What You Can Do to Help Save Our Oceans

Heading to the beach this summer? Maybe you just love the ocean! Here are some things you can implement into your daily lives to help save the oceans and make it cleaner and more fun for everyone!

One of the main things you can do to help our oceans is to donate to one of these websites, which help protect different ecosystems and parts of the ocean:

1.  The Coral Reef Alliance-- helps save the world's coral reefs from bleaching and destruction using the latest technology

2. The Surfrider Foundation-- fights for the reduction of damaging plastics, ocean protection from challenges like habitat loss and pollution, access to beaches for everyone, protection of worldwide beaches and natural shorelines, and easy access to clean water

3. The Plastic Pollution Coalition-- advocates to eliminate plastic pollution from the ocean and limit its harmful impact

4. The Ocean Conservancy-- works to protect our oceans from threats like oil drilling, plastic pollution, and climate change

Also, here are some habits that help our oceans that you can implement into your daily life:

Try to stay away from salmon farmed in Canada, Chile, Norway, or Scotland, shrimp from Ecuador, Thailand, Myanmar, Honduras, and some areas of the US and Canada, and any tuna that has been imported using purse seines with FADs or is caught in the Indian Ocean. Try to stay away from bluefin tuna in general as well, as its population has severely declined in the past few decades due to serious overfishing.

For context, purse seines are extremely large nets, and FADs (fish aggregating devices) lure the fish to the net. All of the fish from the areas listed above are fished using unsustainable practices, according to the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch, harming the surrounding environment.

Try and pick up trash wherever you see it, especially if it's on the beach. Trash on land can be blown into the oceans by wind, and beaches are hotspots for all sorts of junk to wash up. If we all take on this initiative, we could substantially decrease the amount of plastic pollution in the ocean!

Avoid single-use plastics and make sure to check if your plastic is recyclable. Single-use plastics are extremely wasteful and make up a large portion of the trash across the ocean, so try to skip on using those whenever you can. Styrofoam (polystyrene) is also very harmful as it breaks up very easily and can spread almost anywhere, so skip that, too.

Also, not every plastic is recyclable. There are numbers on the recycle symbol on each plastic, and each one means a different plastic. Recycle numbers 1 (PETE) and 2 (HDPE) for sure, as all plants will accept. You can check out your local recycling plant's details on what they recycle for more information, as numbers 4 (LDPE) and 5 (PP) are sometimes recycled depending on the plant. However, numbers 3 (PVC), 6 (PS), and 7 (other) are almost never recycled, so it is advised to reuse those plastics. Try to stay away from number 3, which is PVC, as it is extremely harmful to the hormonal system, and try not to buy number 6, polystyrene, in the first place-- it breaks down very easily and can barely be reused due to its fragility.

Try to bring your own reusable bags to the grocery store, as many recycling plants do not accept grocery store bags due to the material they are made out of: number 4, low density polyethylene (LDPE). If you can, some grocery stores also offer paper bags upon request, and if you do end up bringing some plastic bags home, try to reuse them for other purposes-- for example, carrying shoes or acting as a trash bag! Also, some specific grocery stores do accept those bags for recycling, so you can also go to those locations if your local plant doesn't do it.

Another thing you can do to help the oceans is select specific clothing made of environmentally-friendly fabrics. Polyester and nylon are both fabrics to avoid, as they are non-biodegradable, made from oil, use large amounts of water to produce, and release small microfibers with every wash. These microfibers can wash into the ocean and are ingested by marine life, causing a harmful buildup of it inside their bodies. However, this is not to be confused with recycled polyester, which is generally made of recycled plastic bottles and other single-use plastic items. Try to also stay away from acrylic fabrics, which are used in warm winter clothing. Despite their warmth, their production process harms workers and the environment due to its dangerous chemicals, it is non-biodegradable, and the chemicals in the fabric can even enter your body just by touching it! Finally, rayon is another material to avoid. Rayon is made from plants, but its production process releases dangerous chemicals that harm workers and the surrounding environment. Also, as it is made from plants, its production increases deforestation-- so it does more bad than good. When looking for a good go-to fabric that isn't detrimental to the environment, your best options will be organic/recycled cotton, organic hemp, lyocell, organic linen, or recycled polyester.

Lastly, choose environmentally-friendly personal care products. Any face wash or soap with microbeads is harmful to the environment, as it washes into the ocean after you wash it off your body in the shower. Stay away from products that contain squalene, which can be found in various cosmetics and sunscreens. It is an oil found in shark livers, so try to find products with alternatives like vegan squalene or plant-based squalene to help save endangered sharks that are being killed for their squalene. Sunscreens containing oxybenzone, avobenzone, octocrylene, enzacamene, and homosalate are terrible for coral reefs, so try to use alternatives that contain another active ingredient like zinc oxide or titanium oxide. In addition, avoid triclosan (TCS), which is found in various cleaning and sanitizing products like hand sanitizer, hand soap, and antibacterial wipes. It is considered toxic and can accumulate in algae and lots of marine animals. Asbestos is also a harmful chemical that can still be found in many products despite being banned in 1989. You can find a guide to products with asbestos here.