World Ocean Day 2008 is coming up on June 8th. Whether you live along the coastline or inland from the sea, you are connected to the ocean in a number of ways.

As countless individuals do not live along the coast, it is sometimes hard for many to realize their personal connection to the ocean. But there are a myriad of reasons for why we should all celebrate the ocean. After all, the world’s ocean: generates most of the oxygen we breathe, helps to feed us, regulates our climate, cleans the water we drink, offers potential medicinal cures, and provides us with inspiration!

Ever wonder what a green business is? Interested in becoming a green business?

Come join us on Thursday, July 17th at the First Congregational Church from 6:30pm to 8:30pm for a green business ice cream social where local green business leaders will come and speak about how they have benefited from green business and how to get involved.

Anyone who is interested is invited; you do not need to own a business to be involved in making our community greener. Hope to see you there!

The North Pacific Gyre, an area in the Pacific Ocean that has recently been referred to as a plastic soup twice the size of Texas, is a haunting metaphor for a very real environmental catastrophe. Captain Charles Moore, founder of the Algalita Marine Research Foundation, believes that about 100 million tons of flotsam are circulating in the region.

The North Pacific Gyre is a vast expanse of debris that is held in place by underwater currents. It extends from about 500 nautical miles off the California coast, across the northern Pacific, past Hawaii, and nearly to Japan.

Thanks to all who attended our panel discussion on desalination. The public heard from an array of experts including Bill Kocher the Director of the Santa Cruz Water Department,  Shauna Potocky the Visitor Hall and Volunteer Services Manager for the Seymour Marine Discovery Center, Mike Rotkin a member of the Santa Cruz City Council and the City of Santa Cruz/Soquel Creek Water District Desalination Project Committee, Sarah Corbin the Central California Regional Manager for Surfrider Foundation,

Thanks to all who attented the talk by the Algalita Marine Research Foundation. You can download the presentation here (20.3mb ppt). Thanks again to everyone who came, together with SOS we can take on this huge issue of marine debris. Also visit algalita.org.

Oceans need our help now more than ever! Declining fisheries, increasing quantities of marine debris, and oil and toxins polluting near shore waters are just a few of the threats facing our oceans today.  Save Our Shores is holding an Ocean Leadership Conference on March 12-22 for Coastside communities in the Half Moon Bay area!  Participants will learn about current marine conservation issues such as Marine Protected Areas, marine debris, and local coastal watersheds.  Presentations will be given by Bob Breen, Brenda Donald, Dan Temko and other members of the Coastside communities.

The conference will also provide hands-on tools for empowering participants to become advocates for healthy oceans.  After the conference, participants will work with Save Our Shores staff to assess the needs of Coastside communities and then design and implement activities to engage their community in ocean conservation.