In the 21st century we live in a consumer orientated world. Each day enormous amounts of plastic are bought, only to be thrown into the bin. Consequently, this plastic doesn’t only end up in landfills but also in the world’s most important water way, the ocean. In fact, on a yearly basis the world produces around 300 million tonnes of plastic waste. This rubbish can end up in turtle’s stomach, around bird’s neck and being a non-biodegradable hazard. With the ocean covering 70 percent of the Earth’s surface, they are a crucial part for survival for all 7.6 billion people who inhabit this planet. The ocean provides food, energy and many different industries including tourism and fishing. These industries are currently multi-million dollar, however with the current damage that humanity is causing, it’s unsure how long we will be able to maintain and sustain the ocean in order to keep these industries thriving. On the 8th of June, World Ocean Day, many non-profit organisations band together promoting the ongoing issues that are severely affecting our wonderful marine life and ocean habitats. The main goal of this day is to further raise awareness about humanities impact on the environment. Some of these issues including problems such as increased levels of ocean acidity and salinity, both of which make it extremely hard for many organisms to survive and scientists are only now beginning to see the impacts, that were once thought to be non-existent. One of the largest problems that has been caused is the growing or lack of that is occurring in the Great Barrier Reef. Late in 2016, after a heatwave hit Australia, up to 30 percent of the coral in the Great Barrier Reef was declared dead. In the years to come, this number is only expected to grow. It is clear to see that the pollution and destruction of our oceans is only going to cause detrimental effects. It is so important that this issue is not taken lightly, and everybody steps up and puts effort into helping keep the oceans clean, healthy and most importantly living. Even here on Bribie Island, the effects of pollution and plastic can be seen. With Bribie being a common place to see a large variety of marine life including turtles, dolphins and dugongs it is of the upmost importance that our waterways are kept clear. Everything we do to our environment can affect our ocean, especially because we live on an island. The act of throwing a piece of rubbish on the ground means that the is a high possibility of it ending up in our passage. So, it’s time that we take care of our oceans and environments not only on the 8th of June but every day. It’s time to protect both our Earth’s future and oceans.