Celebrate World Ocean Day
June 8th is Annual World Ocean Day, a global celebration of our blue planet and an opportunity to rally the world for ocean-climate action. Activists, policymakers, youth leaders, and other diverse organizations and businesses are uniting across the planet today, calling for the protection and restoration of our oceans to benefit both nature and people. For OPC, World Ocean Day is a reminder that, in the face of a rapidly changing environment, we must double down on our work to protect California’s coast and ocean – building climate resilience, advancing equity across our policies and actions, enhancing coastal and marine biodiversity, and supporting a sustainable blue economy.
Inspiring the next generation of ocean stewards is key to the success of our work, and OPC’s partnership with California State Parks is an exciting example of this. State Parks, with support from OPC, is actively involved in World Ocean Day (now expanded to World Ocean Week!), engaging audiences through in-person events, live dive programming, and Parks Online Resources for Teachers and Students (PORTS), a free distance learning program. Much of this content has focused on California’s statewide network of 124 marine protected areas (MPAs), and with OPC’s support, State Parks engaged more than nearly 85,000 park visitors and students in 2022 alone! Over the next few years, State Parks will expand their live dive programming to include even more MPAs across the state, bringing our unique and iconic marine habitats directly into the classroom. Just this morning, State Parks divers were live underwater, exploring the majestic kelp forests of Point Lobos State Marine Reserve.
Providing support for projects like PORTS is just one of the ways we work toward ensuring a thriving coast and ocean for all Californians. For OPC, every day is World Ocean Day, especially as we lead efforts to conserve 30% of our state’s coastal waters by 2030 – a goal that California set in 2020 and has now been adopted as a global target. Are you curious to learn more? Want to get involved beyond June 8? Here are a few ways to connect with us:
- Subscribe to OPC email newsletters
- Join us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube
- Attend our Council meetings virtually or in-person
- Read our blogs