The Ocean Project, a Rhode Island-based conservation group, on Thursday launched a campaign to coincide with World Oceans Day on 8 June.
The Wear Blue and Tell Two campaign encourages people worldwide to wear a blue clothing item on Monday and to tell people two things they may not know about the oceans. The campaign is designed to raise awareness of the sustainable seafood movement.
As part of the campaign, aquariums, zoos, museums and other conservation groups will reach out to visitors with facts and tips on choosing sustainable seafood and calculating carbon footprints.
Wear Blue and Tell Two was inspired by a recent survey that found Americans’ knowledge of the oceans to be minimal.
The study “shows that Americans possess significantly greater knowledge about casino gambling and video games than about our oceans. Clearly, we need to see a greater emphasis on environmental and ocean literacy,” said Bill Mott, director of the Ocean Project.
“The good news is that once informed about the problems, we also see in the survey results confirmation that we are a ‘can do’ country, with people wanting to help, wanting to be part of the solution,” he added. “And aquariums, zoos and museums are in an excellent position to help everyone to do just that.”
World Oceans Day was proposed at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio di Janeiro, Brazil, but this is the first year the United Nations has officially designated it on the calendar.
