The aquamarine blue- a heaven under the waters is studded with all the colours that ever existed in the universe. Serene and placid, it is always brimming in vibrancy. Thousands of different kinds of corals thriving in colonies form the architecture and life source of my city.

Hi! I am Red Velvet. Some of my friends call me Octi. I live in the big blues- my home. There’s always something interesting happening around here. On my usual patrol around the city I met Green, the sea turtle. He was up early and travelled a long distance to hang around Turtle Rock. We discussed how the air above the water was particularly warm this morning, something that Green wasn’t pleased about. He felt a little better when Skew the surgeonfish picked off the algae from his shell. He likes his shell shiny, you see. We were interrupted by some delightful clicking sounds. A family of young dolphins were exploring. They appeared to have some game up their noses. They tossed a piece of coral around to each other, twirling in the deep blue like delicate dancers. I could see the glint in their eyes as they watched in awe the piece of coral descend to the soft seabed each time they flipped it. Good game, fellas!

The most famous resident of our city is the Clown fish Carl, handsome with his black and white stripes. He lives on the big patch of anemone. Home cleaning day had kept him very busy. He was going to have a family, you know. He needed a nice spot to guard his eggs. An abandoned coconut shell was just perfect and I watched him roll it over, under the anemone.

The yellow ochre and olive green swaying strands of seaweed always take my breath away. Mr. Garibaldi, bold and orange lived here and was constantly at war with his uninvited guests- the sea urchins, who crashed on his seaweed every night, only to be kicked out by him in the morning. I chuckled as I floated away because I knew they would just keep coming and only Sea Otter could stop them.

Sea Otter lives in the big blues and above, so he knows the world a whole lot. He told me about our friends up there and across the world, like Alba the mama Albatross, Ridley and a few others. His stories used to be around their fun and frolic earlier. However, in recent times he told me strange things have been happening. We lost Alba and so many like her. They probably ate some white stuff that they weren’t supposed to. Come to think of it, something similar happened in our own blue as well. Momma whale ate some white stuff too and when she fed Little, he just got so sick and… We could hear her cry for days, holding onto Little after he was gone, just wandering in the emptiness.

I knew something was seriously wrong when I saw the colour in my city fading away slowly. The gorgeous shades that I told you about? The corals? They had started to turn a ghostly white. Sea Otter told me that we’re all under attack and we may all lose our home and families some day if nothing is done. But who’s attacking us? Would you know by any chance? He suspects it’s ‘the people’ who are taking our colour and our friends away. I find that hard to believe. We never broke into your homes or hurt you, so why would you do that to us, right? Besides, I also heard that you adore us so much that you have pictures of our home on your walls, and lappytop screensavers?

You see, all of us in the blue and above follow a cycle that Mama Earth has given us. We never go against it. This cycle keeps us all happy, gives my city its colour and keeps the world spinning. Why would anyone want to mess that up? Why would Sea Otter think it’s you, ‘the people?’

I believe you is kind. You is good. Aren’t you? Tell me Sea Otter is wrong. Please?

Now, I’ve got to go. Sharpie the Shark might be here any moment and we do not get along very well. Nuh-uh! The other day we got in a fight but I just covered his gills with my tentacles and he had to give up and let me go. I spent the rest of the day snorting in chuckles at his defeat under some seashells. Ha! I am smart, ain’t I?

Red Velvet a.k.a Octi’s message to all of us on Earth Day is about restoration. Educating ourselves on how the ecosystem works and how Mother Earth with her unconditional love and resilience sustains all of us is crucial. Because, without knowing how our world functions, how can we make conscious choices?

Statistics such as 50% of the Great Barrier Reef is completely bleached due to rising temperatures, or that the tuna are vulnerable due to overfishing, or that the Albatross, Green turtles and so many species are gradually decreasing in number will remain just that- a mere number unless we really understand their purpose on this planet and how we are all connected in this one big circle of life.

On behalf of Octi, this post is a part of Blogchatter’s CauseAChatter Environmental Talks. Yeah, I had to type it for him even though he has eight hands. If you’re interested in learning more about our planet you needn’t do much, just take the first step: watching this wonderful series might be a great way to begin.

And connect the dots to our problems
I can hear the whole world sing: We’re in this together
We’re in this together
Pickin’ up the pieces
I listen out for beating hearts
And now it’s time for healing

Ellie Goulding- In This Together

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