~ World Ocean Day ~

Today (ok...I am a little bit late, sorry) is the first official World Ocean Day! According to Wikipedia,

World Oceans Day was officially declared by the United Nations as June 8th each year beginning in 2009.^[1] The concept was proposed on 8 June 1992 by Canada at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and it had been unofficially celebrated every year since then as World Ocean Day.^[2]

On the first World Oceans Day the Secretary-General of the United Nations gave the following message:

The first observance of World Oceans Day allows us to highlight the many ways in which oceans contribute to society. It is also an opportunity to recognize the considerable challenges we face in maintaining their capacity to regulate the global climate, supply essential ecosystem services and provide sustainable livelihoods and safe recreation.

Indeed, human activities are taking a terrible toll on the world’s oceans and seas. Vulnerable marine ecosystems, such as corals, and important fisheries are being damaged by over-exploitation, illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, destructive fishing practices, invasive alien species and marine pollution, especially from land-based sources. Increased sea temperatures, sea-level rise and ocean acidification caused by climate change pose a further threat to marine life, coastal and island communities and national economies.

Oceans are also affected by criminal activity. Piracy and armed robbery against ships threaten the lives of seafarers and the safety of international shipping, which transports 90 per cent of the world’s goods. Smuggling of illegal drugs and the trafficking of persons by sea are further examples of how criminal activities threaten lives and the peace and security of the oceans.

Several international instruments drawn up under the auspices of the United Nations address these numerous challenges. At their centre lies the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. It provides the legal framework within which all activities in the oceans and seas must be carried out, and is the basis for international cooperation at all levels. In addition to aiming at universal participation, the world must do more to implement this Convention and to uphold the rule of law on the seas and oceans.

So, I just want to take this opportunity to share with you how I conserve water and resources in my life to minimize my carbon footprint. I think I mentioned some of these for Earth Day already.

• My family has a lot of fish tanks. Every time we change water, we don't just drain it in the sink. We use it to water our garden.
• We save egg shells, peanut shells and other organic food byproducts, powder them and use them as fertilizer.
  
• I take short showers.
  
• When I wash my hands, I turn off the faucet when I am lathering up with soap.
• I reuse and recycle as much as I can. Check out my posts about things my dad and I have reused.
• I don't print anything I don't absolutely need.
• I used to only carry a small purse. But, now, I carry a big purse. So, if I need to buy anything (except groceries), I can just stick it in my purse and tell them to save the plastic bags.
• I don't use pee pads for Momo. I use newspaper.
• I work 8 miles away from home. I like to minimize the amount I have to drive.
• I turn off all the lights when I am the last one to leave my office.
  
• I reuse bubble mailers for my Etsy shop.

What did you do for our oceans lately?