In partnership with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), The Florida Aquarium launched Party for the Planet with 50 Days of Conservation. For this celebration, it included environmental stewardship activities as well as conservation and educational programs that began with Earth Day (April 22) and Endangered Species Day (May 21) and will continue with the upcoming World Oceans Day (Tuesday, June 8). This provided families with unique opportunities to commemorate the earth’s biodiversity and more.
Dale Wolbrink, senior director of public relations and integrated marketing at The Florida Aquarium, stated what makes Party for the Planet unique: “Collectively, Party for the Planet aims to harness the passion and the power of each to inspire action within the communities of individuals.”
With that in mind, many of the scheduled Party for the Planet events focused on two of the aquarium’s top conservation priorities, such as habitat restoration and the reduction of single-use plastics. In addition, other events centered on litter reduction, mangrove restoration, native pollinator gardens and environmental stewardship.
“Our goal is to inspire people to spend time learning about how we can protect and restore our blue planet, to celebrate Earth’s tremendous biodiversity on a daily basis and to affect change in a very positive way,” said President and CEO of The Florida Aquarium Roger Germann.
In honor of World Environment Day and World Oceans Day, TradeWinds Island Grand Beach Resort, located at 5500 Gulf Blvd. in St. Pete Beach, will host a beach cleanup on Saturday, June 5 at 8 a.m. The cleanup will help to reduce other debris and single-use plastics from reaching the waterways. Volunteers who registered for the cleanup will be supplied with disposable gloves, grabbers, bags and much more.
“We want participants to feel part of The Florida Aquarium family as they get empowered to make a difference by helping protect and restore our waterways as well as the animals that call this ecosystem home,” Wolbrink said.
For more information, visit https://www.flaquarium.org/party-for-the-planet. It is located at 701 Channelside Dr. in Tampa and is open daily from 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Email moreinfo@flaquarium.org and call 273-4000.
