Hi there! I know I have already posted before about the dangers plastic has on sea life, but today I wanted to talk about one plastic product specifically… plastic straws. This summer when I went to Sea Camp at Texas A&M Galveston I made many new friends, who all shared the same passion for sea life as I did. One of them told me about how he no longer uses plastic straws because of the harmful effects they have had on sea life, and he has no need to use them. This got me thinking. After I did some research, I was inspired to do the same and you should too! Here is why:

For many of us, plastic straws are not a necessity but rather a convenience. With this convenience, there is a high price to pay that in the end is just not worth it: the endangerment of sea life. According to strawlessocean.org, Americans use over 500 million plastic straws A DAY! And where do most of these straws end up?? Well, unfortunately, most end up in the ocean. As the source says “plastic straws are among the top 10 items found during beach clean ups” and if nothing is done to decrease the amount of plastic ending up in the ocean, “by 2025 there will be MORE PLASTIC in the ocean than fish” !! Plastic is so harmful to sea life, as many sea rescue organizations and research centers have seen first hand the dangerous, life threatening effects plastic has had on all too many creatures in the ocean.

For those who maybe need to use a straw (i.e. someone with a physical disability) or for someone who just really feels they want to use one… there are alternatives such as reusable straws! Think you fall into this category of people? Click here and you can buy one for yourself from Sand Cloud for only $4! Now I understand what you might be thinking.. having to carry around a reusable straw all the time would be a bit of an inconvenience… but the alternative, using a plastic straw, will most likely contribute to much worse results. 

Contrary to what many might think, making a difference in our world and the environment is not always so difficult! Sometimes it can be as simple as no longer using plastic straws! So join me, join the cause, and help save the sea life one plastic straw at a time!  😉

1. Pick Up Trash and Reduce, Reuse & Recycle Plastic

One of the big reasons animals arrive at our hospital is due to pollution. Turtles mistake plastic bags for jellyfish, birds get entangled in fishing line, and animals get stuck in plastic wrappings. These are all things that can easily be avoided by simply disposing of our trash correctly, recycling and reducing plastic use. Picking up any trash you see can help, and if you are feeling extra ambitious you can even organize your own cleanup. Spending a beautiful day on the beach, surrounded by friends, all while saving the ocean, what could be better than that?

2. Conserve Water

Did you ever consider that saving the environment could also save you money as well?! It sure can, by following a couple easy steps; your average monthly water bill can be greatly reduced. Checking for leaks consistently, not running water while completing tasks like brushing your teeth, changing out showerheads to a low flow model, and even reusing water for things like watering the plants has the ability to not only save water but your pocketbook as well.

3. Use Environmentally-Friendly Products

Clean for us, doesn’t necessarily mean clean for the environment. While doing dishes, laundry, and disinfecting your house, it is important to keep in mind where all of the products you are using end up once they go down the drain. Although water treatment plants are able to minimize the effect of these chemicals, it is always a good idea to use environmentally-friendly cleaning products. Along with that, there are a lot of homemade natural ways to clean your home as well. With these 10 products on hand, your home will be ready for any dirty situation!

• White Vinegar: Can be used to kill germs and bacteria.
• Baking Soda: Eliminates odors and works a gentle scouring powder
• Borax: Removes dirt, eliminates odors, and acts as an antifungal and disinfectant.
• Hydrogen Peroxide: A non-toxic bleach and stain remover, and disinfectant.
• Club Soda: A stain remover and polisher.
• Lemon Juice: A non-toxic bleach, grease- cutter, and stain remover that smells great too!
• Corn Meal: Works perfect to absorb carpet spills!
• Olive oil: Can be used as a furniture polish.
• Pure Essential Oils: These can be added to your homemade cleaning supplies to add a nice fragrance!

Don’t forget about your personal care items like toothpaste, face scrubs and other cosmetics. These all go down the drain, too! Use eco-friendly products when possible and avoid any products with microbeads, which are tiny plastic particles that end up as a big microplastic problem in the ocean.

4. Know Where Your Food Comes From

Another way to help the ocean is paying attention to where your seafood comes from. While it may seem as if the ocean is abundant and full of a never-ending supply of fish, this may not always be the case. Due to overfishing, a lack of environmental-minded management, and our own consumption habits, our fish populations are declining. Not only is this a problem for the fish themselves, but also to the communities that rely on the fishing industry for their income. In order to ensure that these fish populations thrive, and fisherman continue to have jobs, there are easy steps we can take!

One of the simplest things the public can do is ask local grocery stores and restaurants if they sell sustainable seafood. If consumers make it known that sustainable food is what they are going to buy, eventually that is what stores will sell! Another easy thing to do is to download a sustainable seafood app! These interactive apps give you recommendations for places near you that serve sustainable food, search for seafood quickly by its common market name, and allow access to notes and reports on conservation.

5. Be an Ocean-Friendly Pet Owner

While it is common courtesy to pick up after your pet, it can also help save the ocean! Dogs and cats produce 10 million tons of waste each year in the U.S. alone. This waste can be harmful to water supplies. When it rains, that carries the waste into rivers, beaches and bays introducing harmful bacteria to those areas. If the amount of bacteria gets too high it could be unsafe for drinking and swimming. An easy fix is to always pick up your pets’ waste! There are even biodegradable poop bags available, to minimize the use of plastic.

As for all of the cat lovers, it is important to know which litter to purchase. Some cat litters contain carcinogenic silica dust that can even be harmful to your cat.  Buying eco-friendly cat litter can eliminate the risk for your cat, and the ocean. And another important thing to remember is never flush your pet’s waste down the toilet! That leads it directly to the water.

6. Get Involved, Go Outside!

There is no better way to learn than through experience. If you are interested in the world’s oceans and wildlife in them, get involved with your local conservation organization. No matter what age you are, there are activities for everyone! At CMA, we offer summer camps, volunteer positions, and internships. We know that everyone has busy schedules, but getting involved is very rewarding and offers unique experiences. Volunteering allows you to meet new people and connect with your community on a deeper level and allows you to share your new-found knowledge with everyone. And if you’re unable to volunteer, just visiting your local nature centers is a wonderful way to support these causes.

Even if you aren’t the adventurous type, it’s always a good idea to go outside! When people think of adventure, they often think of traveling to far off places, but we often forget the beauty in our own backyards. Living in Florida, we have a myriad of activities that allow you to learn about the ocean. Whether you go snorkeling, scuba diving or swimming, having the ocean so close gives us the unique opportunity to see its wildlife up close. The more we go out into nature, the more connected we are with it, leaving us more determined to conserve the world we love.

From the people at: Clear Water Marine Aquarium

This summer I went to Sea Camp at Texas A&M Galveston where I was able to learn about and get a hands on experience with different ocean careers. I met the coolest people and did some pretty amazing things such as dissecting a shark and meeting a penguin named Fontina! Here are some pictures from my week!

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This is so inspiring:

Children from Draschestrasse Vienna Bilingual School speak out against ocean plastic pollution on World Environment Day in Vienna, Austria. See www.kidssaveocean.com to learn more or engage.

Today my friends and I went to the Dallas World Aquarium where we got to see all kinds of cool animals and sea creatures! Here are some fun pictures from our day! My favorite part was either the shark tank tunnel or seeing the stork, because one of my friends nicknamed me stork a few years ago haha!

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If you have not already heard of the brand Sand Cloud, you should really check it out! They have everything from sand resistant towels, to cute and comfy clothes & accessories. They also have an awesome ambassador program where you can receive points and discounts! Best of all their mission is to save marine life and they do so by donating 10% of their profits to non-profit organizations that support marine life! Below is a picture of some of the cool things I have bought from them! If you want to support their cause and purchase some merch of your own click here. Continue reading →

There are many countries where it’s still legal to hunt and kill Sea Turtles – See the Map below – then read the whole story HERE.

And they are saving them from guess who? Yup – PLASTIC! This is a real problem – but glad to see kids like us are doing something about it.

Despite the vastness of Earth’s oceans, plastic pollutants are turning up everywhere, from the deep sea to the Arctic ice pack. In this short film from filmmaker Chris Hanson, 17 Hawaiian students study the impact of plastic pollution on their local beaches.

Take a dive with Ariadne Reynolds, a marine biologist restoring the underwater ecosystem in Santa Monica Bay. SUPER COOL – Check it out:

Plastic is piling up in the Oceans like crazy – it’s a serious problem – let’s all work together to keep it out of the water – read/watch this:

Plastic pollution poses one of the biggest known threats to the ocean, influencing all ecosystems from beautiful coral reefs to abyssal trenches, eventually accumulating in our own food. Learn more about how to upend the current system of produce-use-discard, and transition to a system which promotes reuse and repurposing of plastics.