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| Pic by Laura |
Damn it! We have really got into the diving here in Bonaire. Why is that bad? It's not really. Actually, it has given us a whole new appreciation of everything below the surface. EVERYTHING! With that appreciation, we have also gained a big dose of how we are directly connected to everything down there. We always try our best to keep our impact to minimum. Are we the best? No, far from it. However, we are not the worst either.
But being in Bonaire and diving in this amazing aquarium has really got us paying attention to our impact. For instance.....now we worry about what ingredients are in our sunscreen. It turns out most sunscreens have chemicals in them that kill coral reefs.
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| Pic by Laura |
Consumer Reports
Travel and Leisure
Hawaii recently ban certain sunscreens.
There is more research out there, but these might help you get started. It is shocking how many "Reef Safe" sunscreens actually have those bad chemicals in them. So you have to really read the labels.
Reef Safe sunscreen is not just for those of us on boats or who live by the sea, it should be for everyone. Why? When you take your beach holiday there is a 50 - 50 chance you are going to grab the tube of sunscreen you have at home in say....Kansas, so you can hit the beach immediately. Boom - bad sunscreen chemicals in the water and reef. Or you wait to purchase the sunscreen when you are on the cruise ship but they don't sell Reef Safe sunscreen so you end up buying the bad stuff as you head to the dive boat. In fact, cruise ships really need to step up their game and ONLY sell Reef Safe sunscreen as they dump 1500+ people at a time on beaches around the world.
And yes, we try to remember to refuse straws. I even have a stainless straw thanks to my pal Amanda. She has made the switch and she doesn't even live close to the sea. Another KC friend is a server at a restaurant and she won't bring straws unless people specifically ask. Even then, she explains why, usually teaching them and guilting them into not taking a straw. And finally, we witnessed a KC bartender cutting up plastic six pack rings one night. "I just think it is important to do this, even though we are in KC." Agreed! Every little bit helps.
Anyway.....as we explore more of this planet, we continue to learn the ways to interact and impact our world and we continue to make positive adjustments as we can. A few might say "These little changes won't do a thing to help clean up the oceans." Well they won't if we don't each start to do our part! And every vote counts, btw!!!
I’m glad you like the straws! They didn’t even take getting used to for me. I haven’t however figured out how to keep track of them. Pretty sure I’ve donated several to bars/bartenders around town and am already ready to order another batch!
ReplyDeleteGreat post! We investigated and invested in a case (yes, a case!) of reef-safe sunscreen before we moved to Belize, and shipped it down there. We use Tropical Sands, which has served us well over the years. We continue to use it on our bike rides, even though we're far from any reef, but like you say, everything is connected, so even showering it off, it ends up in the water supply. Better to be safe! I have been cutting up six- and four-pack rings for years. The only thing I haven't done so far (from this post) is the straw, simply because I haven't seen any of the alternatives to plastic to buy anywhere. I do plan to do this soon, though. Good going on you!
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