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Earth Day 2022 All About Earth Day
Ocean Blue Project
This year marks the 52nd anniversary of Earth Day and Ocean Blue Project’s 10th Birthday!
Earth Day 2022 All About Earth Day – Ocean Blue Project
Our oceans and waterways and the marine life they support are integral to our lives and people are wondering how to stop plastic pollution in the ocean. And they’re being threatened by plastic. We are raising awareness and $100,000 to recover 100,000 pounds of plastic and debris from our one world ocean and you can take part.
So far, our business partners have pledged $60,000 toward our goal! Donors include Earth Breeze, Thibaut, EarthHero, HMTX Industries, Next Level Burger, Woolly Made, and many more as other partners are joining Ocean Blue to reach our goal in collaboration with Earth Day Oregon.
United Nations has declared this the Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, or the “Ocean Decade.” Join our Earth Day campaign in your local community by leading a Cleanup Crew. You’ll be helping our environment and precious ocean ecosystem when you lead your own group of volunteers or donate to support Ocean Blue Project’s mission to recover 1 million pounds of plastic and debris by the middle of the UN Ocean Decade.
Those who donate $50 or more will become annual members of the Ocean Blue Project and get a free reusable water bottle donated by Healthy Human.
And if you contribute on Earth Day, you’ll be entered to choose from prizes generously donated by contributors listed below. Also, give $50 or more and you will receive a reusable Ocean Blue water bottle donated by Healthy Human.
You’ll have a chance to win exciting prizes by giving $100 or more during Earth Week!
You can also opt for an annual corporate donation and join the list of organizations supporting our mission through sponsorships and donations.
And while we have plenty to share about the exciting plans we have in store, it is always important to take a step back and reflect upon the work put in to get us to this point today.
The History of Earth Day
Let us rewind to the 1960s when three pivotal events took place: Rachel Carson’s New York Times bestseller Silent Spring had been published, the Santa Barbara, California oil spill just happened, and less than half a year after the oil fire on the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland, Ohio occurred. These events and many others led people to prioritize the environment, raise awareness, and make their voices heard.
Carson’s masterpiece, Silent Spring, explained the harmful effects chemical pesticides — a large part of agriculture in the United States — had on the planet. She detailed how pesticides such as DDT made their way up the food chain — from killing bugs to birds to even sickening children. This book played a crucial part in raising awareness regarding environmental deterioration.
Both disasters garnered plenty of media coverage, which was uncommon with previous events. People saw first-hand the damage from these environmental disasters from video footage and photographs taken in Santa Barbara of oil-soaked birds, deceased fish, and blackened beaches ridden with oil.
The second incident occurred five months later in Cleveland, Ohio. Cleveland was one of the oil refining centers in the United States, and its waterways were constantly in use. The Cuyahoga River oil fire only lasted for 30 minutes; however, within those 30 minutes, there was plenty of media coverage — even Time magazine covered the disaster.
Who Started Earth Day?
In 1969, with inspiration from the anti-Vietnam War teach-ins, taking place across college campuses in the United States, Senator Gaylord Nelson was one of the leaders to develop Earth Day. He was ready for change. At a conference in Seattle, Nelson spoke about the concept of Earth Day and invited everyone to get involved.
A young activist from Stanford named Denis Hayes had been selected as the national coordinator for Earth Day. Hayes worked alongside student volunteers and staff members from Senator Gaylord Nelson’s cabinet to make Earth Day a success.
Local communities and hundreds of schools fueled by pure passion led to the massive number of participants on the first Earth Day in 1970. Over 20 million people across the United States raised awareness to process our planet.
Earth Day Theme for 2022
Today, Earth Day is celebrated by over 1 billion people in more than 193 countries. The theme for Earth Day 2022 is “Invest in Our Planet.” What would it look like for the Ocean if we all offset our plastic use and invest in a clean world ocean? What if we all give $1 to Ocean Blue for every pound of plastic we use so Ocean Blue can recover a pound for every $1? How much less plastic would that look like for marine wildlife that call the ocean home?
The Relationship Between our Oceans and our Earth
Did you know the ocean covers over 71% of the Earth’s surface?
Take a moment to visualize that.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of Ocean Exploration explains that “the ocean influences weather and climate by storing solar radiation, distributing heat and moisture around the globe, and driving weather systems.”
We would be remiss not to give a special shoutout to a few notable members of our ocean — the plankton and the whales. Whales and phytoplankton contribute to over half of Earth’s oxygen. Over half! How amazing is that?!
As you know, we can talk about the ocean all day. We love our vast, mysterious, salt-water haven, and we want to do all we can to protect and restore it. This Earth Day, and every day, we hope you join us.
Ocean Blue’s Earth Day 2022 Agenda
Now that we’re all caught up to speed, let’s talk about this year’s events. What are our plans for Earth Day 2022? We are glad you asked! We have plenty in store with our partners this year, and we hope you can join us. Below please find our agenda, and let us know if you have any questions, ideas, or partnerships you would like to contribute:
- Newport and Manzanita beach cleanups in Oregon in April
- We’re excited to be joined by our returning annual member, HMTX Industries, this year!
- Lead your own Cleanup Crew and Create a Cleanup from the Ocean Cleanup tab above!
- Earth Breeze is sponsoring a university student-led cleanup by providing materials and samples of their laundry detergent sheets free of plastic packaging and pledging to recover 5,000 pounds of plastic and debris.
- The All At Once initiative partnership with the Johnson Ohana Foundation, where Jack Johnson will be matching donations to Ocean Blue Project up to $2,500 beginning on April 1st
- Donations will be counted with “All at Once” in the Leave a Comment box on our donation form
- #AAOPlasticFree is Jack’s hashtag for All at Once
- More exciting news: Later this year – We will be raising awareness for the plastic ocean crisis and cleanup solutions at Jack Johnson’s upcoming tour in September at Bend and Edgefield.
- Next Level Burger is donating 10% to Ocean Blue for every Good Catch LTO vegan burger sold during Earth Month!
- From April 18th through the 24th, every $1 spent per order from EarthHero contributes to 1 pound of ocean plastic clean up
- Woolly Made is donating a portion of wallet sales (dates to be confirmed)
- HMTX Industries is pledging to the recovery of 500 pounds as a gift to celebrate the 5th year of our partnership.
- We also want to thank Patagonia for donating two incredible platforms that make the behind-the-scenes side of Ocean Blue so much easier through professional and cleanup volunteer support: Catchafire.org and Patagonia Action Works.
- Lastly, Ocean Blue turns 10 on June 8th — World Ocean Day! Stay tuned for more to come on celebrating our Ocean Blue’s 10th Birthday!
Earth Week Prizes
Remember, when you give $100 or more during Earth Week, April 17th through April 23rd, you will be entered to win one of six prizes donated by our generous business partners along the west coast places we love to clean up:
- Caffe Ladro – one of 2 $25 gift cards
- Frankie & Jo’s – 6 pints of plant-based ice cream $84 value
- Museum of Pop Culture – 4 admission passes $112 value
- Willamette Valley Vineyards – Reserve tour and Tasting for up to eight (8) wine enthusiasts $ 240 value
- Polly’s Pies – Pie for a month for a year $180 value
Thank you to our incredible business partners for contributing to our goal and for sharing our vision of a clean world ocean.
National Beach Cleanup Tour 2022
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Let's save our One World Ocean
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922 NW Circle Blvd 160-146 Corvallis, OR 97330 - office@oceanblueproject.org
www.Ocean Blue Project is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit.
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