You don't have to go deep to find the beauty of Mother Ocean. I found these guys in about a foot-and-a-half of water while snorkeling at Shacks Beach. Reminder: treat Mother Ocean like your life depends on her.
I hope I am preaching to the choir here. How can we, as individuals, make change happen?
First, be the change you want to see. A cliché? Maybe, but true none-the-less. Whether you live on an island, surrounded by ocean as we do now, or near the Great Lakes like we used to, or a river or stream or just visit a local lake in a park. Be the behavior you want to see in others.
Take a hint from backpackers - "take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but foot prints" and scuba divers - "take nothing but photos, leave nothing but bubbles." If you bring something to a beach, take it home with you, whatever it is.
Sunscreens are popular especially early in the summer season or on that mid-winter tropical vacation. Many sunscreen products contain oxybenzone and/or parabens. These chemicals are toxic to corals and other marine life. Even if you live far away from the ocean, your sunscreen can still be harmful.
Oxybenzone and parabens are not filtered by waste-water treatment plants. The sunscreen you shower off after at day at the beach winds up in a near-by stream or lake and eventually in the ocean. Research and use one of the environmentally safe(r) products. There are a number of them out there.
Limit your use of single-use plastics like water bottles. I know it's hard. Our island is addicted to single-use plastics. But work at it. At least reduce your own dependence on them. National Geographic has a program called "Planet or Plastic," a multi-year effort "to raise awareness of the global plastic trash crisis."
All your personal choices matter.Take personal responsibility to make the planet just a little bit better. After all, this is the only planet we have. (Another cliché, I know.)
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