Save the Waves - What You Can Do!

The podcast discusses the issue of ocean pollution and the importance of individual actions to help save the oceans. Volunteering, such as participating in beach cleanups, is highlighted as a starting point. Students at the University of North Carolina Wilmington are involved in the Plastic Ocean Project. It is emphasized that even small actions like picking up trash along the coast can make a difference. The podcast also mentions the need to spread awareness about plastic-free alternatives and to reduce carbon footprints. Voting for public officials who support good ocean policies is encouraged. The message is that collective efforts can save the oceans and everyone should get involved. Hello everyone. Thank you for coming back to another week of Save the Waves podcast. I'm your host Victoria King and this week we are talking about how we can help out our oceans, specifically what we can do personally as in volunteering. As I'm sure many of us know when it comes to our oceans there is definitely an issue at hand. Our oceans are in trouble. I'm not sure when people decided to come to the beach and leave their trash laying around or fish for sport just as a way to pass their time but it's all starting to add up. We're seeing more and more of an effect that we humans have on the ocean and many wonder how we can reverse time and get back to a place that allows us to actually make a difference. Because let's be honest it's incredibly overwhelming and seems impossible to start somewhere but it's possible right now. It's not too late to start implementing habits into our day-to-day life that turn back time and make a real healthy impact on the environment. If you're wondering where to start volunteering is the first step. We can all make the time even just one day out of the month to go out and help with beach cleanups. Students at the University of North Carolina Wilmington get involved in the Plastic Ocean Project as a means to clean up beaches in the Wilmington region. If you're a student I strongly encourage you to get involved. You don't need to join an organization to conduct a cleanup though. You can go out with some friends or even yourself and pick up things along the coast as you're walking. Bring a little trash bag and fill it up. Know that your voice matters. Climate change is not conspiracy and it's not a joke. We have one earth and we need to act now to bring forth positive changes and help heal our environment. The ocean is working overtime to regulate our climate even as the way humans have treated it. We have to have a healthy ocean to survive. Spread the word about plastic-free alternatives and use them in your life. According to Oceana, an organization centered around ocean conservancy, an estimated 17.6 billion pounds of plastic leaks into the marine environment from land-based sources every year. That's roughly the equivalent of dumping a garbage truck full of plastic into our oceans every single minute. I know we've all likely heard it a million times but here it is again. Reduce your carbon footprint. It's as simple as turning off the lights when you leave a room or walking to the corner store instead of taking your car. Just as your voice matters, so does your vote. Vote on ocean issues. Oceana states that electing public officials that support good ocean policies can help us protect marine lives and our oceans. Do your research on candidates and make an informed decision then exercise your right and responsibility to vote. I know it can seem overwhelming to the point that we think our little bit of volunteering and walking instead of driving to the store won't make a difference but it truly will. It takes a community. If all of us work together and implement the tiniest of changes into our lives, we can save our oceans. Do what you can to get involved. Please join us next week and every week after as we dive into current ocean-related news and explore ways in which we can make an impact.