Happy St. Patrick's Day to all! You don't have to be Irish to go green today. Here are some easy eco-friendly things you can do to help preserve marine life.
1. Eat Sustainable Seafood
Think "there's plenty of fish in the sea"? Think again! According to a 2003 report published in the journal, Nature, within the past 15 years of industrial fishing we have depleted "nearly 90% of our ocean's large predatory fish." That figure doesn't even include all of the fish thrown away as bycatch or those killed by pollution.
You can help by eating sustainable seafood which is harvested in limited quantities from carefully managed stocks. This prevents species from becoming over-fished while preserving their marine habitat. The Monterey Bay Aquarium has a great site with more information about the issues, regional guides to which types of seafood are ocean friendly, a sushi guide, and even a iPhone App you can download to help you make sustainable choices when dining out.
2. Recycle Cans and Bottles
When the party's over, don't forget to recycle all your beer cans and bottles that you drink today. Recycling helps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, saves energy, saves natural resources.
- In 2006, recycling of cans and bottles in the Twin Cities metro area reduced greenhouse gas emissions equal to taking 125,000 cars off the road.*
- Recycling a single aluminum can saves enough energy to power a television for three hours. In total, metro area recycling of metal, glass and plastics in 2006 saved enough energy to heat over 78,000 houses for the year.*
- Recycling aluminum reduces water consumption and air pollutants by 95 %. Making glass from recycled material cuts water pollution by 50%.*
3. Don't Use Plastic Bags or Bottles
Next time you buy groceries, consider bringing your own canvas bags. You will be doing your part to reduce the 500 billion to a trillion plastic bags that are used every year worldwide.
An estimated 30 billion become litter and end up in the oceans, which many marine animals, like sea turtles, mistake for food.
10% of your purchase of these tote bags goes to protect sea turtles.
While 80% of our planet is water, don't think of it as a renewable resource. We are using up fresh water faster than it can be replenished naturally. This means more energy used and emissions generated from water treatment plants.
You can conserve water by:
- Reducing your shower time
- Installing a low-flow showerhead
- Fixing a leaking toliet (saves 140 gallons of water/week)
- Turning off the tap when brushing your teeth (Saves 80% of water used)
5. Use Eco-Friendly Cleaning Products
Many cleaning products contain harmful chemicals that end up in the soil or waterways. Choose "green" soaps, detergents, and cleansers that are water based with low volatile organic compound (VOC). I am a big fan of the Method line at Target.
Here are some more natural laundry detergents and dish washing soaps.
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