We all want to do what we can to help protect the health of our blue planet. However, everyday cleaners contain toxic chemicals and dangerous heavy metals that are harmful to both people and animals, and have the ability to drastically harm our ocean's health. "Going aqua-green" when it comes to your cleaning products isn't just something that affects the Earth, but will make a huge impact on your own health and that of your family, friends, or employees. for each "Starter" or "Save the Seas" Kit purchased, EPIC will contribute $5.00 directly to The Ocean Project to help us continue our conservation education work around the world, thanks to you!

In his second use of the 100-year old National Antiquities Act, which empowers the president to protect important cultural or geological resources instantly, Mr. Bush will enact a suite of strict rules for the area, including a five-year phasing out of commercial and sport fishing, officials said. It will ban other extractive industries and limit most visitors to the islands to scientists and researchers, according to administration officials.

The chain of largely uninhabited atolls, seamounts, reefs and shoals, which sweeps northwest from the big islands of Hawaii, is called the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands and is home to some 7,000 species of marine life, at least a fourth of which are found nowhere else on Earth, including the endangered Hawaiian monk seal. The islands include almost 70 percent of the nation's tropical, shallow-water coral reefs, and a rookery for 14 million seabirds. The area also has an abundance of large predatory fish at a time when 90 percent of such species have disappeared from the world's oceans. Encompassing nearly 140,000 square miles, an area nearly the size of Montana and larger than all the national parks combined, the reserve will just surpass Australia's Great Barrier Reef Marine Park as the largest protected marine area in the world. It will also, however, be one of the least accessible. "This is a landmark conservation event," said Joshua Reichert, who heads the Pew Charitable Trusts' environment programs and had pushed to have the area protected. "The government is saying in certain places, for certain reasons, it is important to restrict activities that have the potential to damage the marine environment, of which fishing is a big one."

For more information, visit: Northwest Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument

For the first time since the 1970s, the IWC is under the control of the pro-whaling countries. The list of countries voting in favor of overturning the moratorium includes African, Caribbean and Pacific nations with minimal whaling interests. Several international commentators have noted that Japan has spent millions in grant aid for fisheries development in some countries, implying that votes are being bought but this allegation is strongly denied by the Japanese who point to their desire to see managed whaling based on scientific knowledge. Pro-whaling nations insist that a limited return to commercial hunting is possible; stocks of some species are high enough, they maintain, charging that the IWC has become an organization dedicated to preventing whaling, contrary to its purpose. Currently, Norway ignores the ban on commercial whaling and Iceland also kills a number of whales. The United States allows indigenous hunters to take a few whales each year for sustenance and cultural purposes.

To read the St. Kitts and Nevis Declaration in full, please download: SKNdeclaration06.pdf

For more information, visit the Marine Fish Conservation Network, or email Lee Crockett.

By gathering these campaigns from all around the world, UNEP wishes to inspire and foster more and better communication on sustainability issues from all stakeholders involved in the promotion of sustainable development. The selected campaigns do not constitute an endorsement by UNEP for any message, brand, company or public advertiser. This Creative Gallery is also designed to aid and promote the area of research, education and information relating to the marketing, advertising and communication business. All advertisers -- companies, governments, local authorities, consumer organizations, NGOs, etc. -- can submit their campaigns in this database in order to share their experience with other communication experts and to ensure that this Gallery remains a dynamic, living tool.

In the weeks leading up to the event, we launched www.WorldOceanDay.org as a central location worldwide to learn more about this event, and how to get involved. We plan a major expansion of this site in the coming months. For example, we will be translating the site into as many languages as we can. Special thanks to all those who have already contacted us to volunteer their help! If you would like to see the site translated into your language, please let us know if you or others can help. Together, we can build a truly international site for this global event!

We are excited by the growth of World Ocean Day, the abundant media coverage and the participation of so many of our Partner, including some of the largest conservation organizations in the world. Events included a variety of activities on or around World Ocean Day, including ocean-themed documentary film viewings, beach clean ups, and sustainable seafood demonstrations. One Partner, Shark Reef, even donated a portion of their day's ticket sales to The Ocean Project so we can continue and expand our efforts with all our Partners located around our blue planet.

• The Ocean Foundation - The Ocean Project would especially like to thank The Ocean Foundation for supporting production of the 2007 Seas the Day desktop conservation calendar. Their sponsorship has allowed us to provide this unique conservation calendar at an extremely reasonable cost to our Partners. Please visit the Shop for our Seas section of our website to learn more, or contact Bill Mott, director, if you are interested in learning more about our special wholesale rates for Partners.

In addition, beginning in July, The Ocean Foundation will serve as our fiscal sponsor. In other words, since The Ocean Project is not officially its own tax-exempt charitable organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Service's tax code, The Ocean Foundation will be our umbrella charitable organization. Any contributions - whether from individuals, foundations, organizations, or corporations - to The Ocean Project will continue to be fully tax-deductible.

• Los Angeles Zoo - We couldn't do what we do without support from our Partners! The Ocean Project thanks our newest Sustaining Partner, the Los Angeles Zoo.

• Shark Reef - We also would like to thank Supporting Partner, Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay, for their recent generous contribution from their box office proceeds on World Ocean Day.