5 Ways To Help Our Oceans
With five trillion pieces of plastic and 3’340 tonnes of micro-plastic floating around our oceans, it’s an undoubted cry for help. Across the globe, oceans are becoming suffocated by an overwhelming amount of litter, plastic, toxins and other substances, which pollutes our water and kills marine life.
Therefore charities and organisations such as; Plastic-Free Sea, Marine Conservation Society, WWF, and many others are urging more people to make some easy changes to their lifestyles which could have a massive impact on our oceans. Here are five small things you can do to help our seas and oceans!
1. Reduce your plastic
Plastic is the bane of our environment. With a million plastic bottles being purchased every day, many ending up in our oceans — it’s critical that we all try to reduce the amount with use. From reusing plastic bags to taking lunches to your work rather than buying plastic ridden meal deals from supermarkets — there’s a multitude of ways to improve.
Much of the impact which plastic makes is ignored because 70% of it sinks to the bottom, becoming poison for marine life and becoming buried under the ocean floor. We often hear the phrase that some plastics take up to 1000 years to decompose. However before that happens plastic breaks up, meaning millions of tiny pieces become loose in our oceans to be consumed by us and other creatures. Thus, make the change reduce your plastic intake.
2. Support sustainable businesses
As the environmental crisis becomes clearer every day, there’s a growing platform of ethical stores and businesses. Therefore, where and when you can afford it forgo the companies that partake in fish farms or using harmful substances (example; hygiene companies that use micro-beads in their products) and make the environmentally friendly choice.
If we all shopped more ethically and sustainably when possible, we’d see the positive impact it can have on our oceans and marine wildlife.
3. Take care of your beaches and waterways
Outings to our beaches or by lakes can be loads of fun. It’s great to get into nature and can create some wonderful memories. Nevertheless, beaches can, unfortunately, be places where the impact of humans can be seen most. From chemicals which get dumped and pollute the water to litter us beach-goers leave.
We’re all responsible for helping our beaches and cleaning our oceans. So don’t just clear up your own mess, encourage and remind others of the impact of taking care of our beaches and waterways.
4. Educate yourself about the ocean and human impact on it
While ignorance might be bliss, that won’t last for long if we continue down the path we’re on. As more people become aware of the climate crisis and make an active effort to change, many organisations and forums to give you more information on the ocean.
Spend a day at your local marine museum. Maybe you could watch a documentary like ‘A Plastic Ocean’ or David Attenborough’s ‘Blue Planet’. By educating ourselves we can then educate others and start a snowball effect of understanding about how to help the oceans.
5. Get involved
Now it might seem like we have no time to add another activity to our list but if you can get involved with your local community or contribute to a marine charity. If you’re not able to get actively involved try other ways like signing petitions or gaining the support of your local government representative.
There’s easy ways to get involved and in a way you’re comfortable with, so give it a try.
The ocean is a massive part of our planet and if we continue to pollute and exploit it as we’re doing, then we’ll be facing the consequences sooner rather than later. There’s no time like the present, and it’s more crucial now than ever before. So get involved, make some changes and encourage others.
