WASHINGTON, DC – Secretary of State John Kerry’s “message in a bottle” is on the way to the United Nations for the June 8, 2016 World Oceans Day.
“The oceans provide the air we breathe, the food that we eat, regulates our weather, and touches everybody, even people who are not physically located next to the ocean. So all of us have to care about the health of the oceans and its future,” said White House Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment Catherine Novelli.
World Oceans Day
A healthy world ocean is critical to our survival. Every year, World Oceans Day provides a unique opportunity to honor, help protect, and conserve the world’s oceans. Oceans are very important.
- They generate most of the oxygen we breathe
- They help feed us
- They regulate our climate
- They clean the water we drink
- They offer a pharmacopoeia of medicines
- They provide limitless inspiration!
The Mālama Honua Worldwide Voyage
The Hawaiian name for this voyage, Mālama Honua, means “to care for our Earth.” Living on an island chain teaches us that our natural world is a gift with limits and that we must carefully steward this gift if we are to survive together. As we work to protect cultural and environmental resources for our children’s future, our Pacific voyaging traditions teach us to venture beyond the horizon to connect and learn with others. The Worldwide Voyage is a means by which we now engage all of Island Earth—bridging traditional and new technologies to live sustainably, while sharing, learning, creating global relationships, and discovering the wonders of this precious place we all call home. You can learn more about our Worldwide Voyage in the three-minute overview video at the bottom of this page.
Hōkūleʻa has voyaged traditionally for 40 years, sailing over 150,000 nautical miles throughout the Pacific. The current Worldwide Voyage began in 2013 with a Mālama Hawaii sail throughout the Hawaiian archipelago, and in 2014 to 2015, the two waʻa visited 24 islands and six countries throughout Polynesia. For each of the past and current legs of the current journey, you can click here for crew lists, stories, videos, and blogs. Enjoy these stories from our sail for a sustainable future!