Monday 8 June is World Oceans Day.

"The ocean is the heart of our planet, and like your heart pumping blood through your body, the ocean connects all people across our planet," said Alyssa Isakower, World Oceans Day Coordinator. "People come together on World Oceans Day to celebrate that connection, and, now more than ever, also to help solve problems like plastic trash in our ocean." 

Here are some of the scarier facts about plastic pollution in the ocean, according to the World Oceans Day website:

• An estimated 80% of the plastic trash in the ocean comes from people on land – carried out to the ocean by rivers, streams, and the wind;
• Plastic trash chokes and kills animals like sea turtles, whales, and sea birds – animals think they’re food; and
• Plastics floating in the ocean are “sponges” for concentrated toxins.

Our oceans (actually, they are all one big ocean) need our help, and this day is used to help spur people into action. The global campaign is running the Better Bag Challenge where people will promise to avoid disposable plastic bags for at least one year. 

“Ocean plastic pollution has serious health consequences for both animals and people," explained Isakower, “and joining together to reduce the amount of disposable plastics we use is a great step towards shrinking the amount of plastic trash in our seas!"

This ties in nicely to the Rethink The Bag campaign that we support here at the Aquarium, and which visitors can learn all about when they visit us (along with our other environmental campaigns).

Come and spend time at the Aquarium and be inspired by the ocean and the life that calls it home, and learn more about what you can do to help us maintain a healthy planet for future generations.

Here are some other campaigns that we like: