🐠 A colorful ocean is a healthy ocean 😊
Photo by Shawn Heinrichs
The ocean and its marine life are dear and near to our heart at PI. From the beginning, it was important to us to give back 10% of our net profit to sea turtle and ocean conservation projects around the world but we also wanted to work hand and hand with organizations that are actively helping to protect our oceans. It has been a great eye opening experience for us.
One thing we realized is that in order to take action and put our energy in the right direction, we first needed to educate ourselves and the people around us.
On this World Oceans Day, we are excited to be partnering with Chasing Coral to bring awareness to the situation of our coral reefs and how to take action today.
When the documentary "Chasing Coral" first came out in 2017, the PI team went to watch it in a local theater in Encinitas, California. Encinitas is known to be a surfer community, where the local residences are very environmentally conscious. Watching this documentary and being surrounded with mindful people ready to take action felt like a breath of fresh air.
After watching the documentary, we were blown away and teary-eyed by the current situation, but we also left feeling hopeful and motivated. In this remarkable film, we learned about the importance of our coral reefs and the massive destruction that is currently happening.
Watch the Official Trailer of Chasing Coral. Even better, watch the full documentary today on Netflix!
WHY DO WE NEED CORAL?
The fact is we NEED and DEPEND on a healthy ocean and reefs as much as we need our trees and our forests. We tend to forget that corals are actually living animals, and very sophisticated ones. They are the most important and diverse ecosystems on the planet, supporting 25% of marine life in our ocean.
Unfortunately, those magnificent underwater creatures are in serious danger.
WHAT IS CURRENTLY HAPPENING?
With global warming, the extra heat in the atmosphere is being absorbed by the ocean. Without the cooling effect of our oceans, the average air temperature would be 122 degrees Fahrenheit!
WHAT IS THE EFFECT ON CORAL REEFS?
By absorbing heat from the atmosphere, the average temperature of our oceans is rising by 2 degrees Celsius. This may not seem like a lot, but imagine your body having a constant fever... this is how the ocean is feeling right now and it is destroying marine life.
This heatwave is causing the coral to bleach and die, forcing all the fish and marine life to leave the reef.
This story may be out of sight and out of mind, but solutions exist here on Earth and can be implemented as soon as today!
HOW CAN YOU TAKE ACTION TODAY?
Start with these simple changes that will make an impact!
* Switch to reef safe sunscreen
With summer right around the corner, protect your skin and the reefs by choosing a sunscreen without oxybenzone (a chemical that is damaging coral reefs) and wear a rash guard to limit the sunscreen you need.
* Use clean transportation
Do you really need to use your car for everything? Could you walk there? Bike? Take the public transportation? Take into consideration the other ways of going where you're going. This week, start by leaving the car home one time and use a cleaner form of transportation.
* Consume less meat and meat products
The meat and dairy industry, especially the beef industry, requires a lot of land, contributing to deforestation to make way for livestock, In addition, methane emissions from cows and the use of fertilizer is creating as much greenhouse gas emissions as all the cars, trucks and airplanes in the world.
It also uses way more water that we could imagine. In fact, the production of one burger (200g of meat) equals the amount of water we would use during 100 showers...
Make changes that are sustainable for you. Don't go all in and burn yourself out either. Try to substitute 2 meals a day with vegetarian options. If you are already vegetarian, try to be vegan a couple of days a week too. It is also a great way to try new recipes and realize we can eat really well without meat and feel so much better too!
Today, June 8, 2019, 10% of our net profit will go directly to the
Blue Sphere Foundation. Choose environmentally conscious brands, like PI, and make an impact! Shop today!
