Most of us love, love, love the sea - playing on the beach, swimming, surfing, kayaking, paddleboarding, snorkeling, diving & sailing on her clear waters. Social media is filled with photos of her beauty because she soothes our souls - but how often do we take her for granted? Although astonishingly resilient, right now she requires our attention. The choices we are making are causing her deep harm, which inevitably harms us. Since we are causing the harm, we hold the power to transform the situation. This is under OUR control.

What follows is a lot of ways you can honor & respect & love & protect the ocean, every day.

You have our commitment that, with every item you purchase from luna | mare | donna, a portion goes to one of these groups dedicated to ocean conservation: 

Ocean Conservancy
Oceana
Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii
Conservation International

So here goes....


step one:
shift consciousness

What crazy bad spell have we collectively been placed under that would cause us to do such vast harm to the planet we rely on for our very survival? The fix? To begin, just stop, breathe deeply & reconnect to a time, not so long ago, when the Earth was pure & clean & healthy & vital. Attune your consciousness with that purity & intense wisdom. Make your decisions from this sacred place of clarity & understanding.


step two:
gather knowledge & act

To heal & restore the ocean, we must address the main problems affecting the ocean - climate change, chemical pollution & plastic pollution. Most of us understand the steps to take to address climate change. Here let’s discuss some ways to reduce chemical & plastic pollution.

chemical pollution

Chemical pollution comes from a variety of sources - our homes, farming, industry & air pollution.

Ask yourself, “What is my chemical footprint?”

“What chemicals do I release into the water every day - from my personal care products, my home cleaning products, my pharmaceuticals & the pesticides I use in my yard? Can I reduce my use of toxic products & instead use truly natural products?”

“Do I consider the pesticides going into the water supply when I buy non-organic foods? Could I increase my support of sustainable agriculture by purchasing from farmers using sustainable methods?”

“Could I reduce my overall consumption of unnecessary products & shift to non-petroleum-based items when possible to reduce industrial contamination?”

“Do I support a global shift to renewable energy & away from highly-polluting sources of energy like coal-fired power plants which contaminate air, soil & water with heavy metals like mercury?”

Basics:

  • Don’t: get conventional personal care products, like shampoo, conditioner, hair spray, other hair care products, body washes, lotions, deodorants & cosmetics with artificial scents, colors & unnecessary chemicals that go into the water & eventually flow to the sea. 

  • Do: get truly natural brands of cosmetics that use only natural scents, colors & ingredients.

  • Don’t: get conventional baby care products like shampoo & lotion with artificial scents, colors & other toxic chemicals. Not great for adults. Even worse for babies. 

  • Don’t: use conventional sunscreens, which contain chemicals that harm coral reefs. The State of Hawaii banned the use of harmful sunscreens to protect the reefs there. Hopefully other states & countries follow their lead. In the meantime, you do the leading.

  • Don’t: wait for government or anyone else to tell you what must be done. Be at the forefront.

  • Do: only use reef-safe sunscreens like Coola. 

  • Don’t: get conventional home cleaning products like laundry soap, fabric softener & dishwashing liquid with artificial scents, colors & unnecessary chemicals. 

  • Do: get truly natural home cleaning products with only natural scents, colors & ingredients.

  • Don’t: get cat litter with artificial scents or colors. 

  • Do: get unscented eco-friendly plant-based cat litter. 

  • Don’t: get conventional candles, air “fresheners” - sprays or those you plug into an outlet, fabric “fresheners” or any other household products containing artificial scents or colors. Why do this to yourself & your pets, every… single… day? It is harmful & completely unnecessary. It has to cease. 

  • Do: get candles made with natural essential oils from plants & use natural essential oils to scent your home safely. Bonus: real essential oils often come in small glass bottles that can be recycled. 

  • Don’t: get conventional nail polishes or other cosmetics containing phthalates. 

  • Do: if you use nail polish, get nail polishes that are 5-free, 7-free or better. Consider polishing only your toenails so that when you cook, the chemicals from polish on your fingernails don’t go into your food.

what are phthalates, anyway, & why should I care?

Phthalates are chemicals used in some products to stabilize artificial fragrance/color & in other products to soften plastics. About a billion pounds of phthalates are produced every year, making them now ubiquitous in the environment. We ingest them, inhale them & absorb them through our skin. This unnecessary exposure is due to both our over-reliance on plastic & our apparent addiction to artificial scents. It has been scientifically & clearly established that phthalates are endocrine disruptors, meaning they mimic our natural hormones & so mess with the innate functioning of our endocrine system. Phthalates have been linked to obesity, breast & other cancers, hypertension & cardiovascular disease, diabetes, asthma & other illnesses, including fertility problems, diminished sperm count & a decline in semen quality. Is all that plastic & fake scent/color really worth it? Um. No. In 2008, in the United States, three types of phthalates - DEHP, DBP & BBP - were permanently banned from children’s toys due to harmful effects. In 2017, five more phthalates were added to the ban. In the European Union, they have taken an extra-cautious approach & have banned DEHP, DBP & BBP in cosmetics also, not just in children’s toys. Additional research is coming in about the harmful effects of these chemicals. Thankfully, we do not have to wait for permission to begin to reduce this exposure. There is sufficient evidence of links with a multitude & variety of illnesses, including the “big ones” - cancer & cardiovascular disease - to employ what is called “the precautionary principle.” We can reduce unnecessary exposure to phthalates by eliminating excess plastics & artificial fragrance from our homes & workplaces, just in case future research concludes this was a health disaster. Better safe than sorry. There is no rational reason to continue this unnecessary exposure while also exposing other species on the planet to these novel chemical toxins that literally did not exist on the planet until the last century. This class of chemicals is just one of a myriad of untested chemicals we routinely use & spew out into the environment. It is not surprising that people are so unhealthy. Just stop.

plastic pollution

While the world is binging on plastics, the ocean is taking the hit. With rising attention to this problem on social media, control of plastic pollution is gaining some momentum. There has been reporting on areas of visible floating marine debris - like the Great Pacific Garbage Patch - & the harm to sea animals like turtles from plastics. Harder to see are the microplastics, which by definition are plastic pieces less than 5mm long. Microplastics come either indirectly from the breaking up of larger pieces of plastic or directly from sources like the microfibers released by laundering synthetic clothing, microbeads in cosmetics or accidental spills of nurdles, which are small plastic pellets used in the production of plastic products. One study estimated there are over 5 trillion pieces of plastic in the ocean. Remember that plastic NEVER really biodegrades. It only breaks into smaller pieces of plastic. Don’t think recycling is the main solution because about 91% of plastic is not actually recycled. Reduction of plastic use is key. Since plastic is a petroleum product, reducing its consumption also keeps petroleum in the ground. This way of living not only saves the planet but also saves you a lot of money because you are spending less on a bunch of stuff you probably don’t really require anyway. With less junk around, you might even feel clearer & less chaotic. 

Ask yourself, “What is my plastic footprint?”

When you assess your plastic consumption, you quickly become aware of all the plastic around you & how unconsciously addicted to it we have collectively become! Next, put yourself on a “plastic diet.” Search for things not in plastic & not made of plastic. Make it your mission to reduce unnecessary plastic for even a few days, sort of like an experiment. You do not have to go “plastic-free” which is nearly impossible. Each better decision you make helps. Determine what plastic is truly necessary, what is unnecessary & what is just plain gratuitous! Often we buy things we don’t really require because we are bored or feeling unhappy. So much of the time, we do something in the name of “convenience” without considering the long-term consequences of the decision. We share the world with other species. It is not at all “convenient” for them to be dying from our selfishness.

Basics

  • Don’t: smoke cigarettes. An occasional cigarette is not the problem. A daily habit is the problem - not healthy for you or for the planet. Each conventional cigarette contains a plastic non-biodegradable filter. Stats show cigarettes are the single biggest source of ocean trash. If you cannot quit for yourself, do it for the sea. No e-cigarettes either.

    Health tip: when you smoke a conventional cigarette, you heat that plastic filter & inhale those nasty plastic chemicals = badbadbad.

  • Do: if you must smoke, smoke only natural tobacco without a plastic filter, only a few.

  • Don’t: use plastic cigarette lighters. Even if you don’t smoke, don’t use them for other stuff.

  • Do: use paper or wooden matches or a refillable metal lighter.

  • Don’t: EVER EVER EVER release helium balloons, regular or shiny, into the air to celebrate an event or for any other reason. These can choke & kill sea life. You certainly don’t want your celebrations ending in unnecessary harm to or the death of a wild animal. Balloons, shiny or otherwise, are totally unnecessary plastics. Humanity should really get over the obsession with balloons.

Food & Eating Out

  • Don’t: use plastic straws.

  • Do: ask restaurants to stop using plastic straws & switch to paper straws. 

  • Do: know that stainless steel & glass straws are better options & are readily available for purchase.

  • Do: support & encourage legislation to ban plastic straws. 

  • Don’t: use single-use plastic utensils or cups for take-out or for parties. This is unnecessary. 

  • Do: use reusable metal utensils, plates & glassware for parties or use regular paper plates & cups & biodegradable utensils.

  • Don’t: use styrofoam cups or packaging peanuts or purchase any foods in styrofoam containers. 

  • Do: ask companies you buy from not to use styrofoam packaging. 

  • Do: support & encourage legislation to ban styrofoam.

  • Do: ask restaurants you frequent not to use styrofoam to-go containers. 

  • Don’t: use plastic stirrers, toothpicks or any other unnecessary similar plastic items.

  • Do: use a wood stirrer, a metal spoon or nothing. 

  • Do: use wood or reusable metal toothpicks.

  • Do: when taking leftover food to go, ask that it be put in a paper box or in aluminum foil if possible. Consider just leaving it if your only choice is plastic or styrofoam. Food biodegrades. Plastic NEVER does. Ninety-nine times out of a hundred, it is NOT worth it. 

  • Do: be mindful that many to-go cold drinks result in three pieces of plastic waste - a cup, a lid & a straw - or they are in plastic bottles. Hot to-go beverages are typically in a paper cup with only a plastic lid, which is obviously better. Hopefully soon lids could be truly biodegradable. Not quite there yet. Wherever you are, if you can, get a beverage in glass or in aluminum. Sometimes establishments allow you to use reusable containers. 

  • Do: at work, use a reusable cup or water bottle. The best water bottles are stainless steel, not plastic.

    Health tip: NEVER put hot liquids into plastic. This releases chemicals into the liquids = badbadbad.

  • Don’t: spend your money on expensive water in plastic bottles, unless absolutely necessary, like if your municipal or well water supply is contaminated or it is an emergency. 

  • Do: drink filtered water from your home or unfiltered water from your home if your water quality is fine, again in a stainless steel or glass water bottle.

  • Don’t: buy juices or soda in plastic containers.

  • Do: buy bottled water, juices & soda in glass or aluminum containers.

  • Do: if you do get cans of soda in a plastic 6-pack ring, before you dispose of the ring, cut it at several points, leaving it in one piece but with no intact circles so the resulting piece has less of a chance to choke wildlife like a turtle. It is then best to put the cut ring inside of another bag - see below.

  • Don’t: cut a plastic 6-pack ring into a bunch of tiny pieces of plastic. 

  • Do: consolidate your inevitable plastic trash. This is sort of “advanced” plastic pollution prevention. It takes a little extra time but could be helpful to protect wildlife. We know that plastic waste like wrappers, bags & small random pieces can blow out of landfills with the wind & get to the sea to harm wildlife. This phenomenon can theoretically be reduced by containing smaller plastic waste items inside larger plastic waste items. For example, if you put nine pieces of plastic waste inside a tenth piece of plastic waste & zip or tie it closed, you have made one heavier piece of waste, instead of ten lighter pieces of waste. Often grocery items such as sugar, jerky, other snacks, lunch meats & cheese come in a plastic zip bag that cannot be recycled. If you rinse the zip bag, you can then fold & put other plastic waste inside that first bag. You use trash to consolidate other trash, making it less likely to blow away, easier to collect if it does blow away & less likely to interact with & harm wildlife. You can also do this with larger non-recyclable items like plastic lids, consolidating them into a single bag, potentially making them less likely to find their way into the stomach or around the neck of some poor unsuspecting wild animal. This might seem crazy, but it only takes one experience of seeing birds & other wildlife foraging around our plastic trash looking for food to change your mind! They should not have to do that! It’s just not right. We must shift this bad situation that we are creating.

  • Don’t: take a plastic bag at a store. 

  • Don’t: take any bag if you don’t actually require it. 

  • Do: take a paper bag at a store, if you must. 

  • Do: use reusable cloth bags at the grocery store. For cleanliness & as a courtesy to your clerks, just wash them frequently.

  • Do: support & encourage legislation to ban plastic shopping bags.

  • Don’t: buy fruit & veggies unnecessarily wrapped in plastic.

  • Do: put dry fruit & veggies into paper bags.

  • Do: take no or only a few plastic vegetable bags & reuse them if you can. 

  • Don’t: get pasta wrapped in plastic. 

  • Do: get pasta in cardboard boxes, organic is best. 

  • Don’t: get eggs in plastic or styrofoam containers.

  • Do: get eggs in paper containers.

  • Don’t: buy meat in styrofoam containers.

  • Do: get meat in the least amount of plastic packaging possible.

  • Don’t: get fake butter in a plastic tub.

  • Do: get real butter sticks wrapped in paper, unless you have a dairy allergy or such, of course.

  • Don’t: get yogurt in single-serving small plastic containers.

  • Do: get yogurt in large plastic quart containers. 

  • Do: check out single-serving yogurt in glass containers with foil lids. 

  • Don’t: get milk or cream or milk-substitutes in plastic jugs.

  • Do: get milk or cream or milk-substitutes in regular paper cartons, aseptic cartons or glass.

  • Don’t: get ice cream or gelato in plastic containers.

  • Do: choose brands of ice cream or gelato in biodegradable paper containers. 

  • Do: when getting ice cream out, get it on a cone instead of in a cup with a plastic spoon.

  • Don’t: get juices in large plastic bottles. 

  • Do: get juices in regular paper cartons, glass or aluminum.

  • Don’t: get coffee in plastic coffee pods or hard plastic containers.

    Health tip: again the reminder to limit direct exposure of hot liquids to plastic = badbadbad.

  • Do: get coffee in recyclable aluminum pods or metal or paper containers. 

  • Do: grind organic coffee beans fresh & do a french press. 

  • Don’t: get tea in bags made of synthetic fibers.

    Health tip: for the same reason as above = badbadbad.

  • Do: get tea bags in regular paper, which also can be composted.

  • Don’t: get condiments, spices & other food items in plastic containers.

  • Do: get condiments, spices & other food items in glass, metal or the least plastic possible.

  • Don’t: buy gum. Gum used to be made of tree sap. Now it is made of plastic! No joke. Plastic.

  • Don’t: buy candy or mints in hard plastic containers. 

  • Do: buy candy wrapped in paper & foil. Lots of chocolate is now wrapped in paper & foil.

  • Do: for breath freshening, Original Altoids come in a metal tin & are made of all natural ingredients. 

  • Don’t: get food items packaged in tiny servings.

  • Do: get food items packaged in large volumes.

  • Don’t: use excessive amounts of plastic zip bags. Sometimes, as when traveling, these are necessary. Just use as few as possible. 

  • Don’t: use plastic wrap. 

  • Do: use reusable containers with lids, aluminum foil or wax paper.

    Health tip: do not microwave food in plastic or put plastic wrap over food you microwave because the food gets into the plastic & the plastic gets into the food = badbadbad. 

  • Don’t: purchase a lot of processed foods, which are typically both unhealthy & overly-packaged. 

  • Do: learn to cook from scratch. It is fun, healthier & a lost art. Chefs are sexy. Just sayin’.

  • Do: lean towards consumption of poultry over mammals such as lamb, beef & pork.

  • Do: lean towards consumption of plants over animals.

  • Don’t: gratuitously waste food that has taken energy & resources to get to you. 

  • Do: just be mindful of how you use food resources. 

  • Do: be innovative about ways to make your cooking & the food system sustainable. 

  • Do: remember food is best when it is about both health & pleasure - pure yumminess.

Home Cleaning Products

  • Don’t: get regular trash bags.

  • Do: get trash bags made of recycled plastic or just use paper trash bags if that works for you.

  • Do: generate very little trash overall so that you use the least number of any type of trash bag.

  • Don’t: get conventional plastic dishwashing sponges, scrubbers or brushes.

  • Do: get dishwashing sponges & scrubbers made of biodegradable materials or made of recycled plastic as the next best option.

  • Don’t: get conventional dish soap in regular plastic bottles.

  • Do: get biodegradable natural liquid dish soap in recycled plastic bottles. 

  • Don’t: get conventional dishwasher liquid in regular plastic bottles. 

  • Do: get dishwasher powder in boxes or natural dishwasher liquid in recycled plastic bottles.

  • Don’t: get conventional laundry soap in plastic bottles.

  • Do: get biodegradable naturally-scented liquid laundry soap in a recycled plastic bottle or in a paper shell with a plastic liner or get powdered laundry soap in a cardboard box.

  • Don’t: get conventional liquid fabric softener in a plastic bottle, conventional fabric softener “beads” or conventional fabric softener sheets made of non-biodegradable synthetic fibers.

  • Do: get biodegradable naturally-scented liquid fabric softener in a recycled plastic bottle or natural fiber & naturally-scented fabric softener sheets. Or you could just go without fabric softener. Natural fiber clothing, bedding & towels mostly do not require fabric softener. 

  • Do: recycle these plastic containers if you can.

Personal Care Products

  • Don’t: purchase a lot of completely unnecessary personal care products.

  • Do: purchase only personal care products you really love, best if made with high quality natural ingredients & few chemicals. 

  • Don’t: buy plastic body scrubbers, body brushes or hairbrushes.

  • Do: buy natural loofa exfoliating pads & wood & natural bristle body & brushes.

  • Don’t: buy disposable plastic razors.

  • Do: buy a reusable razor with refill heads.

  • Don’t: buy tampons with plastic applicators & wrappers.

  • Do: buy tampons with cardboard applicators & paper wrappers. 

Health tip: cotton bleached with chlorine is not healthy. Non-chlorine bleached feminine care products are so much better.

  • Don’t: get feminine hygiene pads with synthetic covers or liners & plastic wrappers.

  • Do: get feminine hygiene pads made of natural fibers, with paper wrappers.

  • Do: check out other unconventional forms of feminine hygiene products to see if they might work for you.

  • Don’t: use cotton swabs with plastic sticks.

  • Do: use cotton swabs with paper sticks. Some swabs are even made with organic cotton.

  • Don’t: use hand wipes made of synthetic fibers. 

  • Do: wash your hands frequently with soap, preferably a natural soap with anti-microbial plant extracts. Look for hand wipes made of biodegradable materials & natural soap or use tissue & a natural anti-microbial liquid soap to make hand wipes yourself. 

  • Don’t: use plastic dental picks with floss.

  • Do: use regular floss & wood toothpicks.

  • Don’t: get conventional body wash or bubble bath in plastic bottles.

  • Do: get a natural bar soap & natural bath salts in paper or glass & bubble bath in glass.

  • Do: recycle plastic bottles from personal care products if possible.

Clothing & Accessories

  • Don’t: purchase a lot of garments & accessories made with synthetic fibers like acetate, acrylic, polyester & nylon. About sixty percent of garments currently produced contain polyester. Made from petroleum, polyester emits three times the carbon dioxide of cotton. Acrylic is the worst. Just don’t.

  • Do: purchase garments & accessories containing fewer synthetic fibers. One example - if there is an option to purchase denim made of cotton/polyester/elastane or cotton/elastane, choose the latter. 

  • Do: limit clothing adorned with sequins & other plastic adornments. Look for clothing adorned with glass beads, genuine pearls & real crystals when you must have your bling!

  • Don’t: indulge in items made of PVC. 

  • Do: definitely try to limit PVC.

  • Do: remember that garments made of synthetic fibers release those fibers into the water supply with EVERY laundering. 

  • Do: remember to always read garment labels for fabric content. 

  • Do: look for clothing made of sustainable fabrics & natural fibers like cotton, linen, silk, rayon, modal, cashmere, alpaca, wool, hemp & bamboo. 

  • Do: consider buying clothing made from upcycled plastics such as from recycled plastic bottles, fishing nets & plastics collected from ocean trash. 

  • Do: buy high quality clothing & accessories that you really love & plan to wear for a long time.

  • Do: purchase from clothing companies making a sincere attempt to shift the fashion industry in a sustainable direction. 

  • Do: encourage existing fashion brands to make clothing sustainable. 

Home, Office, Pets, Gifts & Travel

  • Don’t: purchase sheets, blankets, pillows, throws, towels, rugs & other home items made with synthetic fibers like polyester, nylon or acrylic.

  • Do: get the above items made with only natural fibers like high quality cotton - organic is best - or bamboo, cashmere, alpaca or wool. 

  • Don’t: get home items & furniture made of hard plastic or MDA.

  • Do: get home items & furniture made of wood, metal or glass.

  • Don’t: get kitchen items like glasses, mugs, dishware, flatware, cooking utensils & implements made of plastic.

Health tip: NEVER stir hot food with plastic utensils, don’t strain hot pasta or veggies into a plastic colander. Heat + food + plastic =  badbadbad. 

  • Do: get stainless steel cooking pots, pans & utensils, wooden spoons, ceramic mugs & glasses actually made of glass!

  • Don’t: get kitchen towels, placemats & tablecloths made with polyester or other synthetic fibers.

  • Do: get kitchen towels, placemats & table linens made of pure cotton or actual linen!

  • Don’t: get votive or other candles in plastic containers or fake plastic “candles.”

  • Do: get votives in metal containers or plain. Use glass, metal or ceramic containers for candles.

  • Don’t: get plastic pots for plants.

  • Do: get ceramic or clay pots for plants.

  • Don’t: get unnecessary plastic office supplies.

  • Do: get only necessary office supplies, whenever possible made of materials other than plastic - like paper folders, metal staplers, metal push pins & wood pencils. 

  • Don’t: buy or receive from others plastic ballpoint & other pens.

  • Do: buy & give reusable wood or metal pens with metal refills.

  • Don’t: forget to recycle your printer cartridges.

  • Do: remember to recycle your printer cartridges. 

  • Don’t: print unnecessarily. This saves paper, ink, cartridge waste & money. 

  • Don’t: get conventional non-biodegradable cat litter.

  • Do: get biodegradable cat litter.

  • Don’t: get toys - including pet toys - made of plastic.

  • Do: get toys - including pet toys - made of wood, fabric & other natural materials.

  • Don’t: get gifts made of plastic or in a lot of plastic. 

  • Do: look for gifts that are much classier than a piece of plastic.

  • Don’t: wrap gifts in plastic or use regular plastic bows or plastic decorative accents. 

  • Do: wrap in paper or cloth & tie with natural fabric ribbons. Use your imagination to decorate with natural items. 

  • Don’t: use glitter for anything. Most of it is made of plastic.

  • Do: get biodegradable glitter or exist happily & contentedly without glitter. 

  • Don’t: for the holidays, over-consume or over-decorate with plastic.

  • Do: get or make holiday ornaments & decorations of natural materials like glass, metal, wood, paper or natural fabrics. Small copper baking molds tied with a cotton ribbon make cute ornaments & can later be used for baking! 

  • Don’t: waste your precious time, money & energy getting a bunch of holiday gifts of unhealthy & useless stuff people don’t even want. This insanity must stop.

  • Do: consider getting holiday gifts of healthy foods, natural personal care products, gift certificates for experiences such as a lovely spa day or natural clothing items like a cashmere wrap, a real silk scarf or a pure cotton sweater. There are luxurious natural gift ideas out there if you just look!

  • Do: remember that travel is typically a time you are at the mercy of where you are. So, give yourself a bit of a break here. 

  • Do: still exert a little effort when traveling to find ways to make the best ecological decisions in the moment. It can be as easy as just not taking some unnecessary single-use plastic item or not purchasing a plastic souvenir. Take home memories instead of a bunch of plastic.

  • Don’t: leave a trail of plastic waste in whatever country or place you are visiting.

  • Don’t: take all the little plastic bottles of stuff from the hotel when you travel, unless it is a natural product you would like to try. Using hotel bar soap wrapped in paper is fine. To reduce both cost & plastic waste, hotels are thankfully shifting away from all those small plastic bottles.

  • Do: instead bring your personal care products with you when you travel.

  • Do: let hotels know you prefer plastic-free & other ecological options such as not having your sheets washed every day. 

  • Do: choose hotels making genuine efforts toward sustainability. Let them know you appreciate those efforts by giving nice reviews on social media mentioning sustainability. 

  • Do: get out into the wild - camp, hike, watch birds, reconnect with the natural world & explore!


step three:
speak out

  • Don’t: keep quiet about ocean pollution. 

  • Do: tell companies you deeply care about reducing plastic waste & prefer items with less or no plastic. Ask them to greatly reduce plastic in their products, packaging & shipping. Let them know you are serious about not spending your money on plastic. 

  • Do: tell your government representatives that you support plastic bans & ocean protection. 

  • Do: vote for the ocean & for the Earth.

    Health tip: when the Earth is healthy, humans are without question healthier. So, voting for the planet really = voting for ourselves & for future generations.

  • Do: support orgs that are committed to the study, protection & restoration of the ocean.

  • Do: participate in a beach clean if you can or do one yourself. 

  • Do: use your social media influence to bring awareness to ocean protection.

  • Do: learn some little thing about the ocean each week.

  • Do: meditate on the ocean with love, envisioning her pure & vibrant. 

  • Do: appreciate the ocean in your heart.

  • Do: imagine a world in which she is honored & respected & loved & protected.


step four:
feel f*cking great

  • Do: congratulate yourself for the effort you have invested in learning & understanding these complex subjects & for taking action. You are leading the way to a brighter future. You are intelligent & badass at the same time. Future generations can look back with immense gratitude & say that YOU had the courage & forethought to save the world for them. Genuinely feel great about it. You are making a difference.


 
 

resources

For further motivation to protect the sea, watch & share these documentaries about the ocean & about plastic pollution. *Warning: some of the footage is very difficult to watch, but it is critical to truly understanding the terrible consequences of our careless actions.

-  Morgan Hoesterey “Message In The Waves” * 9 minutes

-  Parley For The Ocean Talks, many important talks, including Chris Jordan, trailer for “Albatross”/“Midway:Message From The Gyre” * 4 minutes

-  Chris Jordan “Albatross” * 1 hour 37 minutes

-  Plastic Oceans Foundation “A Plastic Ocean” 1 hour 41 minutes on iTunes, Netflix

-  Jack Johnson “Smog Of The Sea” trailer - film 30 minutes, trailer 3 minutes

- Sir David Attenborough BBC Blue Planet I and II bbcearth.com

Click on these links for more information about organizations committed to ocean protection:

- Conservation International

- Ocean Conservancy

- Oceana

- Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii

- Surfrider Foundation

- Mission Blue

- Blue Planet Society

- 5Gyres

- Parley For The Oceans

- Lonely Whale