8 ways to celebrate World Oceans Day on June 8th – pick your faves, grab your crew and do your part today to save the world’s oceans.
History of World Oceans Day
The first World Oceans Day was introduced by Canada’s International Center for Ocean Development in 1992 at the Earth Summit, the UN conference on the Environment and Development.
At first, the goal was to draw attention to pollution in our oceans and to celebrate how connected we are to the ocean, even for those who live inland.
The Ocean Project promotes ocean conservation with aquariums, zoos, museums, schools, and 2,000 other partners worldwide. Since 2002 they have been responsible for World Oceans Day celebrations.
The United Nations designated June 8th as World Oceans Day.
8 Ways to Celebrate World Oceans Day on June 8th
1. Enter the World Oceans Day Oceanic Photo Competition.
The World Oceans Day photo competition is sponsored by the United Nations.
For the 2022 competition the categories for submissions:
- Revitalization
- Above Water Seascapes
- Underwater Seascapes
- Nature-based Solutions & Ocean Exploration
- Ocean Critters
- Coastal Communities
“This open and free photo competition seeks to inspire the creation of imagery capturing the beauty, the challenges and the importance of the ocean and humankind’s relation to it, hoping to contribute to actions to preserve it.”
Photo submissions open from 1st March until the 15th April via Dive Photo Guide. Enter the competition here.
View past winning photographs:
2. Visit your local aquarium & join the festivities.
Take lots of photos!
Use the official hashtag #WorldOceansDay when posting them on social media.
3. Join a shoreline cleanup in your area.
Even if you live inland, you probably live near a body of water. Check your local listings to see what groups are doing for World Oceans Day.
There most certainly will be a shoreline cleanup you can be involved with this spring.
If not, start your own. The Youth Advisory Council has a PDF guide to help you.
Share your cleanup photos online with hashtag #dobeautifulthings or #worldoceanday.
Want volunteer t-shirts? See them on our Cafepress shoppe: Red volunteer, Black volunteer, Acts of Kindness.
4. Go plogging with friends.
Plogging was created in Sweden in 2016. It simply means to pick up litter while jogging.
If you’d like to get some friends together to Plog for the Ocean, the Youth Advisory Council has a PDF guide for you.
5. Buy a 4ocean bracelet.
4ocean has cleaned up 4,500,000 pounds of trash from the ocean and coastlines since 2017.
From the sales of their bracelets, they pay local fishermen to clean litter. They pay them the same amount per pound as fish. It’s win/win.
Each bracelet represents the cost of 1 pound of litter removed from the ocean.
- beads are made with recycled glass
- cord is made with recycled water bottles
- 100% waterproof
- adjustable from 2-5″
- $20 US each
- Or subscribe to receive a new one each month for $20 US
6. Go strawless. #StopSucking
It is estimated that 500 million straws are used every day in the US.
Most of them end up in the ocean because all gutters and storm drains go into our water system and meet with other litter from beaches, seaside resorts, boats or blown garbage.
It is estimated that by 2050:
- there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish
- 99% of seabirds will have ingested plastic
- 94% of US tap water will contain plastic
Most of us don’t need to use a straw. When you’re at a restaurant, tell them to #HoldTheStraw.
But some of us do have to use a straw. There are many alternatives to plastic.
- paper straws
- glass straws
- silicone reusable straws
- bamboo degradable straws
- metal reusable straws
Buy any of these at your local department store.
7. Stop using facial scrubs with microbeads.
Stop using facial scrubs with microbeads. Those little beads are made of plastic and have been found in our oceans and the Great Lakes shared by Canada and the US.
8. #HydrateLike You Want to Save the Planet
HydrateLike. org says, “Let’s not continue to choose convenience over caring.” Stop using plastic water bottles.
- by 2050 the ocean is expected to contain more plastic than fish by weight
- 91% of plastic isn’t recycled
- 500 billion plastic bottles are used around the globe annually
- 1 million plastic water bottles are sold every minute
- bottled water costs 2000x more than tap water
Alternatives to plastic water bottles:
- glass of tap water
- reusable bottle
- filtered water pitcher or container
What will you do on June 8th for World Ocean’s Day? Don’t forget to post pics to encourage others to join you! Use the official hashtag #WorldOceansDay.
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