10 Ways to Protect the Ocean
June is National Ocean Month where we celebrate the natural wonder that covers most of our planet! Did you know that more than half the oxygen we breath comes from the ocean? Or that there are over 200,000 documented marine species with potentially 2 million yet to be documented! The ocean is magnificent and needs to be protected. Here, in no particular order, are 10 things you can do live a more ocean-friendly life:
- Refuse single-use plastics
- Choose natural fiber clothes
- Eat sustainable seafood
- Eat less meat
- Don’t flush wipes
- Turn off the lights
- Pick up garbage while at the beach
- Choose reef-friendly sunscreen
- Support an ocean organization
- Vote for representatives who protect the ocean
1. Refuse single-use plastics
I know, duh, this is a plastic-free living blog after all. But if you need a refresher course, read Why is Plastic Bad for the Ocean?
2. Choose natural fiber clothes
It’s estimated that trillions of plastic microfibers are washed into the San Francisco Bay each year. All clothes shed microfibers when washed. They go down our drains and are too small to be filtered so they end up in our oceans. For microfibers made from natural materials like cotton, silk, and hemp, those will eventually degrade. But for microfibers made from synthetic materials like polyester and nylon, they act like plastic because they are essentially plastic. So, it’s important to choose natural fiber clothing.
3. Eat sustainable seafood
Eating sustainable seafood is key to the health of the ocean. Overfishing has decimated various species and ecosystems. So, choosing seafood that is sustainably fished ensures there’s less (or hopefully no) damage to an ecosystem. Below is the Seafood Watch list from Monterey Bay Aquarium. This list is specifically for California, you can find the others here.
4. Eat less meat
We hear a lot about how one of the best ways to reduce our carbon footprint is to eat less meat. There’s a lot of greenhouse gases emitted in growing food for farm animals, in the gases from the animals (cow farts in particular), and their transportation. But what you don’t hear about is how factory farming is extremely harmful to the ocean.
Factory farms involve a lot of fertilizers, chemicals, and animal waste (poop) which get washed into our waters and into the ocean. This toxic mix creates dead zones in the water where they end up by depleting all the oxygen.
So, where you can, reduce the amount of meat you eat and when you do eat meat, choose meat from organic pasture-raised farms that raise animals in an environmentally friendly way.
5. Don’t flush wipes
Wet wipes seem like a great idea for adults. I mean we use them for babies, right? But most wet wipes are made with plastic fibers so they are strong enough to get the job done. When they’re flushed, they end up clogging pipes and are a pain for sewage treatment plants. If you use wet wipes, be sure to throw them in the trash!
6. Turn off the lights
Another downside to carbon emissions and climate change is that the increase in carbon dioxide is causing ocean acidification. The increased acidity of the ocean has a myriad of consequence which we are only beginning to understand. From thinning the shells of shellfish to disturbing a fish’s ability to navigate, an increase in carbon dioxide is bad news. So, it’s important to be energy-wise.
7. Pick up garbage while at the beach
While visiting the beach, I’m sure you already pick up after yourself. But while you’re at it, why not pick up trash that you see. It might not be your trash but its still your beach.
8. Choose reef-friendly sunscreen
When searching for sunscreen, you want to buy ones that do not contain oxybenzone and octinoxate. These two UV-blocking chemicals can cause coral bleaching. Because of the potential damage to reefs, sunscreens with these chemicals have been banned from Hawaii! For a list of reef-friendly sunscreen, see here.
9. Support an ocean organization
I’ve been a long time volunteer of the Surfrider Foundation. They do amazing work to protect our waters. Other great organizations I’ve worked with include:
10. Vote for representatives who protect the ocean
We have a big election coming up in November and it’s important that we vote in representatives that protect the ocean. Be sure you know where your current representatives stand–not just at the federal level but at the state and local level too.
State representatives have passed legislation to stop oil drilling leases along the California coast when the current federal administration wanted to open up new oil leases along all coastlines.
Local representatives have passed plastic bag bans and straw bans that gave the state enough support to pass statewide legislation.
Long story short, know your representatives and candidates and whether they support our ocean.
What do you think? Can you do one or all ten of these things for National Ocean Month?
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