World Ocean Day
Happy World Ocean Day! We wanted to celebrate by sharing some wonderful ocean facts and highlight some brands that are working their best to ensure that the oceans and the life within them stays healthy for years to come.
The ocean covers over 70% of the planet surface! It powers life within it and on land as well. 50% of the oxygen we breathe is produced in the oceans. It is also home to most of the earth's biodiversity. Humanity and cultures around the world have defined themselves by their relationship with the ocean. Countless cultures rely on it for food, energy, transportation, etc since time immemorial. The time is now to begin to understand our impacts on our oceans and what we can do to minimize those impacts.
90% of large fish populations are significanlty depleted and 50% of coral reefs have been destroyed. Luckily, many of the oceans wonders can be restored and replenished with a little help. We must continue to advocate for the ocean, amplify indigenous voices that have fought for the oceans since time immemorial, and make daily decisions to lessen our impacts.
Luckily, we are not alone. The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) and Ocean Wise are a few of many allies we have. These organizations monitor fish populations, work with fisheries, scientists, and industry leaders to help keep oceans intact. Monitoring helps determine best practices and ensure oceans are fished sustainably. It also aids in educating industy members and consumers alike to make the right decisions when purchasing seafood products.
Open Farm is one of our favorite leaders in the pet food industry taking the right steps to ensure their products are being produced in the most humane, sustainable, and ethical ways possible. They are partnered with Ocean Wise which sets strict standards related to species, method of catch and other criteria aimed at minimizing the environmental impact of fishing associated with their products. They are also partnered with Terracycle in order to remove many of their packaged products from landfills and keep them in the loop, recycling them into new products. To date, they have successfully collected and recycled over 100,000 Open Farm bags and kept them from landfills!
The Honest Kitchen is yet another of our favorites! They exclusively use MSC Certified Fish in their food recipes and treats. This includes wild caught salmon, cod, whitefish, and wolffish. They use fish caught sustainably as well, in line with MSC Certification. Using a variety of fish for their products allows them to have flexibility for seasonality, reducing the quota for any individual fish species and lowering their impact on the oceans and fisheries. As a coastal-based company, they have a deep respect for maintaining balance in the ocean.
West Paw is one of our favorite toy brands! Not only are the fun and functional, but they are sustainable too! Operating out of Bozeman, Montana since 1996 they have been thoughtfully designing their products with the environment in mind. Long lasting toys, making the demand on new ones lower. Not only are they long lasting, but they can essentially be endlessly recycled into new products in the very plant that the new ones are cranked out of. Many of their textiles are made of recycled plastics, polyester, or OEKO-TEX which is manufactured free of harmful chemicals. Not to mention their newest line made with Seaflex, an exclusive blend of reclaimed and recycled ocean-bound plastics and zero-waste Zogoflex material. In collaboration with Oceanworks, they are able to safely and responsibly source these ocean-bound plastics from threatened coastal areas in Central America.
To find out more about these or any other brands, please follow the links in the article. Thank you for reading and keeping our oceans safe, clean, and healthy.
