World Ocean’s Day - 8th June 2021
‘I must go down to the seas again,
To the lonely sea and the sky,
And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by’.
SEA FEVER by John Masefield
Most of us, especially if we don’t live near the sea, think we are not damaging our oceans.
Why then are we regularly seeing documentaries on TV about the climate crisis and the threats to our oceans? If we live inland and only pay the occasional visit to the seaside, and we carefully collect our rubbish afterwards, we convince ourselves that at least ‘we’ are not damaging the ocean in any way. But, is this true? Let’s take a bit of a deeper look.
Do we know where the plastic wrappings on our fruit, vegetables, and much else that we buy in the supermarket go when we bin them? Are we still drinking from plastic water bottles, and do we know what happens to them after we dump them? Are we using destructive chemical toilet cleaners, washing up liquid made from petro-chemicals, or biological washing powder? Are we buying fruit and/or veg from the Southern Hemisphere which have many air miles on and thus contribute to global warming, contributing to the melting of the polar icecaps? Are we silent when friends or family are planning a cruise?
While it is true that much must be done at national, EU and Global levels if we are going to be able to continue to exist as a species on this earth, there is an onus on each of us as individuals too to halt this tide of global destruction. Here are a few simple steps that will make a difference.
1. Use only environmentally friendly toilet/bathroom/kitchen cleaning products. These are readily available in health stores, zero-waste stores, and in some supermarkets. Or make your own from natural products like bread soda, lemon juice, and vinegar – there is much information on how to do this on the internet.
2. Ask your local supermarket to stock more of these – and you may have to ask a few times!
3. Decide to reduce or eliminate plastic from your home and your life. It takes determination but if it contributes to saving the world for our grandchildren, surely it’s worth it?
4. Use only natural body care products which are devoid of micro beads – these have become hugely hazardous to marine life.
5. If you live near the seaside or a river join a beach-cleaning or river-bank-cleaning group – always taking care to be safety aware.
6. Encourage friends and family to grow something or re-wild something – all the natural systems are interdependent and the destruction of one has an effect on all.
7. Learn more about the risks to our oceans by joining an environmental group.
Nowadays many high-profile figures belong to ‘save the earth’ or ‘save the seas’ groups and have plenty of useful (and scary) information on this topic on their websites. One who focusses particularly on the dangers to our oceans is Leonardo Di Caprio – his speech some years ago to the U.N. is short, to the point and well worth watching. Leonardo has recently pledged $43m to help restore the Galapagos Islands.
Surely, we can replace our toxic toilet cleaners with a more natural one which won’t damage our oceans and surely we can also refill it when it runs out.