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Cook More Efficiently
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Use Cold Water for Laundry
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Find New Uses for Old Phones
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Reduce Waste: End Junk Mail!
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Encourage Pollination: Help Bees!
July 18:
Use Less Oil: Walk or Bike at Least Once this Week Instead of Driving
July 11:
Water Lawns and Outdoor Plants in the Morning or Evening Only
July 4:
Practice Safe Souvenir Buying
June 20:
Reuse Paper Scraps
June 13:
Safely Dispose of Hazardous Wastes
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Give New Life to Old Stuff
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Make Your Own Non-Toxic Cleaners
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Find Ways to Consume Less
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Reuse your food scraps and yard waste: make compost!
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Make Sure Your Seafood's Sustainable
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Use a Low Flow Showerhead
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Reduce Weight in your Vehicle
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Use a Reusable Water Bottle
April 11:
Switch to Fluorescent Bulbs
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Buy in Bulk
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Unplug Your Appliances When They're Not in Use!
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Turn Off Your Engine Instead of Idling Your Car
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Practice Safe Souvenir Buying
What to do:
Summer vacation time is also souvenir time. As you shop for something to help you remember your time at the beach, be careful to avoid souvenirs that harm
the ocean. It's important to ask a few questions about how items were harvested before purchasing seashells or pieces of coral to take home. In the
words of the US Fish & Wildlife Service : "Corals and seashell items are often sold in gift and
curio shops in the United States and overseas. Consumers in this country should make sure these products are legal before buying them, and Americans who
travel abroad should check U.S. laws and the laws of the country they're visiting before bringing corals and seashells home as souvenirs." You should
also be aware that some species like star fish and sand dollars, may be killed to make souvenirs, even when they are legally harvested.
Dried seahorse souvenirs should be avoided altogether. Already declining seahorse populations are impacted when seahorses are captured and killed for souvenirs in mass numbers each year.
Simply avoiding these products is a good start. To take a more active role, you can decline to shop in stores that carry harmful souvenirs. Talk to a manager or write the store a letter. . . souvenirs are a big business, and stores care about keeping their customers!
Why it Helps the Earth:
Seahorse populations can't support the current demand for souvenirs. For more about seahorse conservation, visit the Monterey Bay
Aquarium's Seahore Conservation Page .
Irresponsible harvesting of shells and coral can harm endangered populations of sea creatures.
What the Research Says:
According to the US Fish & Wildlife Service, coral reefs support over 25 percent of ocean fish, but as many as 58 percent of the world's reefs are in
danger.
To learn more about seahorses, try reading National Geographic's Seahorse Page .
Why it Helps You:
Because enjoying nature, whether it's in an aquarium, on a beach, while snorkeling... is more rewarding than having a freeze dried seahorse in a curio box in the closet.
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Last Revision: July 6, 2010