Are you in a healthy relationship with the ocean? 5 ways to show the ocean your love

1. Nothing says commitment like real estate. Support efforts to create Marine Protected Areas. We went to the Zoological Society of London’s recent Symposium on High-Seas MPAs and found out how much the world hearts the ocean.  Currently, only 1.17% of the ocean is protected.  In 2002, nations pledged to protect 10% by 2012.  We’d best get moving!  Need inspiration?  Watch this video! Sylvia Earle is on a mission (Mission Blue) to create hope spots large enough to save and restore the ocean.
2. Good things come in NO packaging. When you buy your sweetheart a gift, please pass on the plastic.
3. The way to the heart is through the stomach. When you go out to dinner tonight, consider the impact our food choices have on the oceans.  Show your love by checking out the Monterey Bay Aquarium seafood guide or their cool app.  Cooking at home?  Buy organic.  Pesticides and fertilizers are poisoning the ocean, ending up in the fish consumed by whales, dolphins and us.
4. Cracks in your relationship?  Establish healthy boundaries. As the ice caps melt, the Arctic will be opening up for shipping and offshore oil exploration, which opens up questions about sovereignty and boundaries.  Urge your representatives to embrace a holistic approach to marine spatial planning in the Arctic that encompasses industrial, socio-economic and conservation applications together.  We all want to save the whales, the polar bears, reduce global warming – our policy and management approaches should reflect this interconnectedness.
5. It’s the thought that counts.  Buy less junk, because most of the world’s trade is transported by marine shipping. Practice minimalism: we think that Zen Habits can lead to Zen habitat for whales. Global shipping accounts for huge fractions of CO2 emissions, raises ocean noise levels, and where shipping lanes cross critical habitat for whales, whales lose.  In any healthy long-term relationship, it’s the quality of gifts that matter, not their quantity.

The ocean gives us oxygen, food, water, and regulates our temperature. Doesn’t the ocean deserve something special from us this year? What do you love about the ocean?  This Valentine’s Day, how will you show the ocean that you care?