You can make a real difference by doing three simple things.
1. Cut down on pollution
As a first step, you can reduce your toxic contribution to the ocean by avoiding personal care products that contain oxybenzone as a first step.
Protecting yourself from sunburn is important, though sunscreen does not have to contain chemicals such as oxybenzone, phenoxyethanol or parabens to be effective. If your sunscreen contains oxybenzone, don’t go into the sea while you are wearing it. The concentrations that build up in popular areas are genuinely dangerous to the ocean and the species in it.
Adopt the code of conduct
- Recognise it is a problem
- Reduce the amount you use by covering up
- Replace with less harmful alternatives
Ask your favourite beach cafe, dive school, local council or coastal resort to become a MarineSafe Zone and to stock good alternatives that are pollutant-free.
Instead of covering your whole body in sunscreen, wear a rash or stinger suit to protect yourself from the sun and jellyfish.
2. Reduce the plastic
Avoid single-use plastic such as bags and bottles of water. Plan ahead and bring non-plastic bags and reusable bottles with you.
Tell your local council that you want to reduce your use of plastic and ask them to install water fountains in public areas. Ask local cafes to make jugs of drinking water available to refill your bottle.
Always bring your plastic home with you to recycle. If you are near the sea do not leave it in bins that can overflow and spill litter out into the ocean.
If you see litter on the beach, especially plastic, please pick it up and dispose of it carefully. We know it’s someone else’s rubbish but that simple action can prevent it blowing out to sea.
3. Help us!
We want to see MarineSafe Zones all over the world, in towns, on beaches, near rivers, in shops and at big events.
We want to see a change in the way products are manufactured so that they are all MarineSafe.
We want everyone to remember that the ocean is key to our existence and needs looking after.
Be part of the change. Tell others, and if you can make a donation to help our work – thank you for doing so!
The amount of oxybenzone that will kill juvenile coral is the equivalent of just one teaspoonful in around three Olympic-size swimming pools’ worth of seawater.