Making Waves for World Ocean Day

Travel teaches us that we're connected to places far beyond our own communities. This World Ocean Day, our team celebrated by volunteering, learning, and exploring our local waterways.

Travel has the incredible power to broaden our perspective, deepen our understanding of different cultures, and connect us to places and landscapes beyond our own communities. As explorers, we get to experience first hand the natural beauty of the world, and realize that meaningful travel isn’t just about seeing new places, it’s about building a deeper connection to the world around us. But being a global citizen starts at home, and this World Ocean Day, our team took a moment to remember that caring for the environment isn’t limited to the destinations we visit– it’s a mindset we can apply to our local areas, too.

What is World Ocean Day?

Every year, on June 8th, World Ocean Day invites us to recognize the essential role the ocean plays in our lives and the necessity of sustainable practices. It’s called World Ocean Day, not World Oceans Day, to draw attention to the interconnectedness of the world’s water. From tiny freshwater streams to the vastness of the Pacific, World Ocean Day is founded on the belief that there is only one global ocean.

World Ocean Day emphasizes that the ocean doesn’t belong to us, but is a living ecosystem, with its own rights, and that it is our collective responsibility to manage our behaviours in ways that are in the best interest of the ocean, which in turn will provide for humanity and all living beings for generations to come.

Ocean Conservation and Celebration with the Explore Team

This year, the North American Explore team marked the occasion by stepping away from our desks and into our local environments to take part in activities to celebrate and help protect the waterways that connect us all. Check out the ways our team are celebrating from coast to coast.

Toronto

In Toronto, members of our team joined a beach cleanup at Cherry Beach, where we experienced the very real way that small daily choices can have major impacts on our environment. Beyond litter, one of the biggest takeaways was learning that many paper coffee cups can’t be recycled due to their plastic or wax-lined interiors. While they may look recyclable, this coating makes processing difficult, meaning countless cups end up at the dump each year. By switching to a reusable cup, you can make a big impact.

Organized by A Greener Future, a Canadian environmental organization dedicated to litter prevention and environmental stewardship, this cleanup went beyond just picking up garbage, and left a lasting impression on our team. Looking to get involved yourself? A Greener Future hosts a wide range of volunteer opportunities throughout the year, many of which focus on protecting our waterways and shoreline ecosystems.

Following the cleanup, the team continued their day on the water with an evening kayak adventure on the Humber River. Paddling along one of Toronto’s most important urban waterways offered a different perspective on our local environment, and we left feeling more connected to the nature that exists right here at home. It was a great reminder of why conservation efforts matter.

San Diego

Our San Diego-based team also chose kayaking as a way to enjoy their local coastline. Their one-and-a-half-hour kayak trip to view sea caves along the Pacific Ocean coast was a bit of a choppy ride, but well worth it. They learned about geological formations and how natural forces continue to shape the coastline today, as the guide explained the difference between the eroding sandstone cliffs and the more resistant limestone cliffs, which erode much more slowly. They also learned about the deep underwater canyon off the coast, which helps create the conditions that make surfing so popular in San Diego. Along the way, they saw sea lions resting on the rocks and enjoyed exploring the impressive coastal caves.

Halifax

Meanwhile, on Canada’s East Coast, our Halifax-based team celebrated the week leading up to World Ocean Day, Ocean Week, on the waterfront. As one of Canada's largest coastal cities, each year Halifax hosts dozens of activities that bring together community members and ocean advocates to share knowledge, raise awareness, and inspire action around ocean conservation. To cap things off, they headed down to Rainbow Haven for a beach cleanup followed by a quick dip in the Atlantic ocean.

Our team left these experiences reminded that being a good global citizen doesn’t always require grand gestures. Sometimes it’s as simple as volunteering for a few hours, spending time outdoors, and simply being more aware of the effects of our everyday habits.

No matter where we travel, water connects us. The ocean influences weather patterns, supports ecosystems, sustains communities, and connects continents. Whether standing with waves lapping your ankles on the coast of Italy, white water rafting in Costa Rica, or cruising between gorgeous islands in Greece, we’re all linked by one interconnected global ocean. World Ocean Day serves as an important reminder that protecting the planet is a shared responsibility. This June, we encourage everyone to celebrate that connection by getting involved, learning something new, and finding ways to care for the water that sustains us all!