In a week’s time, on June 8th, the world will celebrate the Ocean in all its richness and beauty, and everything it provides to humankind but which we take for granted. Will you be joining in bringing much-needed attention to the Ocean? Here is why we believe that your science engagement activities can and should make a difference.

The Ocean is planet Earth’s life support system and fulfils essential climate regulating functions whose balance needs to be maintained. Take the Ocean plants for instance: they alone are responsible for producing half of the world’s oxygen and store 50 times more carbon dioxide than our atmosphere. The Ocean is a treasure trove providing a plethora of ecosystem services, such as freshwater, food, and medicine, around the clock.

And yet, to a large extent, we remain unaware of the ocean’s influence on us and our influence on the ocean. Developing a sustainable relationship with the Ocean is an important first step on the road to the kind of ocean-responsible behavior that is needed in order maintain this fragile ecosystem healthy and contribute to our own well-being in the process.

Have you been looking for a suitable platform to run your marine-related engagement events? Look no further! The official theme for the 2017 edition of the World Oceans Day is “Our Oceans, Our Future”. This year, the coordinators of this international thematic day focus on conservation, especially the development of solutions to plastic pollution and the prevention of marine litter. They propose a rich database of ready-to-use resources, promotional materials, and activities and ideas for your own inland or seaside event.

The Sea Change project has also prepared a handy activity guide specifically for this day and a series of ready-to-print fact cards which can spark a conversation about the Ocean at any event. An overview of our resources on the Ocean, marine pollution, health and well-being is available here.

Are you already thinking about organising an event? Don’t forget to register it on the World Oceans Day website, and tell us about it so that we might share your insights with the Ecsite community!