World Oceans Day: June 8

The Earth's dry land covers just 30% of the planet. Conversely, the ocean covers 71% and is home to 99% of the world's inhabitants. One mouthful of ocean water can contain millions of bacterial cells, hundreds of thousands of phytoplankton and tends of thousands of zooplankton. The Great Barrier Reef is the largest living structure on Earth and the blue whale is bigger than any dinosaur that ever walked on land.

Why you should help protect the ocean:
-generates most of the oxygen we breathe
-provides fish and other seafood to feed us
-regulates climate by absorbing carbon dioxide
-naturally recycles and cleans water; 86% of the water we drink comes from the ocean
-offers potential medicine

In honor of World Oceans Day next Saturday, June 8, we encourage you to get involved, and get educated about our ocean!

What you can do to help protect the ocean:
Use reusable grocery bags and always choose paper over plastic. The United Nations Environmental Programme estimated in 2006 that every square mile of ocean contains 46,000 pieces of floating plastic. Plastic debris causes deaths to over a million seabird and 100,000 marine mammals every year.

Global climate change has an impact on the oceans. Curve energy consumption by turning off lights when your not in the room, unplugging electronics when not in use, riding your bike or walking when you can (fun fact: 40% of car rides are less than 2 miles!), take the stairs, switch to compact fluorescent light bulbs, and open windows or bundle up instead of oversetting the thermostat.

Respect the Beach and clean up after yourself when you go. Don't interfere with wildlife, or remove rocks and coral. And participate in beach clean ups in your area! They're fun, only a few hours, and you can't beat the view!
**Click here to view events in your area. Events happen all year round!

Make safe, sustainable seafood choices. Some fish species are being overexploited due to demand, habitat loss and fishing practices. Know which fish are good to order and shop for. Eat lower on the food chain
**For help on what seafood is best to eat, and which to avoid go to this Seafood Decision Guide here.

And most importantly, educate yourself about the ocean and it's marine wildlife. The more you know, the more you will want to help protect it because after all, which ocean do you prefer?