World Oceans Day may be over, but the fun continues!
For nine-year-old Alexa and her mom Cindy, World Oceans Day is a year-round event. She's constantly thinking about oceans, surrounding herself with books and even Nintendo Games about the ocean, and getting up close and personal with fish from the ocean.
She's also deeply involved in ocean conservation, have written letters to ocean supporters and educators worldwide and created her Oceans 4Ever blog with mom to "get everyone interested and involved in loving and saving the ocean every day.”
We had a splashing good time talking to Alexa about her ocean enthusiasm and her plans for World Ocean Day. You'd be surprised what you can learn from a nine-year old (and a smart ocean-loving one at that!) Enjoy!
Hi Alexa! How did your love for the ocean start?
When I was three, I went to Mexico and saw many fish swimming all around me. I wanted to touch them all. Then, when I was six or seven, my dad bought me a game called Endless Ocean for the Nintendo Wii. Somehow, it simply told my mind to love the oceans!
Of course I probably couldn't, but I would sure try from the front of a boat! I can tell the difference between many breeds of sharks, though.
What do you love about the ocean?
I love everything about the ocean. How dolphins can jump into the air, how the manatees swim so slowly, how sharks can regrow a tooth in just one day, how whales' sing under water – there are just so many amazing things about the ocean its creatures.
Why is it important for us to take care of our oceans? What do you do to promote this idea?
Because we should go BLUE. If going green means saving the land, then going blue should mean saving the ocean, and World Oceans Day is all about telling the world that oceans need help, too, and that people should learn about dangers that face them and help to erase those dangers.
I get people interested in the ocean through my blog. I am working on some ways to help save the oceans that any kid can do, and will share them with my blog readers this summer. I hope I can get other kids excited about saving the oceans and their creatures, too!
What do you think of people who own marine life in their homes like people with aquariums?
I think people who own aquariums are lucky! I am working on getting my parents to let me have one in my room. Aquariums can be too awesome to believe (especially for ocean lovers).
Tell me about your Oceans 4Ever blog and why you are doing it.
My mom asked me if I'd like to start a blog about oceans, so that I could get other people into oceans, because they may be able to save them just like I want to. That's why I do it. I think when I found out about whaling and was very upset but felt I couldn't do anything about it, that I really wanted to get as many people and kids interested as I could. O4E is supposed to be fun, entertaining, and serious about oceans and their creatures. It's no joke, except for our funny titles like “Freaky Fish Friday.” We want teachers and parents to be able to use Oceans 4Ever to educate their students and children about the ocean.
Why is it important for World Oceans Day to be recognized by the world?
It's a day to celebrate oceans and everything about them, and also to learn as much as you can about their threats and how you can help, no matter where you live in the world.
What did you do on World Oceans Day?
We wore blue and wrote letters to all of our ocean-loving friends to say thanks for their support and to remind them to help kids learn about oceans whenever they can. Kids are important because some day they will be adults, and then they can help the oceans however they want to.
What can people like you and me do to protect our ocean and also spread awareness that this is an important thing to do?
One simple thing we can all do is use fewer plastic bags! Plastic in the oceans can harm sea turtles and other sea life. Also, recycle as much as possible and NEVER throw trash of any kind into the ocean. We can also learn about sustainable seafood and how to eat seafood in a way that is less harmful to sea creatures. Tell as many people as you can, bring it up over seafood dinners, even make a sign, go outside and hold it up for everyone to see!
What do you think will happen to the future of our oceans? What should happen?
It will probably get better for oceans, once everyone understands better what needs to be done for them and how they can help in simple ways. Oceans should be clean and healthy just like the rest of the planet. Oceans need care, too.
World Oceans Day may be over, but the fun continues! 
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