Category Archives: Ocean Events

‘Deep Blue’ for Science Week 2020

What an exciting opportunity we have this year with Science Week.  The theme for the yearly program is dedicated to something Ocean Life Education is extremely passionate about.

Deep Blue: innovations for the future of our oceans

In case you’re wondering what exactly that means, don’t be shy – read on.

Science Week is celebrated throughout Australia annually, this year falling upon the 15 – 23 August.  It is a way to embrace science and technology, whether you are a school student, a builder or a scientist – all are invited to jump in and get involved by taking part in over 1000 scientific events held nationally. Science Week is for everyone, and each of the activities are designed to address and excite all ages. But what is the end goal for such programs and interactive activities?

Here at Ocean Life Education, we endeavour to enhance and spark interest in scientific pursuits for the future.

Science week has delivered a powerful format this year and we are looking forward to joining the celebration by offering a program discussing advancing innovations such as aquaculture and clean energy.

The Australian Science Teachers Association has a great resource book of ideas.

Here’s a look at what this year’s theme will be covering …

Aquaculture is the controlled process of cultivating aquatic organisms, especially for human consumption. With billions of mouths to feed in our ever-populating world, the earth’s wild fish and marine life, cannot possibly sustain us, therefore it’s vital to research viable aquaculture systems.

Water is a very powerful element.  Investigating how we can harness the power of our oceans to generate electricity is a vital step to attaining clean energy as a solution for reducing our impact on climate change and eliminate carbon pollution. Although the use of water to generate electricity is not new; we are now looking to the power of seawater to do the same.

What we need is brilliant young minds to come up with engineering solutions to make this possible and affordable. Will that be you?

Get in touch

info@oceanlifeeducation.com.au

07 5443 8545

An Ocean Friendly Christmas

Ok, so you’ve reduced, reused, recycled this year; said “no” to plastic straws; diligently dragged cloth shopping bags to the checkout for your groceries, and generally tried to be an environmentally sensitive global citizen…

But with the Christmas season upon us, do all our good intentions disappear under a feast of festive food and generosity of gift giving?  Is it possible to still revel in this time of goodwill and excess while still caring for our impact on the planet?

The answer is a resounding “yes” – with a little forward thought and planning.

Websites such as www.4ocean.com lead the way in thoughtful presents that benefit the world around us.  Every product purchased funds the removal of half a kilogram of rubbish from our oceans.  Many of their items are made from recycled plastic or glass bottles and can be returned to them to be re-purposed into other gifts down the track.

www.oceanandcompany.com donate money from every sale to support research and awareness campaigns centred around ocean pollution.

For the more practically minded person on your shopping list, www.floraandfauna.com.au  has many great household items that will still be used long after Christmas becomes a distant memory.

The fashion conscious might enjoy something from www.biome.com.au that has ethically produced choices in its clothing line – along with 100% recycled gift wrap – which will help save the estimated 50,000 trees cut down every year to decorate our presents.

Experiences are of course a wonderful gift that don’t need to cost the earth – and they may even help save it.  Ocean Life Education runs Marine Biologist for a Day Programs which help inspire children to care for our oceans and the creatures that live in it.  They’re fun, educational and might just set them on a career path that helps the planet.  Find out more details at

https://www.oceanlifeeducation.com.au/programs/marine-biologist-for-a-day/

For many of us, the festive season will involve time at the beach, enjoying our coveted coastline.  But when the celebrations are over, and the focus turns to the New Year, what resolutions will you make to help preserve the part of the planet we value so much?

The donation of a little time and energy can help make a world of difference to our waterways. There are a number of community groups that run clean-up campaigns dedicated to removing rubbish from our foreshores.  Check out organisations such as www.seashepherd.org.au www.surfrider.org.au or www.cleanup.org.au

It’s all about finding balance – enjoying the things we love while ensuring our good times don’t devastate the watery world around us.  Have a wonderful ocean friendly summer from the team at Ocean Life Education.

Celebrating SeaWeek

There is one time of the year we look forward to more than any other at Ocean Life Education – when collectively as a nation, we take the opportunity to pay homage to the sea.

SeaWeek is Australia’s major public awareness campaign centred around our oceans – a chance to turn our attention on what the water does for us and what we in turn can do for it.

This year’s theme was ‘The Ocean made Earth Habitable’, focusing on how the majority of oxygen in our atmosphere has been produced by microscopic sea creatures during photosynthesis.  Thanks to their contribution over thousands of years, life on land was able to develop.

And the impact is still ongoing today – with more than 70 percent of the planet covered in water, it plays a major role in many aspects of our daily lives.

Australia has one of the largest ocean territories in the world – it drives our climate and weather and provides valuable resources. Marine animals and plants are found in medicines that are used to fight cancer, arthritis and heart disease.

On average, we each consume around 25 kilograms of seafood every year, harvesting more than 150, 000 tonnes of fish annually.

Eighty-five percent of Australians live within 50 kilometres of our vast shoreline – drawn to the water not only for food but fun as well. We have 10,000 beaches spread around our 50,000 kilometres of coast and almost 3 million of us own a boat allowing us to explore beyond the shallows.

But as we become more globally aware of climate change and the impact our modern lifestyle is having on the oceans, it’s time for us to breathe new life into the part of our planet that made all of this possible in the first place.

Ocean Life Education is dedicated to promoting the preservation of our marine environment.  Our Human Impact Program takes a close look at the effect we have on the world’s waterways and, most importantly, how we can make a change for the better to sustain our seas for generations to come.

To find out more and to become part of the solution, visit https://www.oceanlifeeducation.com.au/programs/

Seriously Fun Science Week

20170822_092759_resized_1 (003)Science Week was all about getting hands on experience – especially for participants in Ocean Life Education’s Marine Incursion programs.

More than a thousand children got up close and personal with our colourful marine creatures during a busy week of visits to early learning centres, schools and Bunnings hardware stores in the week of August 12-20.

Director of Education at Ocean Life Richard Coward says it’s the personal touch that helps to establish that lifetime bond between children and nature.

“Most children have good background knowledge about our animals and the impact we all have on the environment but they enjoyed learning new facts about our creatures, and understanding more through touching them, which enhances their desire to protect the natural marine environment.”

And you never know, through stroking a stripy tropical sea cucumber, the seed may have been sown in some young minds to seek out a career in science as an ecologist or marine biologist.

We’re already taking bookings for our marine incursion programs for next year’s Science Week – we have presentations suitable for all age groups, each one encouraging a greater respect for our natural world.

If your Science Week was a bit of a fizzer this year don’t fret, because it’s never too late to inspire the next generation of conservationists – Ocean Life Education’s Marine Life Incursion programs are available to visit your centre all year round.