Ten Ways To Honor World Oceans Day

Today is World Oceans Day. Around this time of year our beachy thoughts usually involve the latest swimsuit style or bestselling summer read. But even if you’re off to the Jersey Shore, the San Juan Islands or Malibu this summer, it’s impossible to ignore the crisis unfolding in the Gulf.

There, the beaches are packed with spill cleanup crews and many who are simply curious to witness the worst environmental disaster in U.S. history.

No matter where you live, the oceans belong to all of us. Oceans are a critical part of our planet's fragile environmental balance. The BP oil spill reminds us of the potentially catastrophic consequences of human behavior: We realize it is entirely within our power to destroy our oceans forever.

The oil spill's environmental, economic, social and health impacts are just too great to ignore. We all have a responsibility not only to help with the Gulf cleanup, but to keep all of the world's oceans clean. A Greenpeace message I read recently summed up our communal possibilities and responsibilities. "Earth: Too Big to Fail," it said. We can do all our part this Oceans Day with the following 10 tips:

1. Say no to offshore 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 offshore drilling.

2. Volunteer or support the Gulf cleanup efforts: You might envision a summer vacation spent lounging under an umbrella with a great book and good drink, sea water lapping at your toes. This year, instead, think about a more meaningful trip to volunteer in the Gulf rescue and cleanup efforts. One day you may reminisce to your grandchildren about a time when we polluted our oceans with millions of gallons of oil -- at least you'll be able to say 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 needs to pay to clean up their mess. Also, you can join the campaign to convince EPA to cancel BP's federal contracts as a major military fuel supplier and offshore oil-and-gas leaser.

4. Reduce your own oil use: Our never ending appetite for this finite resource caused the Gulf disaster. We can each make a difference by reducing our oil consumption and supporting 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 to 90 percent. Do your part by choosing sustainable seafood.

6. Don’t support captive marine mammals: As the Oscar-winning documentary The Cove showed, thousands of wild animals captured each year head for a destitute life in a depressing, turquoise-tinted tank. Instead of patronizing marine parks or swim-with-dolphin programs, choose a humane option. Go whale-watching instead.

7. Skip plastic: Our oceans are drowning in plastic, which is killing marine life and polluting our shores. (It’s hard enough to swim through kelp. Plastic bags don’t make the situation easier.) There's no excuse, really. There are plenty of accessible consumer alternatives to plastic.

8. Keep your garden green: Our oceans are downhill from everywhere. This means that all of your garden cleaners—no matter where you live in the US--eventually find their way into them. The Gulf of Mexico is plagued by oxygen-depleted "dead zones," which the oil spill may only make worse. These dead zones, often lethal to sea-dwellers, are created by chemical fertilizer runoff and exacerbated by warming ocean temperatures. Greener gardens mean healthy oceans.

9. Save sea turtles: Turtles have lived on Earth since the dinosaurs. Now, they are threatened with extinction due to destructive human activities such as fishing, plastic pollution and coastal development. U.S. citizens can make a huge difference by protecting sea turtles  -- six of the world’s seven species happen to live in our coastal 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.

Photo Credit: Flickr user tinyfroglet