Businesses- Event Ideas Guide for World Ocean Day

On World Ocean Day, people around our blue planet celebrate and honor the ocean, which connects us all. Get together with your family, friends, colleagues, community, and — together with millions of others around our blue planet – we will create a better future.

This year’s action focus centers on the global campaign to protect 30% of our blue planet by the year 2030 (30×30). A healthy ocean is a critical part of the solution to the climate crisis.

No matter where you are located or what business you’re in, by supporting 30×30, we can protect our planet’s life support systems– specifically the interconnected issues of ocean, climate, and biodiversity.

Planning a World Ocean Day event for your workplace is a fun and effective way to get your employees and coworkers to participate in celebrating and protecting our ocean. For extensive guidance on planning your event, activity, or celebration (virtual or in person) check out the 2021 Event Planning Toolkit. For quick inspiration, see the ideas below for your company, business, or place of work.

Sign the petition to support 30×30:

• Sign as a business/organization here
• Share the link with your colleagues and employees and network to get individual signatures as well!

Engage your employees and co-workers:

• Incentivize environmental efforts like car-free commuting.
  • Consider providing coffee or breakfast for those who bike, walk, or take public transportation to work on World Ocean Day or for the entire week of 8 June
• Provide giveaways like reusable tote bags and water bottles to employees and encourage zero-waste lunches
• Organize a company community or coastal cleanup or some other type of excursion to benefit your local environment
  • See the Coastal and Inland Cleanup Guide.
• Implement an ongoing company-wide initiative around World Ocean Day (the day itself, the weekend, the week or the entire World Ocean Day month) such as incorporating regular community cleanups into your company’s calendar, starting to compost as a workplace, or going plastic-free wherever possible

Plan a company volunteer day or reach out to the community:

• Service ideas
  • Organize a river, beach, or neighborhood trash cleanup or do a community tree planting
    • See the Coastal and Inland Cleanup Guide.
  • Create community artwork, such as ocean murals or recycled art projects
    • Consider granting permission for a local artist to paint an ocean mural on one of the walls at your building or place of work, or sponsor it somewhere else in your community
  • Host an ocean-related film screening
  • Educate others about the issues and how to help
    • Bring in people to talk to your employees about 30×30 and the benefits of marine protected areas, healthy fisheries
  • Fundraising ideas for local organizations, especially youth-oriented organizations
    • Match employee donations to ocean nonprofit or charitable organizations
    • Organize a fun run for the ocean and donate participation fees
    • Host a sustainability fair
      • Invite various local nonprofits to set up tables and spread awareness about their group and how others can join
    • Circulate information about several ocean nonprofits
      • Make it easy for employees to donate to the cause they want to support

Involve your customers:

• Offer customers special World Ocean Day discounts for your products or services
• Create special products in honor of World Ocean Day
• Give customers the resources they need to use less plastic
  • Offer paper or reusable bags and compostable utensils or containers
• Donate a portion of each sale to an ocean nonprofit
• Set up a QR code for customers to scan and learn more about 30×30 and World Ocean Day

Recognizing that every community has been facing the pandemic, we recommend following local health and safety guidelines when planning your event, activity, or celebration. Once you’ve finished planning don’t forget to join the hundreds of other organizations around the world and register it on the global event map! Share your celebration with the world and tag @WorldOceanDay so we can repost and amplify your message!