Saturday 29 May 2010

Looking after the beach

The continuing oil spill is focussing minds on the importance of the seas and coasts as vital environments for wildlife. And if the oil finds its way into the Gulf Stream then the UK and western Europe could find thelselves affected too. There are obviously huge issues around how oil companies operate and how spills are dealt with on the industrial and political level. However, we can all do our bit to help look after these environments and this can make a small difference and hopefully can help us to feel less helpless and hopeless. Here are just a selection of the ways you can get involved:

In the UK, the Marine Conservation Trust runs the Adopt a Beach scheme and the annual Beachwatch survey, involving tidying the beaches and surveying the types of litter picked up. You can find out what's happening in your area on their website here. The website also highlights the importance of cutting down on plastic use and reducing waste as ways of helping to protect the seas.

The Shore Thing is a project that works with schools and volunteers to record the wildlife on the beaches around the UK. Having accurate records of the wildlife that is found there, means we have a better chance of protecting it.

Save the beach, sponsored by Corona, aims to make people aware of pollution and waste on beaches, the preservation of the environment and to rehabilitate European beaches. From 5th June users of http://www.coronasavethebeach.org/ can choose a beach they want to save and take a picture or make a video to show the dangerous state of the place and upload it on the page. On the 23rd of August everyone will be invited to vote for the beach Corona Beer will save in 2010.

8th June is World Ocean Day. This is a day to celebrate the oceans and to highlight the need to protect them, a message which is particularly poignant and urgent this year.

You can donate your hair to help mop up the oil spill. This article from the BBC talks about how that works. Matter of Trust is a charity that is collecting hair to be used in this way.

10 comments:

Pamela Terry and Edward said...

We are heartbroken, and so angry, here.
Perhaps now, alternative forms of energy will be more attractive to those who've refused to consider them.

Cheryl Cato said...

If only "looking after the beach" could help what is occurring in the Gulf of Mexico then this would not be the disaster that it is. I shudder to think what the long term effects of this blow-out will be. It makes the Exxon Valdez look like child's play.

It seems the efforts underway to cap this monumental event are failing. Obviously we cannot allow deep ocean drilling to continue. The risks are just too great. It is going to take legislative efforts worldwide to put a halt to drilling where we have no way of stopping disasters once they occur.

I agree with the previous comment that alternative forms of energy should become more attractive... but which forms? Wind, water & solar produced energy should be the safest; but what of nuclear energy? That is a hot-button item too.

I just hope BP and whoever else is working on this finds success soon.

Cheryl Cato said...

Oh, I have marshes & wetland views on my last 3 posts. The latest along the Georgia coast and the previous two from Mobile Bay, Alabama. All USA, of course.

Crafty Green Poet said...

Pamela - I hope alternative energy becomes better funded soon too.

Lizzy - yes which alternative forms and then we all need to think about reducing the energy we use, that's the great unspoken issue. I know that 'looking after the beach' is nowhere near enough to help the Gulf of Mexico but it can help people to feel a bit less helpless

Titus said...

Timely reminder of what we can all do, Poet.
And wow! to the hair link. With what I pull off the dog everyday and what comes out on my own hairbrush, I think I can help there. Thanks, would never have found this otherwise!

Naquillity said...

thanks for sharing all these resources. i like the idea of sharing cut hair with Matter of Trust to mop up that oil spill. i think it's terrible what's happened to all the wildlife because of that oil spill.

hope you're having a great weekend.

Gillena Cox said...

alternative energy sources sure sounds like the way to go

much love
gillena

Kay said...

I cannot believe that this well and many others were allowed to drill so deeply with no backup plan in case this happened. how foolish, greedy and short sighted by all concerned..everytime the news shows a dead turtle, pelican or dolphin I want to scream.

Christina said...

The arrogance of this company makes me so angry. Why was there no plan in place? I have spent a lot of time in New Orleans, my brother's ashes were sprinkled there. I have watched the shrimpers and fishermen loose their world again. It has so many long reaching effects that people dont think about. It is a forgotten city. Katrina proved that and the lack of response from this spill proves it again.

Gabrielle Bryden said...

It's heartbreaking. I live at the beach - a small village in Hervey Bay Australia (near Fraser Island - largest sand island in the world). It's pretty clean in comparison to others but we always keep an eye out for rubbish and dispose of it properly so the birds and other wildlife don't get caught up in it. Just ordered your book - looking forward to reading it (my type of stuff) :)