Over the past few years I've had the privilege of encountering some wonderful land and marine life experiences that have truly warmed my heart and opened my soul. The most frightening thing about all these experiences is the fact that one day soon some of these creatures and animals may become extinct because of the actions of our every day lives purely based on convenience, ignorance and negligence. If we are more aware and conscious of our actions and the flow on effects and impacts they have on the environment, we can all make positive steps to sustain and protect the future for ourselves and all the other living creatures we share this earth with.
Some simple things we can all do that take very little effort, some thought and a little discipline;
Take your own reusable bags to the supermarket, it's just too convenient to use the bags at the supermarket because they are there and are at our disposal.
Seek alternative options to buying and using plastic products.
Use environmentally friendly dishwashing liquid, washing detergents, shampoos/ conditioners and body washes - what goes down the drain goes straight into our oceans.
Stay away from microbead cosmetics and face products.
Don't let balloons go into the atmosphere or drains as they end up in the ocean. As fun as balloons may be for little and big kids, please give some thought to where they end up and the damage they do to marine life, as they mistake balloons for food and cannot digest them.
Avoid using plastic straws they do not break down and end up in our oceans and avoid take away coffee cups and plastic take away containers, they only go to landfill and take over 500 years to break down or degrade. This is the same with disposable nappies, they may be convenience but they also take over 500 years to break down - this is a very scary thought when you think of how many years 1 single disposable nappy takes to break down especially when you quantify how many nappies would be used for 1 infant.
I have had the opportunity to see first hand what these nasty man made products (plastic bags, fish hooks, straws, balloons, ghost nets/ fishing nets, plastic 6 pack can holders - just to name a few) are doing to sea turtles (and many other sea life), it's devastating to see the rehabilitation process of these beautiful turtles swimming tirelessly around a small pool with no stimulation, in a very unnatural environment for months on end sometimes years before being let back out into the ocean, that's if they regain their health at all. The reality is not all marine life that falls victim to injury or illness can be saved, most would die a slow painful death which is just so wrong and unfair.
If we could all just stop and think about our actions and the cause and effects they have on the environment and make some simple changes, our future along with theirs might just be a little brighter.
Lets give some thought to the footprint we will all leave behind and the impacts this has on our future and our kids future - we all need to make changes now because one day soon it will be too late.
Image credit - www.australianethical.com.au