Protecting our Oceans

Poster by Meg Mindlin
Article by Sarah McAnulty, Ph.D., squid biologist

We rely on the oceans for food, oxygen, medicine, and it's full of SO many amazing animals. Unfortunately, our oceans are warming, filling with pollution, and we're losing species we barely understand. Here's what we can do to protect the critical ecosystems that live in our oceans:

Protecting animals in the ocean
1) Pay attention to the fish you eat You can either eat less seafood and avoid this entirely, or try to only eat fish that are caught sustainably. Many fisheries are simply catching more fish than the wild animals can replace. This is a pretty complicated situation, with a lot of factors, but the Monterey Bay Aquarium regularly updates guides on what is a best choice, good alternative, or seafood that should be avoided.
2) Advocate for marine protected areas Marine Protected areas are internationally recognized places in the ocean where some activities are restricted. Sometimes fishing is restricted to allow species to recover from over-fishing. In the US, these marine protected areas are under threat by the Trump administration.
3) Ask local businesses to use less plastic There's a lot of plastic in the ocean, but fishing it out is not the answer. Preventing the plastic from ending up in the ocean, however, is really important. Individually, no matter how hard we try to reduce our individual plastic use, it's unfortunately a drop in the bucket. Try to make changes that extend past your household, like advocating for plastic bag bans, or asking local take out places to switch to cardboard take out containers.

Slowing Climate Change
Obviously slowing climate change is a huge job, and in the United States the change we need the federal government to make isn't going to happen any time soon. The good news is that cities and neighborhoods can make meaningful changes to slow this train down.
You don't have to do ALL of these things, but doing any of them is great!
1) Switch to green energy. Contact your electric company and switch to a provider that sources their energy from green sources, like wind, geothermal, or solar.
2) Get solar panels. Many places have government programs to help pay for household solar! They can greatly reduce or even sometimes cover your whole electric bill.
3) Reduce food waste. Share your food, shop thoughtfully at the grocery store, don't be afraid to eat your leftovers
4) Compost any food scraps or uneaten food
5) Buy less stuff. When you DO buy stuff, try to get it used before buying new.
6) Advocate. Tell politicians (especially local politicians!) to support:

• Public Transit
• Green energy
• Laws that require efficiency in buildings

7) Take public transit, or at LEAST share your ubers/lyfts: Taking public transit is the best way to get around, but we know it's not a perfect solution all the time. Make things cheaper for yourself and your friends by sharing an uber if you're going in the same direction. Offer a ride to prevent another car on the road to events.
8) Make your house more efficient. Effectively insulating your windows and doors will decrease your energy bill and reduce energy consumption.

and perhaps most importantly...

9) Talk to your friends and family about climate change: Social science suggests that people are most likely to change their behaviors based on how their social circles behave. Guilt doesn't work, shame doesn't work well. Be a positive influence in your social group. Preventing climate change doesn't have to be a struggle, and we can do it together!