Now that summer is here, are you ready for your first official eco friendly beach day of the year?!
Clean Beaches Week is July 1-7, 2023 this year and I can’t imagine a more perfect time to enjoy an eco friendly beach day. Maintaining a clean and healthy beach is so important for the marine life that depends on the water for survival.
In truth, because of our ecological interactions, all life is dependent on our environment and other organisms in some way. By keeping our beaches clean, we are also helping ourselves.
Considered the “Earth Day” for beaches, Clean Beaches Week is a time to bring awareness to the importance of clean beaches and do our part to make sure they stay that way. According to research, 4th of July is the biggest beach visitation day of the year, and the most littered (source). Here are some tips for the best ways to enjoy the beach this summer while also respecting the planet.
This post is all about uncomplicated ways to have an eco friendly beach day!
1. Try local vendors and restaurants
If you’re grabbing food while you’re enjoying the beach, choose local vendors and restaurants. Choosing local vendors and restaurants encourages an eco friendly beach day.
Choosing local is eco friendly because it reduces greenhouse gas emissions which contribute to our climate crisis. Over time we’ve become insensitive to where our food comes from. We often forget that our food sometimes travels hundreds or thousands of miles to make it to our plate.
By choosing local, we’re not only limiting the number of miles our food travels but also supporting the local economy.
2. Eliminate cigarette waste
Did you know cigarette waste is the most abundant form of plastic waste in the world? (source). In addition, plastic is the most littered item around the world.
According to the CDC, only 12.5% of US citizens actually smoke cigarettes, yet cigarette waste is incredibly abundant. After use, most smokers toss their cigarette buts into the air or stomp out on the ground, not considering that cigarette butts are litter too!
Even after cigarette buts are smoked and put out, the filter at the butt of the cigarette still contains toxins and chemicals that are harmful to the environment. Once these items are littered, they most often make their way to the ocean where it pollutes our waterways.
While nature can filter some toxins naturally, the amount of cigarette waste is abundant! While enjoying your time on the beach this summer, celebrate an eco friendly beach day by cleaning up cigarette waste!
3. Don’t feed the birds
If you’re anything like me, it can be incredibly annoying to try to enjoy a relaxing day at the beach and a flock of birds or seagulls decides to rain in on your parade.
As proof of the influence, humans have on our natural world, we are responsible for the annoying aggressiveness of these gulls! Yup, so many of us innocently feed birds on the beach thinking of it as an innocent pastime or even that we are helping the animals. In truth, we are training birds to stay at the beach in search of human food.
Birds naturally nest on beaches and frequent the landscape for prey, but our influence on their food chain has caused a congregation of more birds than would naturally accumulate.
Celebrate Clean Beaches Week and an eco friendly beach day by keeping your food to yourself and not feeding the birds.
4. Clean up pet waste
We often think of pet waste as a natural fertilizer. However, pet waste in large quantities is incredibly harmful to the environment as it pollutes local waterways. This is especially true on the beach. Pet waste is full of bacteria which is bad for water quality and the health of marine life.
In addition, no one likes to step in dog poop! Be sure to bring a bag to clean up your pets waste and be sure not to throw it in the water.
5. Address litter
According to Keep America Beautiful, nearly 26 billion pieces of litter along United States waterways. An estimated 25.9 billion pieces of litter were identified along the shores of 10.7 million miles of United States waterways (source).
Litter on the ground most often ends up in the waterway. In fact, there is slightly more litter found along waterways than there is around roadways (source).
To keep our beaches and waterways clean, pick up litter while enjoying your eco friendly beach day! You can make this a larger, beach-wide activity by walking along the beach and grabbing garbage or simply picking up litter around where you are sitting.
Litter is not only a physical nuisance, it is also harmful to wildlife and marine life. Animals often eat litter thinking it is food. They stop eating because they feel full, but the items they’ve eaten are garbage with no nutritional value. These animals end up dying from starvation. In addition, those of us who eat seafood could eventually be eating litter as well. Our ecosystem is all connected. The actions we take have a dramatic impact on the health of our planet.
6. Bring a bag for trash
Whether you’re doing a litter cleanup or just enjoying your eco friendly beach day, be sure to bring a bag for trash! We should always try to reduce our waste, but it is important to be prepared for the inevitable piece of trash.
Having a trash bag with you will keep your trash from blowing away and becoming litter. It will also help keep the beach trashcans from overflowing. Overflowing trash cans also contribute to litter and attract animals looking for food.
7. Appreciate nature
As a busy mom, I can easily get caught up in the hustle and bustle of getting the family settled in on the beach. If I’m not careful, it is incredibly easy to not actually appreciate the beauty of nature.
Nature is so incredibly beneficial to your mental health. While you’re enjoying your time on the beach this summer, be sure to appreciate nature.
Here are some ways you can appreciate nature during your eco friendly beach day
- Slow down
- Close your eyes
- Listen to the sounds you hear – the crash of the waves, the wind, the birds, the people
- Close you eyes and inhale – what do you smell? What does it remind you of
- Feel the sand on your skin
- Connect to each of your five senses
- Walk the beach looking down – what do you see?
- Watch the waves
- Do some exercise on the beach- a brisk walk, some yoga, or volleyball
- Look up in the sky, what do you see?
8. Educate yourself about ocean life
Here are some of my favorite sites to visit to educate yourself about ocean life!
Here are some of my favorite educational resources about ocean life:
9. Wear eco friendly deodorant
Most deodorants come in plastic containers which always end up in landfill. In addition, most ingredients are not good for your body or the environment.
Choose a deodorant that is non-toxic and in recyclable or reusable packaging. Here’s a review of the Hey Humans deodorant I’ll be using all summer!
Related Post: Hey Humans Deodorant Review: Plastic Free Deodorant that Actually Works
10. Protect your skin
Don’t forget your sunscreen! The type of sunscreen you choose matters. Did you know a chemical found in sunscreen has been identified as harmful for coral and marine life? (source).
In order to protect marine life, use sunscreen that is reef friendly!
11. Pack a zero-waste lunch
Consider packing a zero waste lunch! Packing a zero waste lunch is so easy. Don’t overthink it!
The best way to have a zero waste lunch for your eco friendly beach day is to not pack any single use or disposable food items. Items like chip bags, plastic utensils, ziplock bags, yogurt cups, and disposable dinnerware should be avoided.
Instead, use reusable bags, Tupperware containers, cutlery from your home, and reusable napkins.
This helps decrease the amount of trash you will accumulate while enjoying the beach and it will also help you reduce your chances of littering.
12. Respect wildlife
From crabs and turtles to dolphins and seagulls – it is important to remember to respect wildlife. We are privileged to enjoy the home of marine wildlife and it is our responsibility to be respectful of that.
For many beaches in the eastern United States, May – October is turtle nesting season. Turtles are incredibly important to marine ecosystems because they are keystone species. In a sense, they are the glue holding the ecosystem together. Learn more about how to respect turtles during nesting season here.
13. Use what you have
This is your reminder to check your home for supplies for your eco friendly beach day before you purchase new.
Although buying brand new must-have beach items can be enticing, keep in mind that the most sustainable product is the one you didn’t buy! If we think back to the 3 R’s of Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle, those three words are listed in order for a reason. If we reduce what we buy, we are making the most significant positive impact on the environment.
14. Check and see what you can find at the thrift store
If you don’t already have the item at home, can you get it from the thrift store?
Check out the thrift store for beach toys! Can’t find beach toys? Look for other items that would be great for collecting water and sand-like Tupperware, kitchen tools, and kitchen accessories.
15. Choose sustainable swimwear
Thrift: have you checked your local thrift store for a bathing suit? Mixing and matching with swimwear at the thrift store can be so much fun! I usually get my kids multiple swimsuits for the weeks we go to the beach more than once!
Sustainable swimwear: if you didn’t have any luck thrifting your swimwear, check out these sustainable swimwear options for your next eco friendly beach day!
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