Didn't You Hear? It's World Oceans Day

photo by hanna brooks olsen. but the real star is clearly the ocean.

Yesterday, our friends at the Nature Conservancy reminded us that today is World Oceans Day, a day on which we, apparently, celebrate the oceans that slosh around our planet.

At Seattlest, we're big fans of the ocean in general. We love its creatures (most specifically, octopi),we love its food, and we love to sit outside and drink and stare at it.

As some food for thought, the Nature Conservancy sent along this slightly-gross list of things we didn't know came from the ocean:

These things all contain carrageenan, which is a form of red algae. It makes them thick. Also, kind of icky:

1. Toothpaste
2. Cosmetics
3. Peanut butter
4. Ice cream
5. Chocolate milk

Additionally, there are these:

6. Yogurt, which contains agar, a "marine-based ingredient used as a thickening agent."
7. Salad dressing contains algin, which is a form of brown algae
8. Shampoos and cake mixes often contain kelp for unknown reasons

To celebrate World Oceans Day, we encourage you to do the things you already know you should be doing--seek alternate transport, don't dump nasty water and soap down the drain, go tidepooling but don't steal the starfish and eat sustainable, wild-caught creatures. You could also visit the Aquarium, who from 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. today will be serving sustainable shrimp samples from their cafe.

Hooray for the ocean!