Celebrate the First Annual World Oceans Day

When I wrote the post yesterday on the fallen Air France plane and the trashed oceans, I did not (consciously) realize that today is the first annual World Oceans Day.



Odd coincidence, psychic inspiration or memory not consciously registered--can't say for certain. I can say for certain it is time the people of this world begin to care about our environment, as well as about issues of human rights, civil rights, and on and on.



It is time to force the governments and businesses of the world to take appropriate actions to cease to pollute and to begin to behave appropriately in these regards,



to take personal responsibility to minimize individual impact upon this beautiful world we have been blessed to share with so many wonderful species of plants and animals, to protect the soil that sustains, the water that makes life possible, and the air necessary for our survival.





Some suggestion to help heal our waters:

--Be educated and aware about what causes the depletion of water quality, both locally and globally.



--Use only biodegradable, non-toxic cleaners, fertilizers, etc.

--Get active locally to stop your community's use of toxic fertilizers (phosphate fertilizers are among the greatest causes of toxic algae blooms in our waters), pesticides, and dumping of untreated sewage.

--Properly dispose of pharmaceuticals. Recent studies have shown some drugs are causing hormonal imbalances and infertility in fish and other marine life.



--Conscienscious consumption. Consider how you spend your money, and how your spending habits influence producers. If everyone stops buying toxic and environmentally damaging products, producers will respond.



--Contact your legislators regarding legislation that effects the environment, water, soil, air, etc. If they hear from enough of their constituents on any particular issue, they will respond. Those f%$&ers want to get reelected!!



--Buy organic! Though not all organic food producers are perfect in regards to their interactions with the environment, said modes of production do not encorporate the most serious toxins used by conventional production, and generally are less depleting to soil, etc.





--(Again) Be aware!!! Educate yoursef and your friends and relatives regarding the issues effecting water quality.



--Reduce your use of plastics, and be careful to safely dispose of plastic bags, bottles, and other household toxins such as batteries, etc. Most cities of any size have battery and other toxic waste stations where you can appropriately dispose of tsuch poisons (but don't just take that for granted, try to find out what your community does with such shit).



--If you fish, don't use lead weights or tackle, and be careful to retrieve lost fishing line, and do your best to pick up the trash, loose fishing line, etc., that others leave behind.

--Be considerate of sensative wildlife when you are on the beach, etc.

--Pick up a piece of trash or two every day. If everybody stopped to pick up one or two plastic bags snagged on a tree or bush or fence every day or so, these soaring menaces would not make it into the water, and would not end up contributing to the swirling toxic deadly soup that too often ends up floating in the ocean and choking and poisoning birds and turtles and otherwise depleting fisheries. Participate in or organize community cleanups.



--Be conscientious in your seafood consumption. Find out where your seafood comes from, and what species are maintaining healthy populations before you decide what to eat--eat only those species that are not in any danger of overfishing, and that are taken by means that do not harm other ocean species.



--Find out what toxins are being locally, regionally and otherwise dumped into our waters, and contact legislators, local officials and regulatory commissions such as the EPA to stop the poisoning of rivers, lakes and the ocean.