So you want to know more about the oceans?

I almost forgot that World Ocean's Day falls on June 8th so I was wondering why my Facebook was flooded with this particular picture:

The picture (ad?) is going viral on my news feed with most of my marine friends sharing it again and again which is pretty good I reckon, because plastic is a horrible pollutant which sticks around for a very long time, endangering many marine creatures and making our oceans a very ugly place to swim, snorkel or dive in. Heck, it even looks bad on tourism brochures. So here's how you can take action to prevent plastic from harming ocean life:

Reduce plastic use. Help stop plastic pollution at its source! As consumers, we each have the power to reduce demand. And if you encourage family and friends to do the same, the more the more good we can do to keep the ocean clean and safe. Here are a few disposable plastic products everyone can reduce in our daily lives:

Plastic water bottles. Invest in a reusable water bottle, and filter water if necessary. Help the ocean and save money; it’s a win-win for you and the blue. Let’s turn the tide against wasteful plastic consumption.

Plastic bags. People use nearly 1 trillion plastic bags each year, and unfortunately, many of those end up ingested by sea turtles that mistake plastic for jellyfish. Remember to bring a reusable bag for food (including vegetables) and other shopping and save a life!

Straws, cups to-go, food containers, and utensils. Bring your own reusable products like mugs when you get coffee and take a pass on the plastic utensils when you get take-out food.

Be aware of packaging. Pay attention to how much incidental plastic that comes with what you buy - your candy, headphones, pens, etc., all come in plastic packaging. Strive to cut down on your daily plastic consumption and reward corporations that package responsibly!

Another marine-related PSA which I thought was more fun was a parody of Gotye's Somebody That I Used To Know by One World One Ocean:

Sporting lyrics such as, "Vibrant murals of coral reefs, joyful creatures embracing the living sea, humpback whales hum soothing symphonies, dreaming of the ocean that we want to know," I can imagine this short animation to be an outreach/awareness tool geared towards secondary school kids (because I know that I would pay attention if this was played during a biology class back in school!). The YouTube page for this video also has fun facts about ocean-related matters from all around the world.

Then there's also this video from Conservation International about how much we owe to the oceans and seas, and why we must act to save them before its too late:

I hope whoever actually comes around here enjoy the videos because I definitely did! And in line with what I've been harping for the past two weeks (in real life), conservation without awareness is nothing. So make do make use of the social media to let more people know why the oceans is important and to stop polluting them with our rubbish.

Happy World Ocean's Day! :)