Mahalo!

First day of Ocean Girl Project camp we do small beach clean-ups and learn about sustainability.

The girls are often curious as to why we do not use plastic bags or bottles or forks, spoons, or cups, do you get the idea??

After our first quick beach clean up, it becomes very clear and meaningful to all of us who love the ocean!

 

Hawaii & Sustainable Solutions Doing your part in Hawaii

What is sustainability? Simply, the responsible treatment of natural resources.

NO littering Be respectful and leave nothing but footprints on the beach and valleys. We are on small islands with finite resources, never ever litter.

Store Bags-plastic bags are the worst and most unnecessary plastic polluter of the ocean and easiest to replace.

Carry and shop with reusable sustainable bags. A single reusable bag can eliminate hundreds to thousands of disposable bags over its lifetime. Look for reusable bags that are made of strong sustainable material (not plastic), if the seller doesn’t know what the material is, go somewhere else, local health food stores, farmers markets and craft fairs are a good source or make your own. Bonus-many stores give discounts for bringing your own bag.

Plastic bottles– Plastic bottles along with plastic bags are the most common sources of plastic pollution found on our beaches and in the ocean. In the US alone, eight out of 10 (22 billion) plastic bottles will end up in a landfill-Container Recycling Institute.

The easiest solution is to carry reusable stainless steel water bottles and flasks and drink tap water!! It’s clean, safe and you already paid for it!! The Hawaii Board of Supply (hbws.org) states on their site: “The municipal water supply served to Oahu’s residents is safe to drink and use, and does not require treatment by a home filtration unit.” If you are still concerned you may want to purchase filtration systems. Buying soda and juice containers made from glass helps also.

 

Mahalo Nalu Hawaiian Spirit for providing reusable bags for the girls to use!