– by Tina Kelly –
“Wear Blue, Tell Two” is the motto to be followed on June 8th, World Oceans Day – a day to celebrate all things ocean!
Throw on a blue shirt and share with others two reasons to conserve the ocean environment or two tangible actions to take to make it happen. Can’t think of two? Heed the advice of these Shaw Ocean Discovery Centre summer camp graduates!
What do you like to do at the beach?
Eve (10): My family likes to explore and go geo-caching.
Ava (10): We like to look for animals, like shore crabs, and other treasures, including beach glass and shells.
Dylan (6): I enjoy swimming at the beach and making up different games to play. Sometimes I rescue sunflower stars.
Quinn (9): I like to look for animals. Crabs and clams are pretty common and when I find clams they often squirt out water. Sometimes my brother, Dylan, and I find animals that need our help.
Ian (10): I love to walk on the beach looking for cool stuff on the rocks and listening to the relaxing sound of the waves crashing.
What is one reason it’s important to protect the world’s oceans?
Eve (10): Protecting the ocean is also protecting the animals that live there.
Ava (10): A lot of people rely on the ocean for fish to eat.
Dylan (6): Creatures in the ocean are an important part of the world.
Quinn (9): The ocean gives us food and provides us an opportunity to learn.
Ian (10): Without animals, humans can’t survive, so polluting isn’t a great idea.
What is one thing we can do to protect the ocean?
Eve (10): Washing your car on the grass is a better option than on the driveway; if you water on pavement, the water takes the soap and chemicals down the storm drain to the ocean.
Ava (10): Educate yourselves about the ocean with good books like The Big Green Book of the Big Blue Sea (by Helaine Becker).
Dylan (6): Try our best not to litter or put bad chemicals onto the beach or into the ocean.
Quinn (9): It’s important to clean up after your dog and when exploring the beach, remember to place rocks back as you found them because it could be acting as an animal’s home.
Ian (10): There are lots of things we could do but the big one is STOP LITTERING! Garbage slips down the drain and is polluting our waters. So, think again about just leaving it there.
Celebrate World Oceans Day with the Shaw Ocean Discovery Centre, Sunday June 8th, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., in Beacon Park, Sidney. Don’t forget to “Wear Blue, Tell Two!”
Tina Kelly is an Ocean Advocate at the Shaw Ocean Discovery Centre. Visit www.oceandiscovery.ca for more information.
