It’s the peak of summer, which means it’s time once again for Discovery Channel’s “Shark Week.”
And while Shark Week may be winding down for 2017, with 50+ miles of coastline spanning our region, you can celebrate our spectacular oceans and their diverse marine life all-year round in San Diego.
The weeklong event dedicated to the awe-inspiring, fear-inducing majesty of the ocean’s apex predator not only celebrates the beauty of our oceans, it’s also reminds us how much is at stake if we don’t take action to protect our environment.
Thankfully, San Diego has organizations like the Birch Aquarium at Scripps dedicated to promoting ocean conservation, while also providing critical ocean science education to help develop our next generation of environmental stewards.
Just Keep Swimming
The mission of the Birch Aquarium is simple: promote ocean conservation.
Through a myriad of programs, visitors to Birch Aquarium have the chance to directly interact with sea life and develop connections to science that are meaningful in their own lives.
With more than 460,000 people visiting Birch Aquarium each year—including more than 50,000 students—the reach of the Aquarium’s innovative programs is vast. Whether they’re visiting tide pools, conducting research in a lab or snorkeling with sharks, students at Birch Aquarium have the chance to sink their teeth into today’s leading research and scientific challenges, encouraging them to use critical thinking and to pursue careers in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math).
By combining children’s natural curiosity with marine science and ocean conservation, Birch Aquarium not only educates today’s youth, but also helps create ambassadors for conservation that will protect our natural resources in the future.
At SDG&E, we like to think about the bigger picture, and we understand that everything from a tiny guppy to an enormous blue whale play important roles in the delicate ecosystems that make San Diego “home.” We’re proud to support Birch Aquarium in their education and conservation efforts through our Environmental Champions initiative—which has supported more than 400 organizations with nearly $9 million in charitable grants.
Learn more about our support of environmental organizations in San Diego and southern Orange counties, here.