If your family's spending time by the sea this summer, remember to bear in mind this beach mantra: "Take only photos; leave only footprints." While problems like global warming, oil spills, and toxic waste all contaminate the ocean, your everyday actions—both by the shore and at home—could help clean up the sea. Read on to find out how you can tread more lightly on the sand this season and, in turn, protect the entire planet from pollution.
Choose a Safe Sunscreen
In a 2008 study published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, scientists discovered that chemicals found in certain sunscreens are destroying coral reefs across the globe. Their research revealed that—even at extremely low concentrations—four commonly used sunscreen ingredients can cause reef-dwelling viruses to replicate and infect nearby algae that are responsible for feeding coral. Without nourishment from these algae, coral turns white (or "bleaches") and dies. As many as 10 percent of coral reefs may suffer from sunblock-related bleaching, according to the study's authors.
But using sunscreens containing physical blockers (such as zinc oxide or titanium dioxide) instead of chemical blockers may help lessen the impact on coral, notes study author Roberto Danovaro. What's more, physical blockers (which work by stopping the sun's rays from penetrating your skin) have been shown to offer better protection from sun damage than chemical blockers (which work by reflecting ultraviolet rays). For help in finding a safe sunscreen for your family, read Mindful Mama's guide to the best sunscreens or visit the Environmental Working Group's Cosmetic Safety Database.
Respect the Reefs
Sunscreen chemicals aren't the only threat to coral reefs, which provide food and habitat to an incredible array of sea creatures (including sponges, oysters, clams, crabs, shrimp, star fish, sea urchins, jellyfish, sea anemones, sea turtles, and a number of species of fish). In fact, a 2007 study from Public Library of Science ONE found that coral reefs in the Indo-Pacific (which contains 75 percent of the world's reefs) are vanishing twice as quickly as tropical rainforests, most likely due to climate-change-induced warming of the ocean waters. Although major efforts to reduce global warming are needed to save coral reefs, according to the study's authors, it's also crucial for beach-goers to avoid touching, breaking, or attempting to collect coral when snorkeling and diving. Curbing on urban runoff (see "Stay Ocean-Friendly Everyday") may also help slow the decline in coral populations.
Take Out the Trash
Gathering up all your garbage and taking it to the trash can—or, if no receptacles are available, bringing your rubbish home with you—is one of the easiest strategies for keeping the beach clean and stopping your waste items from getting swept out to sea. But instead of simply picking up after yourself, ask your family to devote 10 minutes at the end of your outing to dispose of any debris in the areas surrounding your beach spot. Be on the lookout for plastic in particular: Research shows that, in the North Pacific alone, more than 100,000 sea animals, a million birds, and countless fish die every year from eating plastic or getting tangled in plastic and drowning.
Choosing reusable plates, cutlery, cups, and napkins over the disposable variety can help keep trash from piling up in the first place. It's also smart to skip the plastic bottles and fill up a stainless-steel thermos with filtered water. Here are some more suggestions for eco-friendly beach gear.
If you live by the beach or plan to vacation in a seaside town this season, contact the local chapter of the Surfrider Foundation about participating in a beach cleanup. You can also join in the Ocean Conservancy's 24th annual International Coastal Cleanup, which will take place on September 19, 2009. At last year's cleanup, more than 6.8 million pounds of trash were picked up by nearly 400,000 volunteers in 104 countries.
Protect As You Play
Encourage the kids to confine their sand play to building castles by the shore. Sand dunes—which shield the land from storm waves and shelter a number of plants and animals—are exceptionally fragile and sensitive to erosion, so it's crucial to avoid walking on them.
If your family's a fan of fishing, make sure to retrieve all your gear (including lines and lures) at the end of your excursion. Even it's tangled or broken, fishing gear can harm dolphins, manatees, and other forms of marine life. And when boating, try to keep wake to a minimum in order to reduce shoreline erosion and damage to marine plants. And look for greener fishing gear, including line, lures, and weights.
Find a Safe Beach
To keep out of contaminated ocean water, the
Natural Resources Defense Council suggests sticking with beaches where
authorities frequently test the water quality, avoiding spots with
nearby discharge pipes, and staying out of the water anytime there's a
closing or safety advisory. It's also crucial to skip swimming after a
heavy rainfall, when large amounts of runoff and sewage flow to the
ocean.
To learn more about your beach before heading to the
shore, check out the NRDC's Beachgoers Water Quality Map. Sizing up the safety of beaches
throughout California, the Northeast, Southeast, and Hawaii (as well as
the Great Lakes), the map bases its ratings on a number of rigorous
criteria (such as whether the national health standard for bacteria was
exceeded in less than five percent of the water samples taken every
year for the last three years).
Stay Ocean-Friendly Everyday
Giving your daily routine an eco-makeover can go a long way in helping the ocean. Here's how your family can get more ocean-friendly.
Lighten Your Carbon Footprint
In a 2006 study published in the journal Nature, scientists reported that global warming is killing off ocean plants that help feed fish, marine birds, and sea mammals. Since the Earth's atmosphere needs those same plants to soak up its carbon dioxide, the decrease in plant life might further promote global warming, according to the study's authors.
To help stall global warming, curb your carbon emissions by driving less frequently and biking, walking, or using public transportation more often. When you do need to drive, consider carpooling.
You can also reduce your energy consumption—and save money—by making your home more energy-efficient; check out the U.S. Department of Energy's "Energy Savers" guide for tips. And whenever possible, choose cleaner, renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar power. Installing a solar thermal system to heat your home and water, for instance, could decrease your carbon emissions by about 720 pounds annually, estimates the Environmental Protection Agency.
Purchase Greener Products
Toxic chemicals can contaminate local waterways after they're washed down the drain. To help keep those chemicals out of the ocean, opt for household cleaners made with chemically safe ingredients, or scrub up with natural cleansers like baking soda, vinegar, and lemon juice.
Whenever you do need to dump harsh cleaners (or other potentially harmful products, such as paint or oil), the Natural Resources Defense Council recommends contacting your local sanitation, public works, or environmental health department for the lowdown on its hazardous-waste collection services. Getting your septic tank cleaned out every three to five years can also help reduce groundwater contamination.
Personal-care products containing polyethylene (a form of plastic) may threaten ocean health as well. Found in several major facial exfoliators and cleansers, particles of polyethylene eventually seep into the ocean, where they pollute the water and get ingested by sea animals.
Wipe Out Your Waste
Each year, the average American generates more than 1,460 pounds of trash, according to the Ocean Conservancy. To cut back on waste and reduce the amount of trash that ultimately turns into marine debris, keep a careful watch over your at-home recycling efforts, snub products with excessive packaging, and purchase items made from recycled materials as often as possible. Buying your grains, beans, snacks, pasta, and other food items from the bulk bins can help you avoid packaging altogether while significantly lowering your grocery-spending. And when food-shopping, remember to choose locally grown goods whenever available in order to curb the carbon emissions involved in food transportation.
Reduce Runoff
A major source of ocean contamination is urban runoff, an effect that occurs when rain picks up pollutants from the land and carries them down to the shore. Gasoline and oil from vehicles, pesticides and fertilizers used in home landscaping, and waste from pets and wild animals are just a few of the contaminants found in runoff, which clouds ocean water with pathogens, bacteria, and other infectious agents that can harm the health of humans and marine life.
Here's how to do your part in reducing runoff:
- Nourish your lawn and garden with compost or peat instead of chemical fertilizers.
- Sweep your walkways and driveways rather than hosing them down.
- Avoid topping off when filling your gas tank.
- Wash your car on the lawn instead of on the street or in the driveway.
- Make sure your home's gutters and spouts lead to soil or grass instead of blacktop or cement.
- Empty your swimming pool on the grass instead of into the street.
- Clean up your pet's waste from the ground.
- Check your car regularly to ensure that it's not leaking hazardous fluids like oil, coolant, or antifreeze.
Get Water-Wise
Cutting back on your at-home water use lessens the amount of H20 that needs to be treated with chemicals before entering the ocean. Some top water-saving tactics include watering your lawn and garden in the morning and evening (to minimize evaporation); washing your produce in a pan of water instead of running water from the tap; installing water-efficient shower heads and faucet aerators; and turning off the tap when shaving, scrubbing up, or brushing your teeth.
For more tips on living green at home, check out Mindful Mama's 30 Day Healthy Home Challenge.
Los Angeles-based freelance writer Elizabeth Barker is learning to surf in the not-so-pristine waters of Venice Beach.