Chalk the Town Blue for World Ocean Day, presented by Chase Saturday, June 5, 2021 10 A.M to 2 P.M. at the St. Louis Aquarium at Union Station WHAT: Chalk the Town Blue for World Ocean Day, presented by Chase WHEN: Saturday, June 5, 2021 (rain date Sunday, June 6, 2021) TIME: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. WHERE: Outside the St. Louis Aquarium at Union Station in the River Park Plaza, 201 S. 18th St., St. Louis, MO 63103. DETAILS: Everyone is invited to share why the ocean is important to them by drawing a chalk picture or message on the 18th Street sidewalk next to Union Station to celebrate the upcoming World Ocean Day (June 8, 2021). Chase will be on site with free chalk kits for every artist and a reusable water bottle, while supplies last. Guests can take photos with a special digital backdrop for World Ocean Day photos.  St. Louis-based chalk artist Kathy Ann Duffin of Kathy Ann Creative will get the activities started by drawing a unique chalk design along 18th Street. “ We invite people to come to the Aquarium on Saturday, June 5 to show their support of the importance of preserving the oceans," said Diane Bauhof, executive director of the St.Louis Aquarium Foundation. "This event is part of a worldwide effort to protect 30 percent of the ocean by 2030.”  Guests will be invited to encourage lawmakers around the world to preserve 30 percent of the ocean by 2030. Currently, only 15 percent of land and 7 percent of the ocean is protected (source: Campaign for Nature). Learn more about this worldwide effort here: . https://www.campaignfornature.org/petition/?SQF_WOD ABOUT OCEAN POLLUTION Plastic pollution poses many threats to the world's waterways. Animals get caught in plastic debris or swallow small pieces. Plastic releases chemicals as it breaks down and evidence of plastics is found in seafood, drinking water, and even in human bodies. (source: Plastic Pollution Coalition) Recycling alone will not solve the problem – reducing the amount of plastic used has a much greater impact and will help keep humans, animals, and waterways healthy. Once in the ocean, plastic debris never fully biodegrades. It breaks apart and breaks down into tiny microplastics that affect water quality. Animals then consume it or absorb it through their skin. Each year, billions of pounds of trash and other pollutants enter the ocean. The majority of pollutants that make their way into the ocean come from human activities along the coastlines and farther inland, including from the rivers and streams that are part of the Mississippi Watershed that flows directly into the Gulf of Mexico (source NOAA, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association). HOW YOU CAN HELP Use reusable metal bottles instead of single-use plastic bottles. Avoid single-use plastic bags at the store – bring your own reusable shopping bags. Participate in river clean-ups in your area. Encourage the restaurants you frequent to use biodegradable and/or recyclable containers. Use less plastic overall  -- Instead of plastic food wrap, use reusable beeswax food wraps -- Instead of plastic bags in the lunch box, use reusable containers -- Refuse straws or bring your own metal or silicone straw -- Avoid using plastic utensils ###