World Environment Day & World Oceans day with Starboard Blue

Next week is a big one in the Starboard calendar! June 5th is World Environment Day, followed closely by World Oceans Day on June 8th. If you’re looking for fun ways to make time for the planet next week, you are in the right place!

Environmental action starts with awareness, and next week is the perfect opportunity to put global issues on centre stage. Inspiring more people to get involved and become a part of the solution.

Every year, a theme is chosen for each world action day. For 2024, World Environment day is addressing land restoration, desertification and drought resilience, while the focus for World Oceans Day is catalysing action for our ocean and climate.

Since 1994, we have been catalysing action by helping more people to fall in love with our oceans, rivers and lakes through watersports. And we all know that people who love the outdoors become the best ambassadors protecting it.

But it’s not all about catalysing action but taking action ourselves, from planting mangroves to cleaning beaches every day is an opportunity to leave planet better than we found it.

Today, we want to inspire you! Find out what you can do this week to take on the themes and give back to mother earth.

5 actions you can take for planet this week:

Monday: Restore land – grow a local plant species.

Map of Seasonal European Flowers - From Wimdu

‘Land restoration’ doesn’t only mean looking after the ground, it also concerns what is growing there too. You can help restore land in your local area, by planting a native species of flower. This will support pollinators, complement local biodiversity, and bring back plants which may have been outcompeted by invasive species.

In Morocco, the “MY FOREST, MY LIFE” program has been working to reforest 160,000 hectares with local species of trees, to preserve the important ecosystem which homes 70% of the country’s animal and plant species. The project also serves society with sustainable job opportunities and community-based activities.

(image from WIMDU )

Tuesday: Prevent desertification and promote drought resilience – shop locally and seasonally.

The prime driver of land degradation, such as desertification, is unsustainable food systems. Today, modern farming uses too much water, unnatural growing cycles and harmful chemicals. Shopping locally and seasonally is the best way to prevent the damaging effects of unsustainable farming. Eat local varieties, to minimise food miles and greenhouse emissions. Also, try eating seasonally, to prevent the usage of synthetic fertilisers which damage the soil. Find out how you can eat for the planet here.

This year, Saudi Arabia is hosting World Environment Day and they are leading the way in halting desertification. The Kingdom has started the Saudi Green Initiative to convert 30% of the country’s land into nature reserves and plant 10 billion trees, to tackle the issue which seriously threatens the region.

Wednesday: Protect the ocean – choose the right products.

Plastic pollution isn’t the only way we are damaging our oceans’ health. Right now, the chemicals that we put in the water are also having effects we can’t even see. So alongside avoiding single-use plastics and picking up litter whenever we see it, we should also think about the liquids we expose the sea to. Take a look through your bathroom cabinet this world action week and see if any bad chemicals are lurking in your toiletries!

For example, most sun creams contain a chemical called Oxybenzone, which is fatal to young corals and other marine life. So instead of releasing a toxic chemical when we enter the water with suncream on, you can instead use a less damaging alternative.

It’s essential that we protect corals, as they play an important role in keeping the ocean healthy. In fact, if all the ocean’s coral reefs were lost, then 25% of the global fish population would lose their habitat. This is why they are sometimes referred to as ‘rainforests of the sea’.

Fortunately, numerous organisations are working to preserve the precious reefs, with perhaps the most ambitious being the ‘Mars Big Build’ project. By 2029, they plan to restore 185,000 square metres of coral reef across the world. That’s equivalent to 26 football pitches.

(images from MARS )

Thursday: Action for the climate – consider your own footprint.

Despite the fact that global warming is an issue of atmospheric scale, you can still do things at a ground level to help the issue. In actual fact, it’s the problem which you can do most to help solve.

Being energy-conscious, by turning off lights and using more efficient appliances, can be a part of your everyday life. Today, you can improve your impact even further, by reflecting on your own personal energy usage. To begin reducing your energy consumption, you must first identify where you can make changes.

You can also use a world action day to take a look at all of your favourite brands and companies, do they share their carbon footprint? If they don’t, why not contact them to ask why?

You might be surprised to discover that food and waste contribute major parts to your carbon footprint, which are both things that can easily be reduced. Calculating your own footprint can seem daunting, fortunately, there are many apps which make it simple and can even offer reduction targets and offsetting solutions. Let this week be the time you give it a try!

Friday: Catalyse action – encourage others.

To finish up your week of taking action for the planet, you can inspire others to join you and multiply your positive impact. Start conversations, share knowledge and spread motivation, because the biggest changes come from collective action. Imagine the results if you told every person you know?

This year, the UN have created #GenerationRestoration to unite voices and shout louder about the important efforts being made. At the same time, World Ocean Day organisers have made it simple for you to discover ways of taking action in your community.