The Seas the Day initiative encourages and empowers people to take ocean conservation personally. Each month, we feature a new conservation theme with ways to help so come back regularly for more ocean-friendly ideas and tips!Created mainly to support our partner ZAMs (Zoos, Aquariums, and Museums and other visitor-serving organizations involved in our growing network) in their efforts to motivate conservation action with their visitors, Seas the Day is for you to tailor for your own purposes. Please use any of the content verbatim and re-post on your own blog, social media channels, website, newsletter, etc. We have a large database of action tips and related content for you to use. Let us know what’s most helpful and what other types of information and resources we can provide to enhance your efforts to motivate action for the ocean.

Seas the Day in June – Explore the Outdoors!

“If you know wilderness in the way that you know love, you would be unwilling to let it go…. This is the story of our past and it will be the story of our future.” – Terry Tempest Williams

Last month, we talked about creating an ocean-friendly lawn and garden. This month, you can celebrate the start of summer by exploring our blue planet! Turn off the TV and tune in to the outdoor world! Explore the coast or other living waters near you including lakes, rivers, or wetlands. The ocean may be out of sight, but it need not be out of mind. Take the time to celebrate your connection to our ocean and its incredible diversity of life.

Take the more peaceful pace. There’s no better way to relax and to experience the wonders of nature than by immersing yourself in its sights and sounds. Wherever you live there are many ways to get outdoors and enjoy the natural world – take a trip to the beach, enjoy a picnic at your local park, ride your bike, or go for a walk or a hike along a nearby river, lake, or stream. Each of us is a part of the infinite web of life; while you enjoy the outdoors take a moment to think about your connections to the places you explore, and to absorb and enjoy their special qualities.

Explore your route to the sea. Each of us lives in a watershed that eventually connects with the ocean through streams and rivers. Find out about your watershed and then use a map to trace the path to the sea from where you live and take a day to explore some part of it. Learn about the different types of animals and habitats with whom you share your watershed.

Be a responsible vacationer. You can make the world a better place when you travel by educating yourself about your destination and its natural areas and leaving the places you visit in better condition than they were when you arrived. Contribute to the community you visit by letting wildlife enjoy their home in peace, picking up litter that you come across, taking advantage of opportunities to walk or bike instead of driving, and making a donation to a local wildlife conservation program. And re­member to turn off the lights, the AC, and water heater before you leave for vacation! Check out these other ocean-friendly travel tips.