6 Ways to Celebrate World Oceans Day
Happy World Oceans Day!
We’ve all heard that the ocean will have more plastic in the sea than fish by 2050. It might feel far away, but it’s rapidly approaching and unfortunately, accelerating. And also, does the current rate of 80% plastic give us any relief?
The point is not to get you depressed, but motivated! While there’s heaps more important facts out there (and a TON of educational resources at www.un.org), this article focuses on what YOU CAN DO NOW (and all the time) to help save our beautiful ocean! After all, it does provide us with 50% of our oxygen, regulates the climate, nourishes and sustains ALL the life on this planet, not to mention employs millions. No big.
Organize or participate in a Beach Clean up. It’s one of the most fulfilling and social way to make an impact, and definitely the cheapest! NEEF has a great resource for starting your own here. To find one to participate in, try Facebook & MeetUp groups, ask local businesses near the sea, or try www.beachclean.org.
2. Reduce your plastic consumption. Period. When there isn’t an aluminum, glass, or recycled paper alternative, look for brands using post-consumer or bio-plastic packaging. Recycling plastic is not the answer. It is estimated that 8-14 million tons of plastic goes into the ocean every year, and as many as 51 trillion microplastic particles are out there floating around - 500 times more than the stars in our galaxy! The sea life then eats that plastic and either die of starvation or get caught up to be eaten by humans, who in turn also ingest that plastic… yum.
3. Reduce or eliminate seafood from your diet. About 50% of that plastic comes from commercial fishing nets and at least 75% of our fish stocks have been depleted. If you do choose to consume seafood, make sure you know where it comes from, avoiding farmed & commercially-fished sea animals. Millions of sharks, whales, turtles, and other integral sealife gets killed in by-catch every year.
4. Educate yourself on the Ocean and all her glory by watching a few documentaries like:
My Octopus Teacher where you learn how intelligent Octopuses are (hint: smarter than your dog).
5. Support brands using recycled plastic materials. Easily found in athletic wear, swimsuits, and shoes but gaining popularity in all categories. Here are some of my favorites:
Shoes: Parley x Adidas, Rothys, Veja
Swim & Activewear: Mara Hoffman, Girlfriend Collective, Vitamin A
Sunglasses: Sunski, Sea2See, Waterfall
6. Donate to your favorite ocean conservation NGOs like:
Yes, this means some sacrifice. But how do our sacrifices even begin to measure up to what the ocean selflessly provides? How else are we going to reverse this horrific trend unless we all collectively make a bigger effort? Instead of getting overwhelmed and sticking your head in the (polluted) sand, just remember: Progress, not Perfection.