WHO ARE WE?
The Creators of Save the Ocean
Hi, Karen & Linnea are two kids the age of 14 and 15 and they really want people to be more aware of what they use and where it ends up and to start helping the ocean have the clean home they deserve. Furthermore, use less plastic, because the ocean used to be a beautiful place but now it is filled with so much plastic, and animals are dying quickly.
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
BRINING OWN CUPS & STRAWS
Making a difference can start with easy steps like bringing your own cup and a reusable straw. For example, you can bring your own cup when going to a juice bar, a coffee shop, or buying bubble tea. You don't have to go buy a new cup, you might just pick something that you have laying around in your kitchen. Easy and affordable. Here you can see I am using an old Frozen water-bottle for my smoothie that I got at the mall.
RECYCLING
Here at our school The International School of Kuala Lumpur. The Earth Club provides recycling to the community once a month. We have people coming in with paper, plastic, cans, tins, cardboard, and tetra packs. Unfortunately, we are not able to take electronics, glass & clothes at the moment. We have company that comes and weights everything we have collected & then it get's thrown into a big truck & its taken to a recycling station to be sorted again. This hinders the trash from ending up in the ocean and harming our widlife.
EARNING MONEY FOR RECYCLING
For all the recyclables we collect, we are given a small amount of money for their weight, and depending on the material the price will vary. This money is currently being saved until they will be given to a organisation or cause that has similar values and goals as we do. Here is one of the three receipts we got this time. In total, we collected around RM200 and more. Recycling is good and the money goes to a good cause, so it is a win-win. People don't have to worry about their trash ending up in the ocean because we take care of it, and we are helping others who want the same.
EASY THINGS I USE THAT YOU CAN ALSO USE TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE
Here are some things Linnéa uses to make a difference. In her family, she uses beeswax to cover food instead of using cling wrap, which is reusable and easier to use. Likewise, she uses bamboo and metal straws in different sizes, shampoo in a glass bottle instead of plastic, bamboo toothbrush, bamboo box, and tooth powder in a glass container. They also use reusable bags for shopping and for bread, vegetables, and fruit.
PLASTIC
1.8 trillion pieces of plastic has piled up in a stretch of the pacific ocean between Hawaii and California the area is called the Great Pacific Garbage patch and the patch is twice the size of Texas. Researchers spent 3 years finding waste in the sea and they found 80,000 tons of litter that equals 250 pieces of trash for every person on this planet! Plastics pollution has a direct and deadly effect on wild marine life. Thousands of seabirds, sea turtles, seals and other marine mammals are killed each year after ingesting plastic or getting entangled in it.The sad part is that people use single use-plastic like straws, cups, bags and more for a few seconds and then throw them away. What a waste! They then end up in landfills or ends up in the ocean.
Hawksbill turttle
Like many sea turtles, the Hawksbills are an endangered species because of the human impact. Hawksbill eggs are still eaten around the world despite the turtle's international protected status, and they are often killed for their flesh and their stunning shells. There is only around 15,000 or less Hawksbill turtle
SYLVIA EARLE
Quote from the Documentary "Seaspiracy"
"Most of the positive and negative things that bring about change in human civilization start with someone. Some "one". And no one can do everything, but everyone can do something."
COUNTRIES TRYING TO HELP
There were to much plastic and trash in the ocean and beaches. 193 united nations signed pledge to eliminate plastic pollution. Britain has outlawed the manufacture of products containing microbeads. Rwanda has made plastic bags and packaging illegal, except in hospitals. Scotland and Taiwan have banned plastic straws, and several coastal cities in the U.S. are following suit.
BEST THINGS TO USE TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE
You can use bamboo, metal & glass straws instead of plastic ones. You can also bring your own reusable bags when you go shopping and when you go to the grocery store. You can say no to using single use plastic like cups, take-away, cutlery, plastic bottles and more. Instead, you can bring your cups to juice bars and coffee places. Anything small can turn out to something big. Or just use what you have.
CLAIR SANCELOT
Founder of The Hive Malaysia
On December 1st, I asked the founder of The Hive Malaysia, Claire Sancelot “What are some ways to stop using plastic to get in the ocean?” & Claire said that it all starts with you; saying no to plastic straws and bags, bringing your own cup to shops & all those little things. That is all it takes, you don’t have to become completely zero waste like Claire Sancelot or have all the fancy reusable things. Small changes make a big difference.
Here are 2 videos of Claire & what she does
THINGS TO WATCH:
More people have become aware of the problem and made some fantastic documentaries about it. They are both interesting and educational, and change your mindset, by making you more mindful and aware of the things you do and how it effects the world.
Some of my favorites are Seaspiracy, Black Fish, Sharkwater, Chasing Coral, The Cove, Earthlings and Shark Beach with Chris Hemsworth.