Congratulations to all who participated in World Oceans Day 2009, the biggest celebration ever of our world’s ocean! This year over 230 organizations and institutions organized events worldwide, with more than 70 in the US alone, including the public aquariums and national NGOs. From a Presidential proclamation and lighting of the Empire State building in blue, to thousands of volunteers participating in beach clean-ups, many people celebrated the ocean and participated in ocean stewardship.

The concept of a “World Ocean Day” was first proposed in 1992. What started as an idea has now grown into an officially designated day, recognized by the United Nations and celebrated by countless individuals all around the world. This day, June 8th, and its message of ocean education and conservation will continue to grow in popularity as word spreads on the importance of our oceans to all of us, no matter where we live.

As you may know, The Ocean Project launched a Wear Blue and Tell Two campaign this year. We urged our Partner ZAMs and other friends in the wider ocean conservation community to start to associate the color blue with World Oceans Day each year. The idea linking with the “tell two” is to multiply our reach by telling people two interesting facts about the ocean and easy ways one can take personal action to help.

The Ocean Project would like to thank everybody who participated in World Oceans Day 2009 and we hope you will continue your commitment to celebrating World Oceans Day in the future — it is not too early to start planning for June 8, 2010. Let us know your ideas!