Traveling in Hawaii with Ocean Matters this past week challenged me to look for ways to be more conscious about consumption and more aware of our impact on our earth. Oahu just banned the distribution of plastic bags in grocery stores--go Hawaii!
Jack's Diving Locker here on the Big Island had us write our names on paper cups and reuse them throughout our dives. They also gave thorough briefings about the environment and creatures we'd see, and insisted on exercising the utmost care. (I saw divers with other shops being irresponsible.) The large, matriarch manta affectionately named "Lefty" had her cephalic horn amputated by fishing line years ago, and one of her pectoral fins bears a telltale notch. Thankfully, she survived.
There are so many simple (painless!) things we can all do to reduce our impact... Carrying reusable bags and water bottles, declining straws at a restaurant, taking only what we need, and appreciating the creatures with whom we share our home by showing them respect. A lot of our trash ends up in our waters, and we can prevent it!
Thanks to Laura Parker Laura Parker Roerden for heightening my awareness.
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