Every year, World Ocean Day serves as a global reminder of the vital role oceans play in sustaining life on earth. Covering the majority of our planet’s surface, oceans regulate the climate, support extraordinary biodiversity, and provide livelihoods for billions of people. Yet they face mounting pressure from plastic pollution, climate change, and human activity. World Ocean Day is a call to act — and around the world, Roots & Shoots groups are answering it in their own ways.
On the coast of Arico in Tenerife, a Roots & Shoots group called Ecoimplicados has made marine protection part of their daily routine. One member carries out dawn watches to detect marine animals at risk, whilst the group conducts weekly waste clean-ups along the coastline. In 2025, this early detection work led to the rescue of two sea turtle, with the necessary care protocols activated for both. The clean-ups have also reduced the presence of hazardous materials — nets, plastic, and other waste — that cause entanglements and injuries to marine animals passing through or living along the coast.
In Freetown, Roots & Shoots members have been bringing together youth and local residents for beach and community clean-ups that address plastic pollution threatening both marine ecosystems and public health. Participants leave with a clearer understanding of where waste ends up and why it matters — and many have gone on to advocate for environmental protection in their own communities. The project demonstrates that environmental action and community building are not separate endeavours; here, they happen side by side.
A Roots & Shoots group in India spent the past year helping young people understand what the ocean means — and what it needs from us. Through their “Oceans Are Us” initiative, students, youth, and educators came together for a series of interactive sessions covering marine biodiversity, plastic pollution, coastal habitats, and everyday actions that can protect ocean life. Rather than being purely theoretical, the sessions encouraged participants to reflect on their own connection to nature. Many came away with increased motivation to reduce their environmental footprint and share what they had learned with peers and family members.
In Ponce, Puerto Rico, a Roots & Shoots group held the first-ever Bioblitz at Cayo Ratones — mapping species, assessing the effects of climate change on a protected area, and building a scientific inventory that adds real ecological data to the record. Alongside this, the group carried out beach clean-ups to evaluate microplastic impact, diverting hundreds of pounds of waste from the coastline, and ran biodiversity conservation talks in local schools. The work at Cayo Ratones will continue on another Cayo in 2026.
Roots & Shoots Hong Kong took to the beach to tackle marine pollution firsthand — a direct and practical response to a problem that is visible the moment you engage with it up close.
These Roots & Shoots youth-led projects are powerful reminders of what happens when young people are supported and inspired to act. Animals receive care, ecosystems are protected and communities grow stronger.
If you feel motivated by these stories, you can be part of this global movement.
Find your local Roots & Shoots office and take action today—by joining a group or starting your own. Together, we can build a more compassionate and sustainable world.
Image Credits: Tacugama / R&S India / R&S Puerto Rico / JGI Hong Kong
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