The health of the ocean shouldn’t be ignored. It’s a crucial part of human life. Unfortunately, it seems as we are making the ocean to become worse. We are rapidly making harmful effects on the ocean. Marine life is as important as our lives. Their ecosystem must be protected.
The things that you can do to save the ocean don’t always have to be big. The smallest action still matters. So here are 17 Tips for Ocean Conservation that you should know. Give them a go and save the ocean from destruction.
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1. Learn about Oceans and Their Inhabitants
The first tip for ocean conservation is to educate yourself. Learn about the marine ecosystem and everything that lives in it. Read the research, findings, talk to experts or watch documentaries. When you understand why conserving the ocean matters, you will be motivated to make changes. You will also want to implement the solution in your life. Even better, you might come up with other ways to protect the marine ecosystem.
2. Refuse to Purchase Products from Marine Exploitation
There are products made from the oceans but they are actually harmful to the ecosystem. This is why it’s so important to know where your products come from. If you think a product was sourced unethically, refuse to purchase it. This will discourage further marine exploitation as no one wants to buy it.
3. Don’t Buy Plastic Bottles
You may think that plastic bottles are recyclable but that’s not entirely true. Only 1 out 5 bottles are often recycled. Others end up in landfills and the oceans. These plastic bottles will take around 450 years to decompose. Some may even need 1000 years. So try not to buy plastic bottles when you can.
Read more: How to Prevent Plastics in the Ocean
4. Use Less Plastic Bags
Plastic bags may seem convenient. However, the ocean doesn’t think so. Most plastic bags are found in the ocean. Turtles could eat plastic bags because they look like jellyfish in the water. What you can do is to always bring your own bag instead of using the plastic ones.
5. Don’t Use Plastic Straws
You can help ocean conservation by not using plastic straws. These straws do end up in the ocean. They hurt marine animals and contaminate ocean water. They don’t break down easily either because, after all, they are made from plastic.
See also: Threats to Sea Turtles
6. Recycle and Upcycle Your Things
Separate your trash and recycle what you can recycle. This will help prevent harmful products in the ocean. Aside from recycling, consider upcycling. This is where you turn your discarded materials into something useful again. For instance, turn old tires into buckets or clothes into bags.
Also see: Causes of Plastic Pollution in the Ocean
7. Don’t Litter the Beach
Always remind yourself to take care of your trash while you’re having fun at the beach. Littering the beach will surely harm the ocean. A tip for ocean conservation that is related to this is to bring a bag where you can just toss in your trash. Take them back home and dispose properly.
8. Buy Less Fast Fashion Items
Did you know that most fast fashion industries leak toxic chemicals into nearby rivers? The water that flows in these polluted rivers will go out to the sea which is not great at all. So make an effort to buy less fast fashion items. Learn where and how these items are made. Also, the impacts that they are making to the environment.
9. Join and Support Ocean Organizations
The next tip for ocean conservation is to support ocean organizations. You can donate, get involved in their petitions or join their activities. When ocean organizations grow bigger and gain more support, there is more power to influence people to conserve the ocean too. Besides that, the organizations can demand better laws and regulations to the government.
10. Reduce Electricity Consumption
Plug off your electrical items when you’re not using them. Consume electricity as necessary. It takes a lot of fossil fuel to generate power. This will result in making the ocean highly acidic as it takes in all that carbon dioxide we’re producing.
See more: Ways to Stop Ocean Acidification
11. Push for Greener Energy
Another tip for ocean conservation is to push for greener energy. Demand your government to start using other sources of power that will not harm the ocean. Aside from that, you can also start on your own. Install solar cells at your home if possible. You may also want to use efficient appliances at home.
12. Avoid Dumping Harmful Chemicals from Home
The chemicals that you use to clean your home or wash your clothes can contain harmful chemicals. They promote algal blooms. Start using products that are friendly to the environment. Read the labels and choose the ones that have less phosphate in them. You may also start looking for recipes to make your own soap or detergent if you want to.
Also read: Causes of Increase in Ocean Temperature
13. Make People around You Care
Raising awareness is the key here. Talk about the condition of the ocean to your friends and family. Show them pictures, statistics or videos of the pollution that is happening to the marine ecosystem. You may not be able to change their mind quickly but when they see how much you truly care, they may start to care about the ocean as well.
Other Tips That You Should Try
Don’t leave out these additional tips that you can do to contribute to ocean conservation.
- Force Companies to be More Responsible: Use your consumer power to demand less plastic products and more recycling programs.
- Support Local and Sustainable Businesses: They can bring changes to consumer habit which will make them care more about the ocean.
- Eat Sustainable Seafood: Some seafood has labels indicating that they are sustainable.
- Reduce Your Carbon Footprint: Walk, ride a bicycle or public transportation to decrease carbon emission.
Read more: Effects of Pollution on Coral Reefs
Do as much as you can to take part in ocean conservation. These tips can serve as your guide but don’t stress yourself out. Small but gradual changes are okay. Convince others to do the same as there is power in number.