Do you love the ocean as much as I do? Tomorrow, June 8, is World Ocean Day—a day to raise awareness of the impact of human behaviour on the oceans. Sadly, our oceans are in crisis and it’s up to each of us to do what we can to help. Read on for some alarming facts on the state of our oceans, and 5 simple changes you can make to help save our seas.
This post was originally published in June 2021 and updated in April 2024.
My fascination with the ocean
I have always loved the ocean. Growing up in England, some of my fondest memories were of visiting the seaside. To me, there’s no more soothing sound than hearing waves crashing on the shore.
Here in Canada, we have the world’s longest coastline as we’re surrounded by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic to the east, and the Pacific to the west. Considering the oceans play such an important role in our landscape, it seems fitting that Canada proposed World Ocean Day at the 1992 Earth Summit.
The biggest downside to the part of Canada where I live is the ocean is so far away. The closest is the Atlantic, but it’s about 800 kilometres away in New York City. The Pacific Ocean is a mere 4,300 kilometres away, and it’s just under 7,000 kilometres to Tuktoyaktuk on the Arctic Ocean. Any way you look at it, it’s a bit too far for a quick day trip to the seaside.
Why the oceans matter
Where would we be without our oceans? They are vital to our lives and health. In fact, we depend on them in many ways.
According to the World Economic Forum, the oceans provide 50% of the world’s oxygen, and they play an important role in regulating our climate. They are an important source of food, and economic activity with ocean-based industries projected to employ more than 40 million people worldwide by 2030.
A crisis in our oceans
Sadly, our oceans are in crisis—a crisis caused by humans. There are three major things we need to be concerned about.
- Plastic pollution in the oceans is a huge issue. By 2050 there will be more plastic than fish in our oceans, according to the World Economic Forum. Plastic in the ocean is finding its way into our food chain, with potential long-term harmful effects on our health.
- Overfishing is a threat to food security for millions of people around the world. Greenpeace reports that we’ve removed at least two-thirds of the large fish from the ocean.
- Climate change is warming the seas, and making them more acidic, causing problems for ecosystems around the world. As an example, warmer seas have resulted in the Great Barrier Reef losing 50% of its corals over the last 25 years, meaning a loss of habitat for many fish and other marine life.
Whether you live on the coast, or far away from the ocean like me, your actions have an impact on our oceans. Here in the Great Lakes region of Ontario, our rivers and lakes are part of the Atlantic watershed. This means a plastic straw or disposable coffee cup tossed on the side of the road could find its way into our streams, rivers, lakes and eventually the Atlantic Ocean.
We can’t afford to be complacent.
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5 ways you can save our seas
Humans created the crisis in our oceans, so we have a responsibility to fix it. As a global citizen, here are five changes you can make today to make a difference.
Reduce your plastic consumption
Do you know your plastic footprint? Check out this handy calculator to find out how your plastic use stacks up against others. I was pleased to see that my plastic usage is 11 kilograms a year, compared to the global average of 50 kilograms. It seems my waste-reduction efforts are making a difference.
Make a commitment to eliminate as much single-use plastic from your life as possible. Refusing plastic shopping bags is a great place to start. For more ideas check out 31 ways you can join the Plastic Free July movement.
Be a smart shopper
Simple changes to your shopping habits can make a big difference. In addition to reusable shopping bags, look for stores that let you bring your own containers. Avoiding fast fashion and looking for products with eco-friendly packaging are two more ways you can reduce your impact on our oceans.
Be a good beach citizen
Take only pictures. Leave only footprints.
Chief Seattle
In my Eco-Friendly Blog Takeover, Kathryn from Staying Afloat provided 9 ways to minimize the footprint of your beach vacation. Check out her tips before your next trip to the beach.
Dispose of your waste carefully
I’m always saddened to see coffee cups, water bottles, and other waste strewn on the ground. Much of this plastic pollution makes its way into our ponds, streams, lakes, rivers and ultimately the ocean.
Please take time to appropriately dispose of your waste. Recycle what you can’t reduce or eliminate. And reduce the risk to wildlife by cutting loops on face masks and plastic soda can holders.
Join a cleanup project
Sadly, we can’t depend on everyone to be responsible about their trash. Think about joining a community beach cleanup or neighbourhood cleanup day. If you can’t find one, why not organize one of your own? Or just grab a garbage bag and go for a walk.
Like a lot of other environmental issues, saving our oceans starts with each of us making simple changes that will add up. We depend on our oceans too much not to act. This World Ocean Day, be a friend of the oceans by committing to some of these changes.
Do you have other ideas to help our oceans? Tell us about them below.
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Great post, Michelle. Our oceans are indeed suffering due to our negligence, and at some point that sad process will affect the amount of oxygen we have to breathe. Education & activism are keys to change. Thanks for doing your part! 🌞
Thank you Lisa. It’s a shame people can’t look beyond their own convenience to realize the damage we are doing to our planet. I will continue to educate and advocate for our precious Earth.
Your photos are exactly the reason we need to do more with our use of plastics, Michelle. The beautiful beaches in your photos cannot sustain human wastefulness much longer. I’m going to keep reducing plastic usage. I recently bought a new pair of sneakers and most parts are made from recycled materials. Even the laces are from plastic bottles! The midsoles are made from sugarcane!
Exactly Cher! Those sneakers sound really cool! I have a pair of shoes that are made out of plastic bottles. When you see that kind of innovation, you realize there really is no excuse. I just wish we could solve for human carelessness.
Love this! I love the ocean so much and it makes me so sad when people don’t take care of it. Thanks for sharing! x
Lynn | https://www.lynnmumbingmejia.com
Thanks Lynn. It is sad when people neglect and abuse our natural resources. We can’t take them for granted.
It’s heartbreaking to see the state our oceans are in. The amount of waste that ends up in them is appalling!
We all need to play our part and your ideas are a fantastic way for us to do that. I love it when businesses opt for recycle-able packaging as I hate all the excessive, single-use plastic!
Thanks Jaclyn! It is appalling but, if we all do our part, maybe we can reverse the damage.
I really hope so! X
I love to use powdered laundry detergent that comes in a cardboard box! It’s definitely less plastic, I just wish it didn’t include a new plastic measuring cup in each box. When we rarely get takeout food (thank you Chipotle for paper bags and non-plastic burrito bowl containers) we make sure to refuse any single-use utensils, since we’re just headed home to our own silverware anyway
I switched to powdered laundry detergent at one point and had the exact same though as you, Brittany. Why the plastic scoop? Then, I found the bulk soap supply store where I can refill my containers with liquid laundry soap which made me really happy.
I like to support restaurants that offer sustainable packaging, too! All these simple changes really add up!
There are bulk soap supply stores?? Neat! Googling it now 👍
The one I go to is a small local business with 2 stores in our area. It’s such an amazing concept!
Thanks for this informative and useful blog post, Michelle. We human beings have not done a comprehensive job of educating ourselves about fundamental facts — such as the oceans generating HALF of the oxygen we take for granted yet breath every moment of our lives… Or the power of watersheds — how (as you describe it) a plastic straw or plastic water bottle or cigarette butt (etc) or empty “nip” bottle of booze discarded on a sidewalk or by the side of a road or next to a bike trail will likely be washed into a sewer/stream/body of water which leads eventually to an ocean… We care/know more about professional sports statistics and celebrity gossip and the latest updates to a particular computer program than we do about the amazing — and increasingly damaged (by us) — web of life which supports our human lives here on planet earth. Deep breath in. Deep breath out (partly thanks to the oceans!)
Thanks will. It is sad, and somewhat annoying, where we humans put our focus. I often want to scream at the carelessness and casual attitude of people towards things that impact their lives and future health.
I have to agree that the mountain + ocean combo is quite magical 😉 We’re so spoiled over here on the west coast!
When I see people’s photos of beach clean ups I’m always shocked to see how many toys and shoes are in the mix of items. It would be great if we all could be more aware of what items we are taking to the beach so that we can ensure that they are all being taken home with us.
Yes, you are very spoiled on the west coast. My daughter absolutely fell in love with Vancouver the couple of times we’ve visited. Who knows – she might end up living there and I’d get to visit more often!
It is sad that people aren’t more aware of what they bring to the beach and more conscious about making sure nothing gets left behind.