Can you Join Mike’s Dive Store and become a Sea-Changer?
You love diving. You love the sea. You love being near, in or on the sea.
I don’t want to assume anything about you but since you are visiting Mike’s Dive Store website, having a root around, I think I am on the right track. If I am right, I want to ask you to become a Sea-Changer. It doesn’t involve selling your soul, joining some sinister cult that will entail leaving loved ones and living in a hut, and it won’t cost you a penny. I am asking you to become a Sea-Changer by taking some small practical actions to demonstrate your love for the sea and give something back in return for all the fabulous hours you have spent underwater.
Read on….
Over the next few blog posts I am going to list 45 ways in which you can be a sea-changer or ….. someone who make a real difference to UK seas. Mike’s Dive Store has already made their commitment to being Sea-Changers. They do something very cool. For every purchase made by people like you on their website, Mike’s donate 1% of the total bill to vital UK marine conservation projects. They give money to Sea-Changers and we allocate every single penny they give to projects that we know will make a real difference to UK seas. To find out more about how we fund and who we fund visit our website.
And Mike’s want you to join them either by matching their donation, or by taking small actions that can benefit our seas. So they have given us this blog space to share ideas with you. We would love it if you join in, post your own ideas or comment on Twitter and Facebook. If you tweet just tag #BeASeaChanger & we'll share! So to start us off in this three part blog…here’s entries #1-15.
Ways to be a Sea-Changer #1.
Let’s start with an easy one….make Sea-Changers Facebook page your own.
- Post your marine conservation stories, ideas and thoughts on our Facebook page. Inspire others to take action for the sea.
- Share, like and comment on Sea-Changers’
- Get involved by posting your own suggestions on how to change the sea for the better.
- Recommend the page to five of your friends.
Ways to be a Sea-Changer #2.
Buy only sustainable fish. Scientists predict that if we continue fishing as we are now, we will see the end of most seafood by 2048. Industrial fishing has depleted stock of tuna, cod, swordfish and marlin by as much as 90 percent. One choice we have, is to eat less fish. Another is to only buy fish that is from well-managed sustainable sources. Download the Marine Conservation Society Good Fish Guide to ensure you make great fish choices.
Ways to be a Sea-Changer #3.
Enjoy a walk along your local beach. Be inspired by it, remind yourself how fantastic the ocean makes you feel….and make sure you leave it in better shape that you found it:
- Don’t walk on the dunes
- Take along a rubbish bag and pick up any litter you find
- If you are walking the dog – clean up after them
- Have a great day
Ways to be a Sea-Changer #4.
Clean a beach. There are some great beach clean events to get involved in and it is a fantastic way to make a very practical difference. If you are UK based check out Marine Conservation Society and their Beachwatch scheme .
Ways to be a Sea-Changer #5.
Be green when sailing on the Blue. Recreational boating can generate pollution and environmental problems. As more and more of us take to the water we risk damaging the sea but there are some simple steps we can take to ensure we keep our environmental impact low. Areas to consider include:
- How to use oils and fuel
- Which cleaning products have low environmental impact
- Disposing of waste carefully
- Ensuring you dispose of sewage correctly, and
- Respecting wildlife whilst out on the water
The Green Blue offer some great advice to sailors about minimising their environmental impact so visit their website.
Ways to be a Sea-Changer #6.
Raise money for Sea-Changers and marine conservation whilst doing your shopping online. Sign up to easyfundraising or Give as you Live and raise money to fund our work with every purchase.
Ways to be a Sea-Changers #7
Learn about Whales and Dolphins in the wild and find out how surveying them can help to protect their future. The Sea Watch Foundation run a great two day programme from which you can learn all about these amazing animals as well as gain practical skills in how to carry out cetaceans surveys from land or sea. This means you can help provide invaluable survey data on whales and dolphins sightings around our coasts. You learn lots and gain skills to help Sea Watch learn more about cetaceans around our shores – win, win.
Ways to be a Sea-Changer #8.
Ask your local supermarket to stock sustainable fish and to remove endangered fish from the shelves. Check out: The Bite Back website and support their supermarket campaign.
Ways to be a Sea-Changer #9.
Use your mobile phone to save the seas. Donate to Sea-Changers by texting SEAS10£1 to 70070 and raise funds to fund our marine conservation work.
Ways to be a Sea-Changer #10
Review the cleaning products you use. Toxins from household cleaning products end up going through the sewage system and into the oceans where they concentrate in plankton, which feeds small fish, which in turn feed larger fish which, in the end, we may eat. It is not clear what the impact of toxins in the sea has on us when we swim, dive or surf, but we have to assume it’s not good. There are green alternatives out there, so check the labels and make the change.
For more information on this, check out the Surfers against Sewage website.
Ways to be a Sea-Changer #11
Dive responsibly.
Diving can impact on the ocean but there are some simple steps we can take to ensure we keep our environmental impact low. Areas to consider include:
- Be aware of your body and equipment placement when diving.
- Keep your dive skills sharp through continuing education.
- Consider how your interactions affect aquatic life.
- Understand and respect underwater life.
- Be an eco-tourist.
- Report environmental disturbances or destruction.
- Don’t collect shells/marine life when diving.
- Get involved in local environmental activities and issues.
Read more here: Project Aware Tips
Ways to be a Sea-Changer #12
Raise money for Sea-Changers whilst searching online Go to Easysearch or Everyclick. If every Mike’s Dive Store customer used these search engines to complete ten searches a week through you could raise £500+ per year without it costing you a penny!
Ways to be a Sea-Changer #13
Buy a Reusable Bottle. 12,500 plastic bottles are thrown away every 8.3 seconds. Many end up on our beaches or in our seas. Keep yourself hydrated with an ocean friendly option: Try the bottles sold by Onya Bags.
Ways to be a Sea-Changer #14
Campaign for the establishment of more marine reserves. A SHOCKING 0.6% OF OUR WORLDS OCEANS ARE PROTECTED and it simply isn’t enough. The establishment of large-scale networks of marine reserves, urgently needed to protect marine species and their habitats, could be key to reversing global fisheries decline. For more information and to sign a petition campaigning for more reserves check out Marine Conservation Society or the Blue Marine Foundation.
Ways to be a Sea-Changer #15
Buy all your dive gear from Mike’s Online Store and raise money straight away. You get great dive kit. We get a donation from Mike’s…and you can match it by clicking on the donate button.
So there you have it….15 easy, achievable ways that you can be a Sea-Changer and in the next blog there will be 15 more. Thanks for reading and for more information about Sea-Changers and the work we do to raise money for UK marine conservation projects please visit our website.
