National Aquarium’s 48 Days of Blue Campaign Returns

Campaign challenges participants to make small changes in their daily lives to impact the health of our ocean and planet.

Published April 01, 2016

Did you know that more than 70 percent of the Earth's surface is water? This Earth Day, the National Aquarium will bring back its 48 Days of Blue campaign to remind the public that it’s not only about going green—it's about going blue, too. In the 48 days between Earth Day (April 22) and World Oceans Day (June 8), participants will be challenged to make small changes in their daily lives that can significantly impact the health of our oceans and our planet. "It's been said that the best way to imagine Earth without its ocean is to look at Mars. No ocean, no us," said John Racanelli, CEO of the National Aquarium. "In the 48 days between Earth Day and World Ocean Day, we will inspire people to learn new ways to protect our planet through simple, effective personal actions."

Throughout 48 Days of Blue, participants will be asked to complete one small challenge each day, which will be delivered via email every morning. Challenges include skipping the straw in your drink, shortening your shower and unplugging electronics for an hour. Participants will be encouraged to share their experiences and ask questions on social media by using #48DaysOfBlue.

Challenge-related facts:

Approximately 500 million plastic straws are used and disposed of in the U.S. every day. That's enough to fill 127 school buses.
Americans use an estimated 100 billion plastic bags each year. Floating in the ocean, these bags are often mistaken for jellyfish by unassuming sea turtles and other marine species.
Transportation accounts for one-fourth of all greenhouse gas emissions in the United States every year. An average passenger vehicle emits 5.1 metric tons of CO2 per year.
Only 2.5 percent of our planet's water is freshwater, while a staggering 97.5 percent is saltwater.
A bathroom faucet runs at approximately two gallons of water per minute.
It takes an estimated 1,850 gallons of water to produce a pound of beef.

During last year's 48 Days of Blue campaign, nearly 4,000 people from around the world participated in the challenge, which saved 29,486 pounds of plastic, 11.7 million gallons of water and 750,000 watts of energy from being wasted.