How TO HELP THE OCEANS GET HEALTHY AGAIN

1. Get involved with marine conservation and education groups 

There are many of them. Some are international, others focus on specific countries, and still more do their good work regionally or locally. Sometimes they're focused on a particular species. However you choose to give back — with your time through volunteering in / starting beach and ocean clean-up days, or with rescues, using your voice through signing petitions and advocating for legislation to protect the oceans, their sea life, and for enforcing laws, sharing these groups' information to help educate your friends, family, and colleagues using social media or other ways, donating monies to help defray these worthy organizations' expenses — all of these can make a significant positive difference. 

Many of you have asked which conservation groups I resonate with, so here's my current list:

• The Wild Dolphin Project -  https://www.wilddolphinproject.org/
• The Dolphin Project - https://www.dolphinproject.com/
• Oceana - https://www.oceana.org
• The Ocean Conservancy - https://www.oceanconservancy.org
• Project Aware Foundation - https://www.padi.com/aware
• Project Seahorse - https://projectseahorse.org
• The Oliver Ridley Project - https://oliveridleyproject.org
• Coral Reef Alliance - https://coral.org/en/
• Seymour Marine Discovery Center - https://seymourcenter.ucsc.edu/
• The Monterey Bay Aquarium - https://www.montereybayaquarium.org/
  
• Save Our Shores - https://saveourshores.org/
• Florida Oceanographic Society - https://www.floridaocean.org/
• National Resources Defense Council - https://www.nrdc.org/issues/oceans
• World Wildlife Fund - https://www.worldwildlife.org/initiatives/oceans
  

Don't stop with my list. There are so many more you can choose from. Look for ones close to your home so you lend your hands as well as your heart.

2. Support businesses and organizations whose missions are aligned with marine conservation. 

Many small businesses do what they can to help conservation — marine or otherwise. Learn how they are doing their part to help and support them with your business. Businesses like mine! Every year I donate money from every purchase someone makes on my site to the groups above, I also do everything I can to run my business using natural materials and appropriately dispose anything that could be harmful. I make an effort to educate and inspire folks to care for and protect oceans. I participate in beach clean-up days where I can. I vote for government representatives who create and support conservation legislation. I know I'm not alone. Small businesses are the heart beat of our country and ethical business owners care deeply about doing what we can to be part of the solution.

3.  Making lifestyle changes is one of the smallest, yet most impactful ways you can help. 

There are hundreds of ways so I'm not going to list them — others have done a much better job of that — links to articles below will tell you far more. But what are the life style changes that I've personally made? Here are only a few: refillable bottle for drinking whether water, iced tea, etc., using straws made from stainless steel or silicon so they fit easily in my pockets or purse, choosing seafood carefully, using a French press for coffee, reusable shopping and produce bags. I also dispose of any harmful materials I use in my art at the appropriate facilities. I'm sure most of you already do much of the above. Adopt more ways — each time you do or help someone else to do so, your heart will thank you! 

• 5 changes you can make to help protect the oceans -  https://seasave.org/5-changes-you-can-make-to-help-protect-the-ocean
• How can you help our ocean? https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/ocean/help-our-ocean.html
• 10 ways you can help save the oceans:  https://oceana.org/living-blue-10-ways-you-can-help-save-oceans/
• 15 things you can do to help keep the oceans clean: https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/546495/things-you-can-do-help-keep-oceans-clean
• How to help keep our oceans clean: 11 things you can do - https://easthillsbottledepot.ca/how-to-help-keep-our-oceans-clean/index.html