A WEEK OF PRESERVING OCEANS
Blue Planet Alliance founder Henk Rogers joined BPA Global Ambassadors in New York, Palau, and Guam for a series of global beach cleanups. Visit our Gallery page for more fun event photos.
This past week, people from all over the world came together to recognize World Environment Day (June 5) and World Oceans Day (June 8) for a mid-year block of awareness for the planet. Both days are recognized by the United Nations as critical social awareness days that bring a focus on issues related to the natural world. In addition, World Oceans Week has come to mobilize global NGOs and activists to raise awareness through activities and events related to the planet’s ocean health.
In that spirit, Blue Planet Alliance (BPA) and its partners (Mana Pacific, Peace Boat US, and The Convergence) hosted a number of events in three locales across the globe from June 5 to June 12.
On World Environment Day, many of our partners, activists, and supporters gathered at the Selina Hotel in Chelsea in New York City for a celebratory event that convened like-minded activists and thought leaders with the intention of highlighting and promoting sustainability-focused initiatives. This half-day and evening gathering featured diverse yet focused programming highlighting United Nations partnerships, organizations, eco-fashion, and artists from around the world. The program was segmented into three parts — daytime youth segment/talks, panels, networking, and a dinner/evening celebration. Participants enjoyed film screenings, an immersive sound experience, and Blue Planet Alliance Global Ambassadors from New York City and Palau met for the first time via video conference.
In the days that followed, Blue Planet Alliance took part in various initiatives in New York, including the June 8 “Revitalization: Collective Action for the Ocean” event at the United Nations itself, and an “Evening for the Ocean” in midtown, the latter of which was hosted by Oceanic Global.
The morning of June 11th started with a bike ride from Brooklyn's Prospect Park to Coney Island, a 7-mile ride to the beach. Once there, we connected with partners, including the New York Aquarium, the Alliance for Coney Island, Gaia Nomaya, and Pollyn , and our New York-based BPA Global Ambassadors, all of whom are students at Stuyvesant High School in New York.
Participants joined in a beach clean-up, collecting bottles and bottle caps, cans, cigarette butts, plastic, and paper refuse — all in the shadow of some of Brooklyn's most historic landmarks, like the Wonder Wheel Ferris wheel, the Cyclone roller coaster, and that iconic relic of the Brooklyn skyline, the Parachute Jump.
Following the beach clean-up, yoga instructor Annie Evasick led a yoga and mindfulness session on the beach with our partner Samantha Frick from Mana Pacific, with opening words from Cassia Patel of Oceanic Global. This was part of the "Yo Yo Yoga Project," a collective of yoga instructors and DJs advocating for health and wellness events in the music industry.
That following day, in Palau (with partners Pacific’s Gateway and the Palau Chamber of Commerce) and Guam (with partners Guam Green Growth, the University of Guam, UOG Sea Grant, Guam Coral Reef Initiative, and SEAS Islands Alliance), the BPA global ambassadors there facilitated similar beach cleanups to help protect and preserve the ecosystem and waterways in their local communities.
The week’s events culminated in the World’s Oceans Festival, during which supporters came together to celebrate and raise money for the oceans through multiple mediums of music, wellness, arts, and culture. This event featured many amazing nonprofits, creative communities, musicians, artists, healers, and Brooklyn's diverse and multi-dimensional culture for a great cause to support ocean education for the youth. In total, there were 12 hours of thoughtful and exciting programming.
Funds raised during the event will go to support underserved youth communities participating in educational programs through the "Youth for the SDGs" Scholarship, focusing on the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Thank you to everyone who joined these Blue Planet Alliance-sponsored events, and a huge expression of gratitude to all our partners who helped make them happen. Click here for more information about these events, and enjoy fun World Oceans Week photos on our Gallery page.