Media Releases
New Exhibit, The Ocean Is Our Home
Posted on: July 6, 2010
July 6, 2010 SIDNEY, BC — Is there kelp in your kitchen? How about seaweed in your bathtub? Would piddock clams approve of your patio?
The Capital Regional District and Pacific Salmon Foundation are encouraging visitors to explore these questions and discover the close connections between our ocean and our homes with an exciting new exhibit at the Shaw Ocean Discovery Centre. Open cupboards, look in drawers, lift the lid… see how the everyday decisions we make affect our local marine environment.
“Making the connection between our ocean ecosystems and our day to day living arrangements is an extremely important way to reinforce the impact we have on our environment,” said CRD Environmental Sustainability General Manager Larisa Hutcheson. “This new exhibit provides an excellent opportunity to have fun while learning about the myriad connections between residents and the ocean that surrounds them.”
‘The Ocean Is Our Home’ was built to replicate a typical single-family home. It has four rooms and a backyard patio. As visitors make their way through the exhibit, they will learn facts about water and energy conservation, waste reduction, pollution prevention and the ocean in their home. Together, all the little bits of information create a larger picture of how significantly we impact the environment and an understanding of what we can do to conserve it. A scavenger hunt helps visitors gather and organize the tips and information they discover.
Over the past few weeks, the Centre’s staff and volunteers have been busy searching their own homes for products to contribute to the exhibit. “It’s not just seafood; there are a lot of products from the ocean in our homes. Seaweed is processed into substances that end up in many of our food and personal hygiene products like ice cream and lotions, as well as health and medical products. Seaweed is everywhere,” says Linda Funk, Education Director at the Shaw Ocean Discovery Centre.
The exhibit was constructed by the Shaw Ocean Discovery Centre with generous donations from Westcoast Appliances, Marigold Nurseries, Slegg Lumber, Home Hardware Sidney and Twin Peaks Nursery & Landscaping Supplies.
Exhibit: The Ocean Is Our Home
Where: Shaw Ocean Discovery Centre, 9811 Seaport Place, Sidney
When: June to October; daily starting at 10:00 am
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About the Shaw Ocean Discovery Centre
The Shaw Ocean Discovery Centre is an aquarium and marine education centre focused on the amazing ecosystem of the Salish Sea. The Centre operates as a not-for-profit community facility that is self supporting through admission fees, grants and donations. The Shaw Ocean Discovery Centre is governed, funded and owned by the New Marine Centre Society. Funds for the Shaw Ocean Discovery Centre were raised through generous community support, and a major donation from Shaw Communications. The Centre is located in a spectacular waterfront building in Sidney, BC.
For further information, please contact Robyn Waterman, Public Relations Manager, Shaw Ocean Discovery Centre, 250.665.7511 or pr@oceandiscovery.ca
