Last week a big new campaign called Project Ocean was launched at Selfridges in collaboration with the Zoological Society of London. Project Ocean is celebrating the beauty of the ocean and raising awareness of over-fishing and other threats to the ocean and marine life.
Already famous for its window displays Selfridges have excelled themselves with a display of thought-provoking and visually stunning windows that highlight the need for marine conservation. One window features a vast display of dead coral that had been confiscated by HM Customs at Heathrow Airport and given to the aquarium at London Zoo. Another window contains models of a tuna and a panda swimming in the ocean with a question that asks ‘You wouldn’t eat a panda, so why eat a tuna?’ Indeed, why would you eat critically endangered Bluefin tuna?
Inside the store you can see marine inspired fashion and hats including the famous lobster hat worn by Lady Gaga. Maintaining the sustainable message Selfridges have removed all non-sustainable marine food and fashion items from their shelves so while shopping in Selfridges you can be confident your purchases are sustainably sourced.
To help you choose which sustainable fish to eat Selfridges has produced a Good Fish Guide which you can pick up for free inside Selfridges stores. Free cooking demonstrations are also being held daily to inspire you! Check out the Project Ocean website to find out who is cooking and when.
There are many free events happening during the five weeks that Project Ocean is running where you can drop in and learn more about the ocean and the work being done to conserve it. These events include live music, children’s activity sessions, film screenings and debates. There is also a bucking whale rodeo you can take a ride on!
During the next week ZSL and other collaborating partners are holding a number of events in the Ultralounge at Selfridges London, including:
- 21 May – Join Guerrilla Science, the innovative group who aim to make science enjoyable and accessible to all of us, for a day of music, art, science and play.
- 22 May – Film screening of Oceans. Join a team of intrepid adventurers on a journey to discover a world beneath the waves.
- 23 & 24 May – Investigate the shady, undercover world of illegal pirate fishing with the Environmental Justice Foundation.
- 24 May (evening only) – Promise of a Healthy Ocean: the start of a year-long project to promote an intergeneration contract between youth and heads of state.
- 25 May – Project Seahorse & ZSL invite you to learn about the weird and wonderful world seahorses.
- 26 May – ZSL present a day of exploration into the Thames and the amazing wildlife it contains.
The EDGE Coral Reefs team will also be holding an event on Thursday 2nd June where children can come and make their own reef creatures which will be combined to make a beautiful reef structure.
To find out more about the events that are taking place over the next few weeks visit the Project Ocean website where you can view the events calendar and donate money to the campaign. The money raised by Project Ocean will be used to maintain existing marine reserves and initiate new ones which in turn will also protect a number of EDGE Coral species.
So, if you are in London this weekend go and visit Selfridges on Oxford Street to see the amazing windows and join in some of the fun and free events!