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Even The Small Changes You Make Can Contribute To Overall Ocean Conservation

By Peter Stevens


It seems hard to believe that, in the face of rising sea temperatures and melting icecaps, there are those who still refuse to consider that the human species is having a negative impact on the earth. They put it all down to political chicanery and hysterical liberals with an agenda. Many of those climate change deniers however, will concede that ocean conservation is not a bad thing, if it doesn't cause them too much trouble.

If you are one of the people who respects the environment and is concerned about any negative impact you could have on it, there are some simple things you can do. Teaching your children that walking and biking are viable modes of transportation and that they don't emit noxious fumes into the atmosphere is a beginning. You can turn out lights when you leave a room and turn the thermostat down when you leave the house.

Plastic is convenient and many people use it without thinking about its impact on the earth. When this material gets in the oceans, it can destroy marine life and last for years. There are actually islands in the Pacific and Atlantic that consist of nothing but the trash left behind by the human species. If you take pains to avoid littering, recycle, use cloth bags for shopping, and reusable water bottles, you will make a difference.

Beaches are amazing wonders of nature. People love to visit them and sometimes leave their trash behind like calling cards. You should teach your children to pick up everything around them when they leave a beach. They need to understand that, when diving, snorkeling, and swimming, it is not acceptable to collect coral and underwater rocks for souvenirs.

A lot of people love to eat seafood and believe fish is a healthy alternative to red meat. When you order rare and exotic species in restaurants and seafood markets, you are participating in the further destruction of a fragile ecosystem. Refusing to purchase items like shark teeth, tortoiseshell combs, and coral necklaces sends a message to shop owners that it is unacceptable to exploit marine populations.

Cat and dog owners need to read the labels on the food they feed their pets. You should never buy pet food that lists anything but sustainable seafood among the ingredients. Cat litter is not for flushing, no matter how it is advertised. Wild saltwater fish are not acceptable pets for aquariums, which should never be emptied into open water.

Concerned individuals, who don't know much about conservation, should educate themselves. How your elected officials vote on these issues is a matter of public record. You can teach your children to make informed decisions when it comes to supporting restaurants and seafood markets that will only offer sustainable seafood.

Protecting the earth is everyone's responsibility. For the moment, this is the only planet we have. If we destroy our ability to inhabit it, it won't matter whether you believed in climate change or not.




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