World Oceans Day

Did you know that World Oceans Day was this week (June 8)? The day began as a day celebrating the many ways humans are connected to the sea, and with the looming oil disaster in the Gulf, this year it's more important than ever to appreciate and preserve the earth's waters.

You don’t need to live near the beach to be connected to the ocean. Oceans and coasts affect people’s lives every day, around the world.  According to The Nature Conservancy, here are five reasons we should care about oceans - not just on World Oceans Day but every day!

1. The air we breathe. Oceans are a critical player in the basic elements we need to survive. Ocean plants produce half of the world’s oxygen, then these amazing waters absorb nearly one-third of human-caused carbon dioxide emissions. Oceans also regulate our weather and form the clouds that bring us fresh water.
2. The food on your plate. Besides seafood, oceans are connected to what you eat in many more ways. Ocean ingredients, like algae and kelp, are used in making peanut butter beer, soymilk and frozen foods. Plus, 36 percent of the world’s total fisheries catch each year is ground up into fishmeal and oil to feed farmed fish, chickens and pigs.
3. The items in your medicine cabinet. You’ll find ocean ingredients flowing out of your medicine cabinet in everything from shampoos and cosmetics to medicines that help fight cancer, arthritis, Alzheimer’s, heart disease, viruses and other diseases.
4. Jobs and the economy. One in six jobs in the United States is marine-related and more than $128 billion in GDP annually results from ocean tourism, recreation and living resources. Healthy marine habitats like reefs, barrier islands, mangroves and wetlands help protect coastal communities from the results of hurricanes and storm surges.
5. A shared resource. While many of us enjoy the spectacular recreational activities that oceans offer, for some people oceans are a lifeline for survival. Keeping oceans healthy keeps people healthy, and we each have a personal responsibility to protect our oceans

Show off your photos of the ocean - or any other natural wonder - by entering The Nature Conservancy's fifth-annual photo contest. Details are here, and the winning photograph will be featured in the group's 2012 calendar.