Ayla’s Voyage Blog

Publish Date: Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Happy Earth Day everybody! Today is the day to celebrate our remarkable planet, and work together to protect it for the future. Our  planet is truly miraculous and beautiful. We talk today about deep space, yet we haven’t even thoroughly explored the deep ocean. Life on other planets fascinates us, yet the life here on earth is cause for pause as we observe the intricate ecosystems and learn more about our planet, teaming with life.

As you may know, ocean conservation is a passion of mine. Our oceans are  vast and seemingly endless, yet they ARE in trouble. Between harmful fishing practices, detrimental pollution, and climate change we have begun to destroy 71% of our planet—the oceans. We, you and me, need to act now! My friend Simon and I developed a presentation called Save Our Seas, which talks about how we are all connected to the oceans, shows the trouble they are in, and most importantly, demonstrates what kids and teens everywhere can do to help save them. This is our future, and our oceans we are talking about! Kids can make a real and lasting difference even in the seemingly small things we do every day, leading towards a better oceanic future for all of us!

Think O.C.E.A.N. is a key message in the Save Our Seas presentation. We’ve even made it into a card that lists 15 ways YOU can make a difference, starting today. In the spirit of Earth Day and helping to spread the message of ocean action, I thought I’d share them with you and what we mean by Think O.C.E.A.N.

O is for Only eat sustainable seafood. Overfishing, bottom trawling, by-catch, and aquaculture have all become big problems in the oceans today. Scientists estimate that 90% of large, predatory fish like shark, swordfish, and cod, are already gone. By the year 2048, the oceans will be commercially fished out if we keep going at this rate. The best news is fish populations can recover through a joint effort of government, fisherman, and the choices we make. The Monterey Bay Aquarium produces Seafood Watch Pocket Guides. These small cards list fish that are sustainable (good for the environment) and ones that should be avoided (meaning continued practice of fishing or farming these species may be harmful to the fish populations or the environment). Go to the link www.seafoodwatch.org to download your own pocket guide, and while you’re there be sure to get ones for family and friends too!

C is for Conserve: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Trash is a serious danger to

sea life and the environment. Even if you throw a piece of trash somewhere inland, it can eventually make it’s way to the ocean via different water sources. Trash is harmful to marine life, and to marine habitats. There is an almost invisible raft of trash currently floating in the Pacific Ocean. Can you guess how big it is? Larger than the continental United States. That is over 8 million square kilometers of trash, 80% of it coming from land. Luckily, you and I can really help with the trash problem. Start by having a zero waste lunch. Take all of your food and drink in reusable containers to avoid throwing away plastic bags and water bottles. Americans alone throw away 22 billion plastic water bottles each year. Recycle everything you can. Paper, plastic, cans, and bottles are certainly a good start, but you may be surprised at all the other things, like tennis shoes and ink cartridges, that can also be recycled!

E is for Educate you family and friends. That is what I am doing in this blog, and what you can do by telling your friends, family, and many more

about the oceans and what they can do to help. It’s time for a homework assignment. Earth Day is a wonderful holiday, so celebrate by printing out (if possible) Think O.C.E.A.N. cards to hand out to your class! Spreading the word about ocean conservation and all the ways you can help is important in the process of building a better future for the oceans. If you are feeling really fired up , download a copy of the Save Our Seas presentation. The presentation comes with slides, a script, and Think O.C.E.A.N. cards! You can give it to your class, school, scout group, church group, or anyone who will listen!

A is for Act today. This is the heart of the Think O.C.E.A.N. card, and here is where I will list the fifteen things you can do starting right his minute to make a difference.

1. Recycle everything you can
2. Buy reusable water bottle or thermos
3. Use canvas bags instead of plastic grocery bags
4. Ride bikes, the bus, or walk
5. Carpool
6. Change light bulbs to a compact fluorescent bulbs
7. Pick up trash whenever you see it
8. Throw cat poop away instead of flushing it
9. Eat sustainable seafood
10. Try for zero waste lunches: use silverware, cloth napkins, and “wrap-n-mats”
11. Eat organically and locally
12. Turn off lights when you leave a room
13. Turn off the computer when not using it
14. Open a window instead of using air conditioning
15. Spread the word: hand out Seafood Watch pocket guides or give the Save Our Seas presentation.

N is for Now is YOUR chance to make a difference. It may seem like kids have little power sometimes, but this is completely and totally untrue. This is our future, and our oceans, and we can make a difference. There are 41 million kids in the U.S. between the ages of 5 and 14:

• If each of us picked up one piece of trash every day for a year, we would have picked up almost 15 billion pieces of trash.
• If we each have a reusable water bottle it will keep 6.9 billion plastic water bottles from going into landfills.
• If we each go home and change the lightbulb in our rooms from an incandescent light bulb to a compact fluorescent lightbulb, we will save 4.1 billion pounds of carbon dioxide.

These are simple things that each of us can do to make a real difference.

I hope you enjoyed this blog. The actual Save Our Seas presentation has way more  fun facts, quizes, pictures and information to help you understand the importance  of our oceans.   The most important thing to know is that YOU can  help save our oceans everyday.

Enjoy this Earth Day by  going to see Disney’s Oceans (I can hardly wait), handing out Think O.C.E.A.N. cards and/or trying out one the 15 ideas above. Together, we can save our oceans. Happy Earth Day!