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Our first World Ocean’s Day on June 8 came and went so quickly that it was just over the weekend when I remember thinking to myself; I wonder if anyone actually gives a damn? I mean, we do of course, here at Planet Green, we suspect you, and our readers do, but what about the rest of the world? Our government leaders and officials? I was, if I’m going to be honest, a bit cynical.
Obama’s Ocean Policy
That was until yesterday when I found out the big cheese, our President Barack Obama, declared June “National Oceans Month” and announced a soon-to-be-crafted, first-ever national ocean policy that will sustainably manage our country’s oceans.
My jaw dropped. Someone’s actually listening, and he just so happens to be our nation’s leader.
To make it happen, Obama has set up an Ocean Policy Task Force led by Nancy Sutley, his main environmental policy advisor, and joined by other senior policy-level officials who will draft plans and recommendations for responsibly tapping into the resources the US oceans, coasts and Great Lakes have to offer.
Sarah Chasis from the Natural Resources Defense Council agrees that the policy couldn’t come at a better time, especially for a country that has the world’s largest ocean area. She’s quoted saying,
There's increasing recognition of the problems of the ocean. It's three-quarters of our planet; it's something we depend on for the air we breathe, the food we eat, for jobs, recreation. There's more scientific understanding of the ocean: it's becoming more acidic with global warming and countries are beginning to understand the seriousness of the threat. This action by the president is a step in the right direction for the US.
Hear, hear!
Citizen Sea Change: How We Can Help
But as Brian mentions reminds us over on TreeHugger, the new policy is still in its infancy, subject to vague uncertainties like most other new, national policies. And while I’d like to consider our new President a superhero of sorts, leading us into a new, green era, it would be delusion to think he could carry the torch alone. He after all, asked us, the people, to believe in our ability to “bring about real change in Washington” in his call for action.
And that’s exactly why I’ll be writing our dear President a letter, thanking him for taking a bold leap into saving our big, blue mysterious waters—a place where administrations before had never dared to go. This way, if bureaucracy or shady interests get in the way of the new policy’s ability to actually get some real work done, I’ll know at least, I did my good citizen responsibility of lending my voice and doing what I could to help make our precious oceans a priority.
Care to join me?
Contact the White House
E-mail President Obama a letter of support using the online submission form over at whitehouse.gov or do it the old fashioned way by snail mailing to:
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
Note: Going the e-mail route will help save paper (and thus the trees).
Want to make letter writing even livelier? Invite a friend or loved one over to co-write a note together, or write your own but use eachother as sounding boards.
More on Ocean Protection:
Dive Into Summer With Planet Green's Blue August
What's Your Oceans IQ? (Quiz)
Help Stop the Tidal Wave of Trash
Got a tip or a post idea for us to write about on Planet Green? Email pgtips (at) treehugger (dot) com.
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