We keep hearing about the worsening conditions of our oceans in the news. If we don’t take action now, all of earth’s coral reefs will disappear within 50 years. The temperature of the ocean will rise to a point where our polar ice caps will melt away entirely. Overfishing will decimate the population of bluefin tuna and other species of fish to a point of extinction. Here are a few simple things you can do to help save our oceans.
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There are a lot of things you can do to save our oceans, but most actions seem to involve drastic lifestyle changes. There are, however, a few things you can do which don’t involve not eating meat or going off the grid. With all big problems it’s about the small victories before we tackle the bigger problems. We’ve composed a list of three things you can do which make an impact without changing your lifestyle entirely.
Sunscreen
Problem:
Yes you need to protect your skin, and especially between dives, because on the water burning your skin is quite easy. What you probably didn’t know is that sunscreen contains a chemical called oxybenzone. This chemical seeps into the ocean and is absorbed by corals. This leads to disruption of growth and ultimately to coral bleaching. Even if you wear sunscreen on the beachit rubs onto the sand and eventually ends up in the ocean. Each year some 14,000 tons of sunscreen ends up in the ocean.
Solution:
There is a growing number of biodegradable sunscreens available, and in most cases they are not more expensive than normal sunscreen. In some places, like Hawaii, you are forced to use this kind of sunscreen because all others are banned. Save our oceans and use biodegradable sunscreen.
Reef safe sunscreen:
- Mama Kuleana Waterproof SPF 30 Reef-safe Sunscreen $ 29.99 on Amazon
- Kokua Sun Care Hawaiian SPF 50 Natural Zinc Sunscreen $ 29.95 on Amazon
- Stream2Sea SPF 30 Mineral Sunblock $ 16.95 on Amazon
Body wash, toothpaste & cosmetic products
Problem:
Everybody must have used, at once in their life, an “exfoliating” body wash. The problem with this type of body wash is that the exfoliating balls are made out of plastic. The plastic goes down the drain and eventually ends up in the ocean, contributing to the massive plastic soup. The plastic is already so small the fish and other marine life eat it and thereby it works it’s way up the food chain. Eventually, it ends up on your plate when you eat fish or other products from the ocean. These micro-plastics can also be found in toothpaste and cosmetic products like mascara and lip gloss.
Solution:
Simple. Buy toothpaste, body wash or cosmetics without micro plastics. Save our oceans by taking products that contain micro plastics off of our shopping lists and off the market.
Fertilizers
Problem:
Using fertilizers helps to grow our lawn, fruits, and vegetables… but they also have a harmful impact on the ocean. When it rains, much of the fertilizer drains into the ground, trickling trough all the way to the ground water level. This eventually will reach a river or stream which will carry the fertilizer to the ocean. In there it does what it’s made to do, grow things, especially algae. Normally algae are a vital part of the eco-system, but thanks to the fertilizer they take over the system. The toxins they release cause big dead spots in the area where no marine life can live. Eventually the algae will die but the ecosystem will take years to recover.
Solution:
Don’t fertilize your lawn or anything in your garden. The little brown spots aren’t worth the damage you are doing to the ocean. Another options is buying food which uses less fertilizer or none at all. Save our oceans by eliminating the use of fertilizer.
7 of the 10 largest algae deadzones in the world are located in the Baltic sea.
