The ocean is a critical part to our world's ecosystem! Unfortunately, there have been events occurring within the past two centuries that have been harming our Earth. With the ocean comprising more than two-thirds of the planet, we need to make changes to ensure we don't damage it beyond repair. Here are a few, simple changes that we can all adopt to do our part in lessening our negative impact:

1. Use Fewer Plastics

Nearly everything we use today comes in plastic bags and containers. So, how can you lessen your use on plastics? Opt to use reusable canvas tote bags when you go shopping! There's also really cool reusable cotton produce bags, so you can avoid using those one-use bags from the grocery store, or make your trip to the Farmer's Market easier! 

Another trick to save money and the environment? Use a reusable water bottle made of metal!

Our dependency on plastic is detrimental to ocean life, as plastic bags can cause suffocation to our wonderful honu since they assume its a jelly fish!

Recycling is another way to help make sure plastics don't end up in the ocean! A lot of containers are recyclable, just look on the bottom of the container to see what plastic type it is. For Hawaii, any containers that have a "1" or "2" are allowed to be recycled in the blue bins. What's even cooler is that these plastics usually get refurbished into new products, like carpet and furniture!

2. Clean Up The Beach!

For this one, a bikini is definitely required! While enjoying a beach day, carve out at least 30 minutes of your time to picking up trash and other litter from the beach. This little bit of time really is significant, since you're doing your part to make sure the rubbish doesn't end up in the bellies of marine life.

If you want to join in on a larger beach clean up effort, Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii host regular clean up events where numerous volunteers join in to clean up entire beaches. Lately, they have been focusing on Kahuku Beach due to the build up of plastic that ends up on that area of O'ahu that comes from the North Pacific Garbage Patch.

3. Use Environmentally Friendly Products

Fortunately, eco-conscious products are a huge trend, and they should be! There are a lot of products readily available at popular stores that boost on being environmentally friendly from shampoos to clothing detergents.

Luckily for us at Born of the Water, we stock skincare by local artisans that are totally environmentally friendly! Ao Organics supplies reef-safe sunscreen and tanning oil, since their products are made from plant based oils and omits nasty chemicals like oxybenzone. Your skin and the ocean will thank you!

4. Reduce Energy Consumption

Not in a room? Turn off the lights! Not watching TV? Turn it off! Reducing energy consumption is super simple, and we can all practice this right at home.

5. Spread Awareness & Be Informed

Share this blog with your family and friends and do your research! Raising awareness and spreading it is our best attempt to inform others about making some changes that would positively impact our Earth. We live in a society that loves disposable products, but we forget that our Earth is NOT disposable...