earth day wish for the sea
- StaySea Mermaid
- Apr 22, 2024
- 6 min read
Updated: May 8, 2024
wish for the sea mermaid booth at earth day
Earth Day is the anniversary of my mermaid debut! The event was the Earth Day Festival in Santa Barbara (which is where Earth Day began as a response to the oil spill that happened off the coast in 1969).
I felt that this wonderful community event was fitting place to debut my mission to inspire ocean conservation through the imagination. I also thought recalling the event would be a fitting way to debut my blog!
Concept
This was a passion project that I poured my heart and soul into. It started with the idea to foster children's natural interest in the ocean. To do something positive and fun to inspire ocean conservation.
I came up with the concept for the kid's activity and my husband titled it Fish Wish. He even made a sign. The sign really should have read Mermaid Here or Mermaid Sighting or Meet the Mermaid - that way people could find the mermaid!
What I had in mind would require an ocean back drop, which I really enjoyed researching and painting. It got me thinking that I might enjoy painting murals - mermaid murals!
I just wish I had known about Natural Earth Paint at the time. Live and learn. We all do the best we can with the information we have. That is why I want to share important information I learn.
Some of the detail of the back drop I painted
Once I learned about Natural Earth Paint it became the only paint I use, as it does not contain plastic or toxins. This makes it safe to use for our own health, as well as for the health of the ocean.
You can simply wash it down the drain, unlike standard acrylic paint, which should be washed out in a bucket, left to dry and then disposed of in the trash. (Not an ideal situation.)
Festival Weekend
I was only at the festival for a couple of hours each day (since mermaids can't survive out of the water for a few hours - i.e.; it is pretty much impossible to take a bathroom break when you are in a mermaid tail), but the weekend was a huge production from Friday night to Sunday night.
Friday night we loaded up the car and truck, then early Saturday we drove to the park and set up the backdrop, tables, craft supplies and decorations long before the festival started. In and out before any kids get a glimpse of mermaid-out-of-tail! Then back home to eat and prepare for myself for the event.
If you ever want to make people smile, just roll a mermaid down the street!
My husband found a used wagon to transport me on and painted it aqua. One of the many miracles, or gifts from the sea - build it and they will come! - was finding fabric at the craft store in the exact same color as I had already painted the ocean floor! I tacked it on to the bottom of the backdrop to extend the illusion and I also draped it over the wagon to cover the tires.
The festival was well underway when I was rolled in. My captain got me from merbile to merbile (car to wagon) and we ventured out! The smiles we created as we rolled down the street and through the park are imprinted in my mind.
There was already a crowd as we rolled up to the kid’s area of the park and the excitement had been building. Of course there was an older, wiser boy there to set the record straight for his kid sister and all the other believers.
"She's not a real mermaid!" he shouted. "Sure I'm real, touch my hand, I'm as real as you!", I replied.
I was concerned about this kind of thing happening, so maybe I manifested it? I wasn't sure how I was going to handle non-believers. Luckily that did the trick - I don't think he knew how to respond to that!
The other kids seemed satisfied with my reply and promptly jumped in to the activities. Luckily I had something for them to do, otherwise I’d have a crowd of swarming kids all around me, which has happened at other events! This gave us time to take some pictures - kiddos already put a few fishes in the sea before we got there!
Kid's Activity: A Wish for the Sea
For the kid's activity, Fish Wish for the Sea, they first selected a fish from our selection of coloring pages (printed on recycled paper) and colored it with crayons and cut it out with scissors (we had volunteers to oversee and help with the cutting) and then they put the fish in the ocean.
After that they would tell the mermaid their wish for the sea and then they get to pick out a shell and select a stamp from the treasure chest!
The idea is to promote positive thoughts for the ocean, the importance of envisioning a healthy ocean and to cultivate the idea of taking care of the sea.
Then photo-op time! I wish I could share all of the joyous faces and adorableness, how these photos melt my heart! Lots of friends came by to say hi, which was so great - and these I can share! At one point my captain played his ukulele and sang some songs - Under the Sea and Octopus' Garden, and Pearly shells, to which my mermaid sisters and I danced a mermaid hula.
We also had information about the ocean and things we can do to save the sea:
Amazing Ocean Facts, from SeeTheSea.org:
Earth is known as the water planet, as the Earth's surface is 71% ocean
The ocean takes up 99% of Earth's living space
The ocean is the largest known inhabitable space in our universe (known to be inhabited by living organisms).
About 97% of all water on Earth is in our oceans
Most of the solar energy that reaches the Earth is stored in the ocean which influences and determines our planet's climate and habitability.
Things we can do to help save the ocean, because everything flows to the sea:
Avoid using the following:
Chemical fragrances and toxic chemicals, such as those found in fabric softeners, dryer sheets, art supplies, cleaners, herbicides and pesticides and plastics.
Do use the following:
Natural, toxic-free art supplies, cleaners, herbicides,
support organic farming (by choosing organic foods).
Laundry and cleaning: vinegar, baking soda, soap nuts, fragrance free detergents, wool dryer balls, hang dry clothes, grey water your wash (use bio-pac Oasis detergent for this) and wear natural fabrics.
(Please see links below to learn more about everyday ways to help save the sea!)
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I was worn out after day one, completely satisfied, content, saturated and happy to call it a great success. Yet we did it all over again the next day, only backwards (since we had to breakdown our set and pack it up at the end of the day) - and in the fog! You can see it on my face the second day - I was tired and cold (thank goodness for my seaweed shawl), but I was so happy!
Newspaper Clipping about meeting a mermaid at the Earth Day Festival
Tired, and cold, but happy mermaid in front of her fish-wish-full sea!
It was so fulfilling to see their joyful faces. It was my hope to create a positive impression on them. It sure did leave a lasting impression on me! It brings tears to my eyes to recall this event.
My intention was to nurture the idea that it is our responsibility to take care of the ocean. I also wanted it to be empowering, by offering them a chance to make a wish for the sea and providing information on things we can all do to save the sea.
At the end of Sunday I was rolled to my merbile and changed in to my Captain Jack Sparrow (aka "Johnny Mermaid") costume, so as not to spoil the illusion while I helped break down and transport backdrop and all. Not sure how convincing I was!
Captain Jack Sparrow makes an appearance at the end of the weekend
That's a wrap!
I am grateful for the staff volunteers, my lovely hula mermaid sisters, and my wonderful husband - I could not have done this without all of their help. No mermaid is an island!
It is my hope that sharing this story will cause a ripple effect. I would love for others to be inspired to do the same or similar, spreading the word on how we can save our ocean world.
I am working on a Wish for the Sea DIY and other ocean related activities to inspire the imagination and ocean conservation.
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Oceans of Love,
StaySea
OoOoOoO
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Here are some more photos of this wonderful weekend.
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I appreciate your support!
(I'm not affiliated with Earth Easy, just have to share their thorough guides filled with great information!)
Here are are some links to excellent guides on everyday things you can do to help save the sea: