You can find more information as well as a list of both good and bad brands at https://savethereef.org/about-reef-save-sunscreen.html. Remember that if your specific dog needs to wear sunscreen to purchase an eco-friendly version made specifically for dogs.

Stop Using Pesticides and Chemical Weed Killers

Lawn care chemicals, fertilizers, and pesticides are one of the greatest pollutants in the ocean. You can make an immediate impact on this problem by switching to organic lawn care techniques and products that focus on mowing and watering techniques and adding nutrients back to the grass rather than killing weeds with a broadleaf weed killer.

You can also write to your elected officials in your local government to ask them to consider using organic methods in your local parks and public areas. You can find great resources at this website to use to format your emails and campaigns to stop using chemicals in your town or city. http://www.nontoxiccommunities.com/cities.html

We look forward to hearing how you plan on celebrating World Ocean Day. Share your World Ocean Day celebration or eco-friendly lifestyle changes on our Facebook page or by tagging us on Instagram at @pureearthpets.

 

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