Green Options

Happy World Ocean Day!

This brief post is meant to arm you with the knowledge and know-how to take action to protect our oceans.

According to the WWF,

Over 80% of marine pollution comes from land-based activities
A staggering amount of waste, much of which has only existed for the past 50 years or so, enters the oceans each year.

From plastic bags to pesticides - most of the waste we produce on land eventually reaches the oceans, either through deliberate dumping or from run-off through drains and rivers. This includes:

• oil
• fertilizers
• solid garbage
• sewage
• toxic chemicals

From that bit of information we become quite aware that there are small changes we can make to help keep the oceans clean. However, to become part of a larger group of concerned citizens dedicated to the health of our oceans you may want to consider joining up with one of these five groups:

1. The Surfrider Foundation

OVERVIEW
The Surfrider Foundation is a non-profit grassroots organization dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of our world’s oceans, waves and beaches. Founded in 1984 by a handful of visionary surfers in Malibu, California, the Surfrider Foundation now maintains over 50,000 members and 80 chapters worldwide.

Roz Savage is the first to admit she’s not trying to “save the planet.” Despite all the abuses we heap upon it, Earth will be “just fine in several million years,” she says.

We humans, on the other hand, are making it increasingly likely that we’ll “drown in our own filth,” Savage warns. And to draw attention to just how bad we’ve let things get for this Big Blue Marble we call home, she recently rowed — that’s right, rowed — solo from San Francisco to Honolulu.

The 99-day, 2,324-mile trip started near midnight on May 25 and concluded with a pre-dawn arrival on Sept. 1 at the Waikiki Yacht Club.