5 Ways You Can Help the Ocean

It’s one thing to invite you to “step up your game” on behalf of the health of our oceans and our planet, but what does this mean exactly? Let’s consider some of the ways that we can take action.

Our oceans offer us so very much, from providing us with the majority of the air that we breathe (70 percent of our oxygen from phytoplankton from the ocean) to nourishing us with plentiful food. Some of the ways in which we can return the favor include:

• Using fewer plastic products. This might be the single easiest step we can take. And we can take it right away. We can replace plastic shopping bags with reusable cloth bags, we can use reusable water bottles, and we can stop using disposable storage for food and other items. Often our used plastics wind up in the ocean, killing marine life and degrading the environment of the ocean.

• Almost as easy as halting our reliance on plastics is to take care of beaches when we visit the ocean. Note if there are sea turtles nesting, and be mindful of artificial lights at night. Learn about how these can negatively impact sea turtles. Pick up trash that others might have left behind or that has washed in on the tide. Don’t walk on the dunes that are protecting the beach. Maybe even organize beach clean-ups whenever you visit the ocean.

• Not as easy but so very powerfully important to the health of the oceans, the health of the planet, and our own future: consider your carbon footprint. How are your actions contributing to the warming of the planet? Are there ways in which you can mitigate your impact? Can you replace the energy you consume in your home and office with solar or wind power? Can you use public transportation more often? A vegetarian diet is much more sustainable and climate friendly than a meat-based diet. There are so very many ways in which we can become more sustainable with our energy habits.

• If you do choose nourishment from the oceans, whether seaweed or fish, make choices that are sustainable. Many fish populations are being overfished and depleted due to consumer demand; educate yourself on which choices are sustainable as well as healthful.

• Consider supporting one or more of the many organizations and nonprofits that work on behalf of the health of our oceans. From organizations that contribute to educational literacy in regard to ocean facts, to organizations that physically stop overfishing, there are many great groups that could use your financial support as well as your advocacy and help sharing the message of care for our oceans.

We would be delighted if you shared this message of hope and action for our oceans as well as our gift of a meditation practice to honor the lessons of the oceans