10 Things YOU Can Do to Save the Ocean

10 Things YOU Can Do to Save the Ocean by National Geographic:

1. Mind Your Carbon Footprint and Reduce Energy Consumption
Reduce the effects of climate change on the ocean by leaving the car at home when you can and being conscious of your energy use at home and work. A few things you can do to get started today: Switch to compact fluorescent light bulbs, take the stairs, and bundle up or use a fan to avoid oversetting your thermostat.

2. Make Safe, Sustainable Seafood Choices
Global fish populations are rapidly being depleted due to demand, loss of habitat, and unsustainable fishing practices. When shopping or dining out, help reduce the demand for overexploited species by choosing seafood that is both healthful and sustainable.

3. Use Fewer Plastic Products
Plastics that end up as ocean debris contribute to habitat destruction and entangle and kill tens of thousands of marine animals each year. To limit your impact, carry a reusable water bottle, store food in nondisposable containers, bring your own cloth tote or other reusable bag when shopping, and recycle whenever possible.

4. Help Take Care of the Beach
Whether you enjoy diving, surfing, or relaxing on the beach, always clean up after yourself. Explore and appreciate the ocean without interfering with wildlife or removing rocks and coral. Go even further by encouraging others to respect the marine environment or by participating in local beach cleanups.

5. Don't Purchase Items That Exploit Marine Life
Certain products contribute to the harming of fragile coral reefs and marine populations. Avoid purchasing items such as coral jewelry, tortoiseshell hair accessories (made from hawksbill turtles), and shark products.

6. Be an Ocean-Friendly Pet Owner
Read pet food labels and consider seafood sustainability when choosing a diet for your pet. Never flush cat litter, which can contain pathogens harmful to marine life. Avoid stocking your aquarium with wild-caught saltwater fish, and never release any aquarium fish into the ocean or other bodies of water, a practice that can introduce non-native species harmful to the existing ecosystem.

7. Support Organizations Working to Protect the Ocean
Many institutes and organizations are fighting to protect ocean habitats and marine wildlife. Find a national organization and consider giving financial support or volunteering for hands-on work or advocacy. If you live near the coast, join up with a local branch or group and get involved in projects close to home.

8. Influence Change in Your Community
Research the ocean policies of public officials before you vote or contact your local representatives to let them know you support marine conservation projects. Consider patronizing restaurants and grocery stores that offer only sustainable seafood, and speak up about your concerns if you spot a threatened species on the menu or at the seafood counter.

9. Travel the Ocean Responsibly
Practice responsible boating, kayaking, and other recreational activities on the water. Never throw anything overboard, and be aware of marine life in the waters around you. If you’re set on taking a cruise for your next vacation, do some research to find the most eco-friendly option.

10. Educate Yourself About Oceans and Marine Life
All life on Earth is connected to the ocean and its inhabitants. The more you learn about the issues facing this vital system, the more you’ll want to help ensure its health—then share that knowledge to educate and inspire others.

ocean.nationalgeographic.com...

I am so sorry, this is such nonsense!

# 1-- This has me so confused as to how bundling up will save the Ocean! Will it reduce the amount of "Fracking"? The Fracking Government has purposely legalized Fracking even though it was considered "too Dangerous" on the Environment--Gee, Thank's Bush, Thank's Cheney!

# 2-- Just try asking a Restaurant for "Pre-GOM" seafood and see how far that takes you! Any Oil-Free Restaurants popping up yet? I do have one can left in my cupboard of pre-GOM tuna, any bidders?

# 3-- Isn't the Plastic floating Island in the Pacific a sight to behold? Who needs the Albatross anyways? Reducing plastics only keeps the Island at it's current size, plastics need to be banned and all left-over polyethylene needs to be sent back to China where they can wallow in it! Ridiculous!

# 4-- Please do not disturb the sand where the Oil and Corexit was simply covered up! Please do not make Sand Castles as they will only kill the little imaginary Princesses and Princes! Yeah...this one is wise, never disturb the sand! I realize they are talking about leaving trash on the beach, I just cannot overlook the trash already "in" the beaches! Maybe we can ask whomever left it there to come claim it!

# 5-- Yes, please do not wear the bodies of the dead sea creatures! This one I agree with!

# 6-- Never flush cat litter?? Whose sewage gets flushed directly into the oceans?? OMG! If this is even possible why is cat litter worse than people litter? Does anyone know if a pet store has real "ocean fish" or are we suppose to ask if they are farm-raised? I highly doubt the "Made in China" stamp will do!

# 7-- Please send your Money now! I think that is what we already did when we let the Government Dump it out by way of Corexit (Oh yeah, Cheney's baby, sorry!)

# 8-- There we go again, be sure and ask "Red Lobster" for the Guppy plate, I hear they raise them locally!

# 9-- Oh this one is smart, only use an Eco Cruise Ship, never you mind those Luxurious Floating Sewage Plants that dump everything as they sail along the waterways! The heaviest Polluters of the Oceans and National Geographic only wants people to be wise? Why not just say "Stop taking Cruises", how simple is that?

# 10-- Yes, this one might be worth noting, please do educate yourself on the Truth about how we are systematically killing the Oceans, but we can do it at a much slower rate with the help of the National Geographic folks and this wonderful set of guidelines!



This article fails on so many levels, why not demand that changes be made immediately? Why not bring charges up on those that have actively supported the killing spree? What about Fracking? What about Dick?

How about holding Dick Cheney's head under water for a few and let him taste his rewards! How about forcing all of our Leaders to live on the GOM and eat the seafood everyday! That will get things cleaned up fast enough.

I should be their poster child

1 I Use solar and wind power
2 I dont eat seafood
3 I dont buy drinks
4 I Never go to the beach
5 I dont buy any products that have anything to do with sea
6 I only have a cat that eats rats and mice
7 I read a' Save the whales 'sticker on a car
8 When i order a pizza with the lot, i say in a loud voice "No prawns"
9 When ever i travel overseas,I only fly
10 I watched 'Waterworld' with Kevin Costner and didnt walk out of the cinema

Done my part ,thanks

reply to post by 12voltz
Apparently saving the whales isn't enough, we have to save the oceans now, do we? Whatever next? Save the moon? To think that we could save the oceans (let alone have a significant effect on them) is self-congratulatory back-slapping taken to unprecedented levels. The oceans are doing fine. There is nothing to save. I think I'll leave George Carlin to sum up my thoughts.

Not trying to bash the OP but how come all of these "top 10 things" never include or are completely directed towards the companies that produce these harmful things? If we recycle our plastics wont they just melt down the plastics to re-use them causing chemicals to go into the air?
The public seems to be getting the blame or guilt for the streams being polluted, oceans dying, poor air quality when it's the major companies that use a poor production method for these items. I know it's a bad example, but there is a stop smoking commercial that put's guilt into the smoker's hands when actually if the tobacco companies would stop putting the addictive ingredients in these cigs there would be less smokers.
I saw somewhere on ATS a guy in Asia made a machine that can melt plastic and turn it into oil or something. But it will most likely get swept away and forgotten instead of actually being used.

Hi my family goes to the beaches in SC, GA, FL alot during the year since it's only 100 miles away.
I usually walk the beach and pick up many pounds of plastic, glass, aluminum cans, and plactic bags! If every person did this before leaving the beach and recycled the trash, things would be much better.

The plastic island in the ocean needs to be skimmed up and recycled. My husband likes to fish, but he lets everything loose in the ocean after looking at it. Usually he doesn't even catch anything. The best solution would be to quit being dependent on oil and not pollute the ocean like BP did last summer. Spraying the ocean down with coexit was the dumbest thing ever. Public beaches should put recycling bins out and signs encouraging trash pick up.

Eliminate plastics and use Hemp!

Stop deforestation and use Hemp!

Stop petroleum and use Hemp!

Stop China and use Hemp!

Stop Evil and use Hemp!

I'm not going to ramble on about this list, but I will say this:

This is common sense, people!

Everything on the list is an act of common decency.

But don't give me the line of "Reducing your Carbon Footprint" GARBAGE!
I won't reduce anything because I already take care of myself/home.
Common sense tells you to be tidy and clean after yourself.
Its not my fault that no one listens.

One other thing, I don't need anyone giving me a list on how to live.

Tell that to all the corporations profiting off our losses.

The United Nations should impose a TAX on plastic. Every country pays into the pot.

Every country submits people to work aboard ships cleaning up the Pacific Garbage Patch/ floating trash island as big as the continental United States.

It would be a start. Then again the UN is a worthless entity that serves no purpose other than to undermine countries.