8 June each year is World Ocean Day, an annual event that highlights the ocean’s plight and calls for united action and collaboration in ocean health stewardship. This year, more than 2,000 organizations in more than 150 countries (including PADI and the PADI AWARE Foundation) united to support World Ocean Day’s message and mission. It is clear that accelerating cooperation and momentum for constructive steps is supremely important. PADI Members did a lot on World Ocean Day – hosting multiple events and wrapping ocean conservation into PADI courses, and carrying out PADI AWARE events like Dive Again Debris cleanups.
It’s important to reflect on and renew our ongoing commitments as Ocean Torchbearers to act for a sustainable ocean future. There’s a lot to do as we bring about positive change – a better future – through focused and united efforts. My question to you is: What are you planning to do in 2024-2025? There are some tangible tools to help answer this question. You could:
- Adopt one or more dive sites in Adopt the Blue.
- Integrate PADI AWARE courses into your continuing education schedule.
- Host diver-citizen science through Dive Against Debris and similar events.
- Apply for a PADI AWARE Foundation Community Grant and take on an initiative supporting the Blueprint for Ocean Action.
- Sponsor local community conservation action and education as a Mission Hub.
- Apply for and qualify as a PADI Eco Center status for your dive operation.
- Sign the Global Plastics Treaty Petition and encourage your divers to do so.
- Ask your friends and other divers to take the Save the Ocean Pledge and join us in taking action.
Every bit helps, and as we integrate sustainability and forward-thinking into our daily personal and working lives, positive change happens. At times it seems small – avoiding the single-use plastic bottle, turning the boat around to get the plastic bag that blew overboard, thinking about the food we choose to eat (where it was sourced, etc.), and using less energy – however, when we engage billions of people to do the same things on a consistent, ongoing basis, these kind of choices scale up into significant and effective changes for the better.
Sincerely,
Drew Richardson
President & CEO
