The Newport Aquarium celebrated the 30th anniversary of World Ocean’s Day this week, while visitors enjoyed a day filled with education and enrichment.
The aquarium officially launched, “#SharkSummer”, an informative initiative where visitors learn how sharks impact the ecosystem, along with the important role they play in maintaining a healthy ocean.
The Newport Aquarium Resource Conservation Team (Photo by Ashley Irons)
Over the last year, Newport Aquarium’s Resource Conservation team successfully diverted nearly 3,000 pounds of flat plastic and more than 1,300 pounds of Styrofoam from landfills.
The aquarium works to pass that inspiration along to visitors by providing knowledge on simple choices guests can make every day to protect the ocean, like limiting single-use plastics, saying “no” to straws, and bringing reusable bags to the grocery store.
“From composting in Sharky’s Café, river clean-ups, and numerous recycling efforts, we make sure conservation is at the heart of everything we do,” said Rebecca Foster, Newport Aquarium’s Executive Director.
“Our team’s dedication to making a real difference in protecting the ocean and animals is something I find really inspiring.”
Humans are the greatest threat to sharks in the wild, as human impact consequences continue to threaten and pollute the oceans at record high rate. Newport Aquarium wants to change that by valuing conservation as their top priority, on World Oceans Day and every day.
Visitors can learn more about the ocean and get tickets at NewportAquarium.com.
