Four things you can do to make a difference this Earth Day!

Happy Earth Day to our awesome Two Oceans Aquarium family! Originally celebrated in the United States in 1970, Earth Day is now a well-known holiday associated with turning one’s electricity off for an hour in honour of the day. But did you know that there are many more (and super easy) ways that you can contribute to saving our planet this Earth Day?

We may be biased, but most of these ideas are ocean-based. After all, Earth is 71% water…

1. Clean up your local beach

Celebrate Earth Day by interrupting the cycle of pollution in our ocean! Plastic is one of the biggest threats to our ocean ecosystems and inhabitants. Not only can plastic entangle or suffocate marine life, but it can also be mistaken as food and ingested by whales, turtles, sharks, fish, and even plankton!

The easiest way to protect and make a difference for these animals is to simply pick up litter along the shore. Why not spend an hour, or even 15 minutes, picking up litter at your nearest beach? Even the smallest actions make a difference! And if you miss your Earth Day cleanup, you can always join our next Trash Bash on 17 May at Lagoon Beach.

2. Visit the Two Oceans Aquarium

What better way to spend Earth Day than marvelling at our planet’s beauty and diversity? A visit to the Aquarium is guaranteed to give you deeper insight into the importance of protecting our ocean and our Earth.

At our heart lies a commitment to conservation and education – by purchasing a ticket to the Aquarium, you’re actually contributing to vital education and conservation work!

3. Make a plastic-free promise

Plastic will continue to saturate our planet as long as there is a demand for it; its negative impact on our environment is worsening by the day. The biggest culprit is single-use plastic – items that are used once before being discarded, like straws or takeaway coffee lids. However, there are numerous alternatives to plastic that don’t have such an impact!

This Earth Day, challenge yourself to cut out single-use plastics for the day (or longer). If you need help coming up with plastic alternatives, check out our blog here.

4. Adopt a turtle hatchling

Our planet is home to thousands of endangered and threatened species, one of which is the loggerhead turtle. Every year, our Turtle Rescue Network rescues hundreds of stranded loggerhead turtle hatchlings that have washed ashore along our coastline. These precious turtles, most weighing less than 50g, are brought to the Turtle Conservation Care for rehabilitation.

With your support, whether through a co-adoption or a full adoption, the team of our Turtle Conservation Centre can give most of these rescued hatchlings a second chance at life in the ocean.

Earth Day is a great opportunity to take a moment and appreciate all that our planet does for us. We only have one planet, and for us and future generations to enjoy it, we can all play a part in protecting it!