Protecting Our Oceans
Oceans are home to most of the life on earth. However, harmful human activity has negatively impacted global waterways, resulting in dangerous sea level rise and other devastating consequences. Here are a few of the major challenges:
Ocean Acidification
Oceans absorb a quarter of the carbon dioxide that humans produce, changing the water’s basic chemistry and leading to acidification.
Acidic water:
- Makes it more difficult for mollusks to grow shells, fish to sense predators, and sharks to hunt their prey
- Affects marine ecosystems and the coastal economies that depend on them
- Contributes to coral bleaching
Coral Bleaching
Coral and microscopic algae called zooxanthellae help each other survive. A change in environmental conditions like warming water causes the coral to expel the algae. This turns the coral white, giving it the appearance of being “bleached.” With its main source of food gone, the coral will eventually die.
Coral reefs are havens for marine ecosystems, and also provide protection for human populations from waves, storms, and floods. So when reefs die from coral bleaching, the safety and economies of both fish and coastal communities are threatened.
Pollution and Plastic Waste
About eight million metric tons of plastic waste (single-use grocery bags, water bottles, drinking straws, etc.) enter the ocean each year. These can live on for a thousand years, polluting beaches and oceans, and causing fish, seabirds, sea turtles, and marine mammals to suffocate, starve, or drown from ingestion.
What can we do to protect our oceans?
- Organize a cleanup of a nearby waterway
- Reduce plastic consumption
- Recycle and use re-usable containers
- Use organic gardening practices
- Purchase sustainably grown food whenever possible
- Stop using products that have micro-beads (like facial scrubs, toothpaste, body wash, etc.). Instead, use products that have natural exfoliants, like oatmeal or salt
- Dispose of paint, used oil, chemical cleaners, and other hazardous waste responsibly by contacting your local sanitation or public-works service organization to find out when hazardous-waste collection days are
- Contact your elected officials and let them know you want them to allocate funding to marine-conservation efforts, and that you support legislation that places a tax or ban on plastic-bag use.
BLUE PLANET ALLIANCE EVENTS FOR WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY AND WORLD OCEANS DAY
With Mana Pacific, Peace Boat US, and Other Partners
On June 5 and June 11, Mana Pacific is honored to partner with Blue Planet Alliance, Peace Boat US, the Convergence, and other partners to host a series of public events designed to catalyze action toward protecting the planet and help advance the Alliance’s mission of aiding countries in the transition to 100% Renewable Energy by 2045.
Mana Pacific is proud to be a part of the Blue Planet Alliance and to sponsor the events taking place in New York. World Environment Day (June 5) and UN World Oceans Day (June 8) have become essential dates on the social awareness calendar, leading to World Oceans Week. To support this week and to inspire a public response to the growing climate emergency, we have scheduled a series of global events in New York City, Palau, and Guam.
Below is an overview of the upcoming World Environment Day and World Oceans Day events, all of which are open to the public. They include beach clean-ups, bike rides, workshops, film screenings, youth activism activities, and more.
EVENT 1: CLIMATE CONNECTION
WHAT: A celebratory gathering to bring people together with the intention of highlighting and promoting sustainability-focused initiatives. The event is organized to celebrate a series of occasions: World Environment Day, BPA’s Global Ambassador program, the Ocean Film Festival, World Oceans Week, the launch of The Convergence, the release of TreeGlass Magazine, and much more.
This half-day and evening gathering will feature diverse yet focused programming highlighting United Nations partnerships, organizations, eco-fashion, and artists from around the world. The event program will be segmented into three particular parts — daytime youth segment/talks, panels, networking, and a dinner/evening celebration.
WHEN: Sunday, June 5, 2022 | 4:00 pm – 11:00 pm EDT
WHERE: Selina Chelsea Hotel New York City, 518 West 27th Street, New York, NY 10001
WHO: The public is invited to attend. Click here to sign up. Sponsored by Blue Planet Alliance, Peace Boat US, Mana Pacific, and The Convergence.
EVENT 2: CONEY ISLAND BEACH CLEAN-UP
WHAT: The public is invited to the beach clean-up, yoga, and picnic lunch at Coney Island on Saturday, June 11. Help us preserve the ocean and our beautiful coastline by participating in our community clean-up. This year we are also encouraging participants to bike to the beach if possible, as part of our commitment to wellness and environmental sustainability. There will be two groups cycling; departure locations and times are below.
Participants will also be eligible for special discounts from our partners at Coney Island Boardwalk venues, including the NY Aquarium for entry on June 11.
Following the beach clean-up, yoga instructor Annie Evasick will lead a special yoga and mindfulness session on the beach with Samantha Frick from Mana Pacific, and opening words by Cassia Patel from Oceanic Global. The “Yo Yo Yoga Project” is a collective of yoga instructors and DJs advocating for health and wellness events in the music industry. As a staple at multiple venues and music festivals around the world, their goal is to make health and wellness welcoming, fun, and accessible to everyone!
In the evening, we’ll be organizing a music and art reception to follow and will be sharing more details soon.
WHEN/WHERE: Saturday, June 11, 2022
8am – 10am: Bike Ride to Coney Island
Join us on your bicycle as we ride to the beach for the day from one of the following two locations:
- 8:00 am – Depart from Pollyn, 115 Broadway, Brooklyn
- 9:00 am – Depart from Prospect Park and 15th St. entrance
- 10 am – 12 pm: Beach Clean-up at Coney Island
- 12pm – 2pm: Yoga
Registration begins at 9:45 am on the Coney Island Boardwalk at West 8th Street near the New York Aquarium.
Please bring a towel, water bottle, and lunch for a community picnic.
WHO: The public is invited to attend. Click here to sign up. Sponsored by Blue Planet Alliance, Peace Boat US, The Convergence, and Mana Pacific.
EVENT 3: GLOBAL BEACH CLEAN-UPS
WHAT: Representatives of Blue Planet Alliance’s Global Ambassador program from Palau and Guam will be facilitating these beach clean-ups in their respective communities.
WHEN: Saturday, June 11, 2022
WHERE: TBD
WHO: The public is invited to attend.
EVENT 4: WORLD OCEANS FESTIVAL
WHAT: Brands come together to celebrate and raise money for the oceans through multiple mediums of music, wellness, arts and culture. This event will bring together many amazing nonprofits, creative communities, musicians, artists, and Brooklyn’s diverse culture to support ocean education for the youth. This will be a full day of music from top talents; guest speakers on various ocean initiatives; artists and artisan pop-up markets; and award-winning ocean advocacy films to sum up a total of 12 hours of thoughtful and exciting programming. This will be a World Oceans Week closing celebration.
Funds from the event will be donated toward supporting underserved youth communities participating in educational programs through the “Youth for the SDGs” Scholarship, focusing on the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Youth will be able to join global programs to learn firsthand about ocean and climate action. All donations are tax-exempt with our partner Peace Boat US, a 501(c)3 registered nonprofit organization. Thank you for helping us make a positive difference in the ocean.
For more information about youth programs for sustainability, please visit Peace Boat’s Youth for the SDGs program.
WHEN: Saturday, June 11, 2022, 4 pm to Sunday, June 12, 2022, 4 am
WHERE: Gaia NoMaya, 510 Flatbush Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11225
WHO: The public is invited to attend. Click here to sign up. Sponsored by: Blue Planet Alliance, Peace Boat US, The Convergence, Beespoke Music, BK Style Foundation, Blinded by Color Project, Creative Change, Choose Love Music, Gaia Nomaya, GFX, Global Ocean Exploration, Indrani, Mana Pacific, Meshminds, Naturalia A.C, Oceanic Global, One Ocean Hub, Parties 4 Peace, Qaytu, Rapture, #restorecoral, SDG Academy, Sea Sirens, Selina Hotel, Sima Studios, Solgaard, Sonic Jungle, Sound of the Ocean, The Ocean Defenders, and Yes And.
GLOBAL BEACH CLEANUPS
On June 11, 2022 the Blue Planet Alliance Global Ambassadors in Palau, Guam and New York will join regional partners in a day of global beach cleanups in their communities.
Here are some of the ocean challenges they’re helping to overcome in their regions of the world.
Hawai'i:
“In Hawaiʻi, life revolves around the water. As the Hawai’ian proverb says, Ola i ka wai (“Water is life.”) Our communities are dependent upon the ocean not only for recreation, but also celebrations, gatherings, sustenance, and cultural practices. Clean ocean water is therefore not simply important — it is a necessity.
Unfortunately, increasing development pressures over the last 150 years have resulted in declining water quality across the state. Outdated and failing wastewater infrastructure are major contributors to water pollution. Over 53 million gallons of partially treated sewage leach out of Hawaii’s approximate 88,000 cesspools every day, contaminating our drinking and recreational waters and damaging our coral reef ecosystems…” Click here to learn more.
Palau
“Sea level rise will worsen coastal erosion and salinization of freshwater resources and increase the severity of storm surges, which will be particularly damaging in atoll islands and low-lying areas. All these impacts adversely affect agriculture, fisheries, coastal zones, water resources, health, and ecosystems — and the communities that rely upon them. The cost of inaction is substantial. Investments in disaster proofing and climate resilience cost substantially less than rebuilding after a disaster…” Click here to learn more.
New York
“The Natural Resources Defense Council recently released a report about the nation’s most contaminated beaches. And it lists Coney Island as having the third-most contaminated beach water in New York City. The report found that Coney Island’s water contains high amounts of bacteria, with 5-9 percent of the water samples taken there exceeding the safety threshold…” Click here to learn more.
Guam
Guam has become one of eight countries and territories with Pacific interests to endorse a “Pacific Regional Declaration on the Prevention of Marine Litter and Plastic Pollution and Its Impacts.” The declaration was endorsed by University of Guam President Thomas W. Krise as Guam’s representative in the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme.
The declaration will support a resolution on plastic pollution spearheaded by the governments of Rwanda and Peru that calls for a global and legally binding agreement addressing the life cycle of plastics. The resolution will be presented at the Fifth Session of the United Nations Environment Assembly, taking place Feb. 28 to March 2 in Nairobi, Kenya. The UNEA brings together representatives of the 193 member states of the United Nations to agree on policies to address the world’s most pressing environmental challenges. Click here to learn more.
