holiday

As Father’s Day quickly approaches, we can easily get caught up trying to find the perfect gift to show dad how much we care. At the NOAA Marine Debris Program, we got to thinking about the memories and traditions we treasure with our dads, and as parents, which mean so much more than something that comes wrapped in a box. Instead of focusing on gifts, our team is taking this time to share our meaningful and sustainable family experiences that help us reduce waste, protect the planet, and celebrate the day!

World Ocean Day is just around the corner! At the NOAA Marine Debris Program (MDP), we are taking this time to think about the ocean and all the ways it helps us. From the oxygen we breathe, to the food we depend on, a place to play, and even jobs, the ocean gives us a lot. Unfortunately, we also add things to the ocean that don’t belong there, such as plastic bottles, cigarette butts, and even fishing gear. 

The MDP is proud to have partners around the country that help us take on marine debris and give back to our ocean. Our team picked out this list of partner projects that make us feel positive, and fuel our ‘ocean optimism!’

April showers bring May flowers… and Mother’s Day! This year, in addition to celebrating mom and all the wonderful women in your life, let’s also share a little love with Mother Earth by reducing waste and the potential for creating marine debris. Here are some ways you can shower any mother with love...

Setting off and enjoying fireworks to celebrate the Fourth of July is a beloved pastime. During this holiday, the skies light up in brilliant colors and designs, leaving us mesmerized and in awe. Whether lighting up sparklers at home or watching a large colorful aerial production, all fireworks leave behind more than memories, they also result in trash. 

Do you know what can dampen a perfectly good Father’s Day barbecue more than a rogue thunderstorm? That thunderstorm causing single-use disposables to be washed into our environment! This Father’s Day, as you’re celebrating the important father-figures in your life, ditch the disposables and other potential contributors to marine debris.

Happy World Ocean Day! Today is a day to stop and think about our ocean, how it helps us (so many ways!), and what we can do to make sure it stays healthy. This year’s theme is plastic pollution. Unfortunately, our ocean faces many threats, one of which is marine debris. Marine debris is a major issue that impacts our ocean and consequently, impacts us.

Learn more about plastic pollution– the most prevalent form of marine debris– and how we can work together to keep our ocean plastic-free.

Mother’s Day is almost here and is a great opportunity to celebrate one of the important mothers in all of our lives: Mother Earth. Take some time this weekend to celebrate all that Mother Earth has given us and show her some love. All mothers love a do-it-yourself or hand-made gift, so take some small actions to show her you care. Follow the 4Rs and refuse a straw in your drink when you go out for Mother’s Day brunch; reduce your use of single-use items by bringing your own bag to the grocery store when you’re shopping for ingredients to make mom breakfast in bed; treat your mom to a coffee in a reusable mug; and recycle (or better yet, upcycle or reuse!) the cardboard coupons your mom turns in for ‘one free hug.’

Earth Day is right around the corner! This year, it falls on this coming Sunday, April 22nd. Celebrate by taking the opportunity to join in the fight against marine debris and prevent trash from entering our ocean, waterways, and Great Lakes. There are lots of cleanup events happening on and around Earth Day; make sure you’re prepared by knowing what cleanups are happening in your area. We’ve put together a list of cleanups happening throughout the country to get you started. Don’t see a cleanup close to you? Start one yourself! Gather some friends, clean up your local community (please remember, safety first), and use the Marine Debris Tracker App to record what you find!

It’s Valentine’s Day, so take some time today to show our ocean some love. We get a lot from the ocean—food, travel, even clean air to breathe— so return the love by thinking about how you can help protect it from marine debris. Consider how you might contribute to the marine debris problem and think about changes you could make to help. Do you bring reusable bags to the grocery store? Do you drink out of a reusable bottle at work? Do you follow your municipality’s recycling regulations for items you can’t reuse? Following the 4R’s (reduce, reuse, recycle, refuse!) whenever you can makes a big difference for our ocean.

By: Caitlin Wessel, Gulf of Mexico Regional Coordinator for the NOAA Marine Debris Program

Mardi Gras is a fun occasion for many cities across the South, from New Orleans to Alabama. Bead necklaces and other items like moon pies, cups, and cheap toys are a Mardi Gras staple and are thrown to excited crowds lining the streets during parades that begin six weeks before Fat Tuesday. Unfortunately, many of these items are abandoned on the street and can easily wash down street drains and end up in streams, rivers, and eventually the Gulf of Mexico. Learn how our partners are working to reduce the environmental impacts of Mardi Gras while keeping the Mardi Gras spirit alive and well!