Super Eco

Photo credit: saavem, stock.xchng

It's easy to feel passionate about protecting the ocean. The question is, what can a land-locked environmentalist contribute? Sure, you can make donations and engage in letter-writing campaigns on issues that affect the sea. But if you're anything like us, you're itching for something you can get your hands into ... An effort worthy of the sea's majestic waves, rather than a token effort that feels merely all wet.

We understand that. The knee bone's connected to the thigh bone—and the ocean, one continuous body of water, is connected to the world's ecosystems so integrally that its tendrils reach all the way to the back yard of yours truly. You don't have to be an eco-celebrity like Hayden Panettiere, with a schedule that allows for play dates with the whales. Landlubbers play their own part in protecting the world's oceans. The Practical Environmentalist has a new list of ocean-friendly tips that leans a little toward the lofty side, so we backed up to a few basics:

• Think before you buy. Don't purchase products that chip away at the biosystems (like old-growth forests that help buffer the pH of rain and filter chemicals before they reach the sea) that support the ocean.
• Quit eating endangered species. Yes, that bite counted. And that little nibble there. And that one, too. Just stop, already.
• Don't pollute runoff. What you put on the ground at home eventually makes its way to the sea. That means no chemicals down drains, no automotive chemicals into the streets and storm drains, no chemical fertilizers and insecticides on the lawn.
• Let the rain soak in. Remove man-made paving, gravel and other cover that prevents the ground from absorbing rain, which artificially inflates runoff rates.
• Buy from responsible companies. Put your money where your mouth is and give your hard-earned cash to companies that care.

Read more at The Practical Environmentalist.