Make A Difference - 10 Ways to Join World Ocean Day 2022

June 7, 2022

World Ocean Day 2022is just around the corner, and we want to equip you to join the global movement to protect and preserve our ocean home. On June 8th, ocean lovers around the world will unite to make a statement and invoke change within their communities to save the world’s aquatic ecosystems. The World Ocean Day global movement will continue its message from last year by announcing that the 2022 Conservation Action Theme is to "protect at least 30% of our blue planet by 2030."

There are many ways you can help out and be involved this year, from simply spreading your love of the aquatic world by introducing your friends and family to your favorite diving activities to going out into your community and taking action. Here at SSI, we strive to be eco-conscious in all our endeavors and have compiled this list of some of the top things you can do to create real change for our oceans this year.

Check Out SSI’s Top Ways to Join World Ocean Day 2022

1. Write to Your Leaders.

One of the most direct and impactful things you can do to help our oceans is to send a letter to your nation’s leaders calling attention to the state of the ocean. You can research who your local representatives are yourself or use pre-created letters from organizations, likethis World Ocean Day letter to your nation’s leaders. Simply sign and send online!

2. Plan a World Ocean Day Event.

Make a splash in your community by planning an event to celebrate World Ocean Day 2022. Hosting an event allows you to not only give your friends, family, and community members something to do to help our oceans on World Ocean Day, but it also draws attention to the challenges our aquatic resources face and ways we can help.

  • If you live near an ocean or large body of water, consider hosting an underwater and/or beach cleanup.
  • If you are stuck inland, you can still host a cleanup at a local park or national forest.

3. Speak Up and Speak Out.

Social media has become the cornerstone of our daily lives in many ways. Why not use your social media accounts as a platform for calling attention to ocean conservation and encouraging change?

Link up with other ocean conservation organizations by re-posting their content or tagging them in your own. You can also use popular hashtags associated with World Ocean Day 2022, such as:

#30x30

#WorldOceanDay

#OceanClimateAction

Make sure you tag SSI with @ssi_international and @blueoceansprogram.

4. Join the SSI Blue Oceans Community.

Blue Oceans, powered by SSI, is a free program that helps divers and SSI Training Centers further ocean conservation and make a lasting difference.

SSI’s Blue Oceans initiative provides the perfect starting point for divers, dive centers, and even non-divers to learn about and incorporate ocean conservation in their daily lives.

Learn what Blue Oceans is doing to educate training centers and dive enthusiasts by watching the Blue Oceans film:

BE PART OF THE SOLUTION - WATCH THE SSI BLUE OCEANS FILM HERE.

5. Reduce Your Plastic Use.

Single-use plastic is one of the worst contributors to plastic trash on our planet today. The quickest way to greatly reduce your plastic waste is to replace as many of the single-use plastic items you use in your daily life. Get started on World Ocean Day 2022.

By being plastic-minded, you can have a significant positive impact on the world’s oceans.

Reducing your consumption of single-use plastic benefits our oceans in more ways than one. Not only will you be reducing the plastic trash that gets into the ocean and affects marine life, but you are also creating less demand for single-use plastics in the first place.

Switch out these single-use plastics:Straws, grocery bags, water bottles, and toothbrushes.

6. Use Reef Safe Sunscreen.

Reef Safe sunscreen may be a new concept within the last decade, but it is catching on quickly within the ocean-minded community and is helping to protect coral reefs.

Typically, most sunscreens useoxybenzone and octinoxate as their UV-blocking agent. These chemicals can cause coral bleaching and are unhealthy for marine life.

Laws have already been passed in some areas like Hawaii and the city of Key West in the Florida Keys to ban the use of non-reef safe sunscreens.

Reef-safe or reef-friendly sunscreens are usually zinc-based and do not harm corals, so make sure you stock up on these sunscreens before heading to the tropics.

Sunscreen tip:Purchase reef-safe sunscreen made of zinc oxide or titanium dioxide.

7. Take an SSI Environmental Specialty Program.

SSI currently offers six informative Ecology Specialty programs to help you become an ocean ecology and conservation expert. These programs are the perfect way to enhance your dive experience by learning about different marine life, how ocean ecosystems function, and how to dive safely with sharks, rays, and more!

Any snorkeler aged ten and up can join these SSI Ecology courses, with optional open water sessions. Plus, you can complete all programs online in the comfort of your own home.

LEARN MORE ABOUTSSI’S ECOLOGY COURSES HEREAND SIGN UP TODAY!

8. Be Water-Wise.

Planet Earth already contains all the water it will ever have, so we must treat it carefully. No new water is or can be created.

It is all connected and circulates around the planet thanks to the water cycle. To be ‘water-wise,’ make sure you are continually aware of the water you use and how you treat it.

Here is how to reduce your water use:

  • Turn off the water when it is not in use.
  • Take shorter showers.
  • Install high-efficiency (water-saving) faucets in your house.
  • Place water buckets in your garden to collect rainwater for your plants.

Here is how to increase water quality by watching what you put into it:

  • Use non-toxic cleaning products, low-phosphate detergents, and biodegradable soap, shampoo, and conditioner.
  • Use natural, non-toxic fertilizer in your garden.
  • Check your car regularly for leaks.
  • Use non-toxic car cleaning soap when washing your car at home.

9. Eat Sustainably.

By eating sustainably caught seafood and responsibly grown meat, you can help to protect our oceans and land-based environments – not just on World Ocean Day 2022, but every day!

You will be limiting what we are taking out of the ocean and reducing the land needed to produce food products. It’s as simple and effective as that.

How to eat sustainably:

  • Go meat-free once a week.
  • Shop off of the sustainable seafood guide.
  • Eat land-based foods grown without toxic fertilizer.
  • Buy meat from small, sustainable farms.
  • Choose to eat locally and organically whenever possible.

10. Become an Eco-Diver

An eco-diver is anyone interested in taking extra steps to protect our oceans and other aquatic resources with lifestyle choices that help protect the environment.

Ensuring that this planet will be filled with healthy dive sites for years to come depends on the actions we take as divers now.

Become an eco-diver by following all of the steps listed here and research more on your own. Become a positive and proactive ocean ambassador to help conserve the oceans for your family and future generations to come!

LEARN ALL THE WAYS YOU CAN BECOME AN ECO-DIVER HERE.

Whether you choose to join World Ocean Daythis year by selecting one of these ways to help conserve our oceans, or all 10, you will be taking one step forward in the fight to protect at least 30% of our blue planet by 2030.

Join us on social mediaon June 8th and let us know what you are doing forWorld Ocean Day 2022!