RESEND - Update from Kate - Celebrating World Oceans Day, June 8, and Urging Immediate Action

Update from Kate

Celebrating World Oceans Day, June 8, and Urging Immediate Local Action

We live in a time of increasing concern about the environment and our future. Changes in our environment - melting of Antarctic ice shelves, extreme storms, intense heat waves - are all outpacing scientists' predictions. The Trump Administration is committed to making matters worse, not better. All of this heightens the importance of all of us acting together and as individuals to make a difference.

We will continue to push forward our efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, move to a zero carbon economy, and plan how to adapt to sea level rise. But we must also turn attention to our oceans.

This week the Board of Supervisors approved a resolution proclaiming World Oceans Day on June 8, 2017 and urging immediate local action. The full text of the Resolution is attached. To set the stage for the resolution, we watched a video made by an eleven year old child with a remarkable ocean protection message.

The resolution describes the destructive impacts of ocean warming, increased seawater acidity, and extensive pollution from plastic waste, effluent and runoff. Our oceans are in crisis and it is becoming increasingly urgent that we take action, for if we protect the oceans, we protect ourselves.

The impacts are evident right here in San Francisco Bay, where a estimated 5 million microplastic particles are discharged from waste water treatment facilities each day, and leopard sharks are dying due to a rise in fungus likely resulting from treatment plant releases in south bay waters.

The conservation action focus of World Oceans Day is on plastic pollution prevention and youth engagement to raise awareness about how to protect our oceans. Here are ways you can take action and make a difference:

• Prevent litter being swept into the bay. Attend a litter busting meeting in your city/town by contacting the Clean Marin Coalition and join the "Adopt a Spot" movement in your neighborhood to clean up the streets where you live.
• Reduce the use of single-use plastics. Check out Beth Terry's easy step-by-step approach at My Plastic Free Life here with her top 100 steps to get started. Try a few at a time.
• Walk more, drive less and take transit. Get healthy walking in your Marin County Parks and take your friends, families and visitors for a ride on Marin Transit's Route 66 – the Muir Woods Shuttle.
• Shift to a plant-based diet. Here's a helpful site to get you started, including a 21 day kick start if you decide to go vegan.
• Support local, state and national environmental organizations that protect our oceans, species and habitat, such as All One Ocean or Shark Stewards, both started by local people, and research organizations like Point Blue Conservation Science and the Romberg-Tiburon Center.

There are many more actions in addition to these. If you have a favorite, please send your ideas to me at ksears@marincounty.org. Thank you for taking action to protect our magnificent ocean, bay and creeks.