In Adventure | By Fogo Island Inn | June 27, 2018
World Oceans Day
Today, Friday, June 8, is World Oceans Day. This global day of awareness is an opportunity to celebrate and honour the oceans that connect us across the globe, and bring attention to the issues affecting the health of our planet. This year’s theme focuses on encouraging solutions to prevent plastic pollution. The communities of Fogo Island will be holding several beach clean-ups across the island tomorrow, as well as a series of family-friendly and youth-focused programming in the spirit of coming together to give attention to these crucial environmental issues.
Beyond this important day, as an island and as an Inn we do everything possible to reduce the amount of plastic in the world and seek to minimize our impact on the environment. Plastic water bottles are a particular plague on our planet. At Fogo Island Inn, we have eliminated the use of plastic water bottles. In our Welcome Package, guests are encouraged to bring their favourite water bottles along for the journey, and the Inn further provides reusable (non-plastic) water bottles for guests’ use during their time on Fogo Island. Island-wide, retail stores have also eliminated the use of plastic shopping bags as of August 1, 2015.
Shorefast’s New Ocean Ethic is a series of initiatives organized around creating a higher fidelity relationship with our oceans, from creating and re-popularizing sustainable fishing methods, to data collection and research on local ecosystems, seabird species, and ocean temperatures and depth. For centuries, Fogo Islanders have lived in concert with the sea—a delicate and tenuous relationship that oscillates between harmony and dissonance, but is ultimately and always defined by reverence. The New Ocean Ethic is led by Gordon Slade, C.M., and helps to remind us that if we are to continue to benefit from our relationship with the sea, we must rethink the way we use its resources and exist responsibly on its shores.
You can learn more about the initiatives of the New Ocean Ethic here.
