A Blog by @HumanAquariumUk founder Lucy Meredith
I was lucky enough to spend some time in Australia over Christmas with my lovely family; a lot of that time was spent on the beach or in the sea. I even got to swim with WILD dolphins! Well they swam with us really, as in the wild they are very curious and sociable creatures who often come and hang out and surf alongside surfers. This was probably one of the most magical experiences of my life and something I will never forget. Sadly there are no pictures of this as I was too busy clinging on to a surf board and watching with wonder as a pod of dolphins swam underneath me. It was truly amazing.
I’m writing this today as it is World Oceans dayand I wanted to take a moment to think how lucky we are to have the most beautiful oceans on this planet.
Unfortunately on the flip side the oceans are at real crisis point now. On a daily basis I see new reports and social media about whales & dolphins found dead on beaches all over the world with stomachs full of plastic, remote beaches covered in rubbish. Not to mention micro plastics in our drinking water.
It really is heart breaking and depressing but I want to concentrate on the positive for now. There are a lot of groups and individuals trying to change this. One thing I learnt from putting on the Human Aquarium Exhibition in February is that people DO care. From feedback we received, and from talking to visitors, many people felt deeply concerned about the oceans and their inhabitants. Yet they were not sure what they could do about it. It can seem like an insurmountable task. For me it is useful to break it down into small actions that are achievable…
Although it can seem like a huge endeavour there is always something we can all do and there are countless online resources you can use. But just off the top of my head here are a few suggestions of actions you can take yourself:
1.Reduce your plastic usage, Reuse plastic items (make them into art) or donate them to artists that work recycled materials. Refuse to buy things wrapped in unnecessary plastic.
2.If you see litter on the street will pick it up and put it in the bin, even if you do this a few times a day you are still making a difference and I might encourage others to do it too!
3. Encourage other people to take action and share your experiences with them.
Some more ideas in our blog here.
Below are a few amazing organisations who do outreach and events including beach clean up’s. It would be worth looking into projects they run.
Plastic-Free Me, Marine Conservation Society, Greenpeace, Surfers against Sewage, Sea Shepherd , World Cetacean Alliance, Brighton Dolphin Project. Links here
I guess what I’m saying is from my view it’s not hopeless and we can change things so let’s inspire and be inspired!
Here’s to a cleaner planet!
Thanks to my cousin Grant for taking me to meet wild dolphins and to Aunty Pat for picking up plastic rubbish on the beach every day. You rock!