By: Jeremy McAleese
The ocean is a body of water where all sorts of species live, yet trash is taking over the top layer. With human waste being so prevalent in society today, the ocean is seeing the main affect. Because of social media people have found out about what’s happening to the ocean. Many people have stood up for a cause, to change the actions of society. Cleaning up the ocean is an action that people want to be involved with, but just don’t know how when they live in a state that isn’t bordered by the ocean.
“I personally didn’t know that the ocean was suffering until I decided to go onto social media and search around,” said Zach Miller, ’22, a marine biology student at Wittenberg. “Once I found out that society’s waste is hurting the ocean, I knew I wanted to do my part, yet I didn’t know how because I live in Ohio, which isn’t near the ocean.”
Social media can show people the horrific problems with the ocean, but it doesn’t notify people on how to fix those things. Living in any state there are ways to act to fix the problems.
Ways of acting upon the cleanup of the ocean are listed by Kathleen Reinsel, a marine biology professor a Wittenberg University:
- Cut down on the plastic use in your everyday life
- Take a stand and donate to ocean charity to help make a difference in those states that are bordered by the ocean
- Understand that not everything small enough to fit in the toilet can/should be flushed. Watch what you flush
- At any chance you get, try to conserve water such as not taking long showers, and turning off the water as you are brushing your teeth
- Make sure you hold companies accountable. Don’t let the top companies run the show and do whatever they want to the ocean
- Keep yourself updated on what the environment looks like, you never know when the next opportunity to help will come around.
- While staying updated yourself, try to get your family and friends to join the movement and take charge in cleaning up the environment that you live in.
These methods can be taken into action at any point of the day. Even when living in a state that is bordered by land. Using these seven helpful solutions you can join the fight in cleaning up the ocean.
With pollution on the rise, the response to cleaning the ocean is increasing at a substantial rate. Social media will get the word out about the gruesome happenings, but you can get the word out on what can be done to help save the species living in the sea.
