Making Ocean Activism Accessible in Brighton & Hove
Being based in Brighton, our beaches are important to us.
We want everyone who visits this city to be able to enjoy their natural wonder and support the tourism industry that goes alongside such beautiful beaches and ocean; unfortunately, that’s not always possible.
Plastic waste, broken glass, and disposable barbecues are often littered across the beach front. Our seas are regularly over-fished, and waste water is pumped into the ocean at the shoreline.
It can be overwhelming to realise how much damage we do to our oceans on a daily basis, so we want to share some tips that can make ocean activism more accessible.
Support an Ocean Charity in Brighton
There are tons of amazing charities in Brighton focused on saving our oceans.
You can join Stuart, our Head of Agency, at Surfers Against Sewage.
Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) regularly hold protests against waste water being pumped into the ocean by surfing with gas masks on - who doesn’t want to surf for a cause?
You can follow SAS on Facebook to keep up to date on everything they’re doing and get involved.
Another amazing cause to support is Leave No Trace Brighton - they often have pop up tents along the beachfront with the aim of educating the public on the damage our everyday actions have on our oceans and beaches.
Again, you can follow Leave No Trace on Facebook to stay up to date on everything they’re doing and get involved.
No need to spend money to support these organisations, just spend your time getting involved!
Take 3 from Brighton Beaches
“Take 3” is a movement started by Leave No Trace Brighton.
The idea is that everytime you visit the beachfront, you keep an eye out for 3 pieces of plastic waste littered on the beach, and take those away with you to dispose of (as well as your own rubbish of course!) If even just a few more people were taking 3 pieces of plastic waste away with them, we would have far cleaner beaches all around.
We love this tip because it’s so accessible - no money to donate, no time commitments, just a small thing you can do while you’re already at the beach that makes a huge difference.
Join a Beach Clean in Brighton
Similarly to Take 3, a beach clean involves walking up and down the beach and keeping an eye out for rubbish to dispose of correctly.
It seems simple, but it can have a massive positive impact.
Even when the beach looks clean, you’d be amazed just how much rubbish can be found when you look hard enough; it’s those small pieces of rubbish that can have the most impact on ocean wildlife, so it’s a really important aspect of ocean conservation.
SAS and Leave No Trace will regularly host beach cleans, but why not gather your friends together and host your own? Grab a drink, enjoy the waves, and support ocean conservation all at the same time.
A beach clean is one of the single best ways to ensure our ocean and beaches are free from dangerous waste, so we highly recommend you get involved if you’re passionate about ocean conservation.
Support the Brighton Beach Ban on BBQs and Lanterns
Having a beach BBQ with friends and sending off lanterns can be a ton of fun, but they also create a ton of waste.
BBQs stay hot for an extremely long time and are often left unattended on the beaches; this puts children, adults, and wildlife at enormous risk.
Lanterns may drift away looking beautiful, but what goes up must come down; when they crash back into the ocean, any plastic and non-biodegradable waste falls into the ocean with it and puts wildlife at risk.
You can follow this link to support the ban of BBQs and lanterns in Brighton by filling out the survey at the bottom of the page, we’ve already shown our support!
Thoughtful Purchases to Support Ocean Life in Brighton
Not everyone has the funds to go vegan or completely plastic free, but we wanted to include some small ways that you can support ocean life with your purchasing decisions.
Firstly - what seafood do you eat? Overfishing is an enormous issue, particularly when it comes to fish like cod, herring, and English Channel scallops, they’re being overfished to a critical level. Making smarter choices, and often cheaper choices, when it comes to your seafood can prevent these species facing extinction; personally, basa fish is a go to for me!
Secondly - what kind of sunscreen do you use? Some sunscreens dissolve into the water as you swim and can release chemicals that are harmful to surrounding wildlife, particularly reefs, which can eventually lead to bleaching. To get a bit of ocean activism into your daily life, why not take a look at this list of ocean friendly sunscreen products and see what takes your fancy!
Thirdly - avoid bringing plastic to the beach at all. This may seem obvious, but you never know when a plastic bag is going to blow away beyond your reach or a bottle cap is going to be forgotten. The less plastic we bring to beaches in the first place, the less there is to clean, and the less risk to the environment.
Hopefully these tips have shown you how accessible ocean activism can be and why it’s something you should care about.
Join Creative Bloom in the fight to keep our oceans clean, and let us know how you’re getting involved on twitter: @CreativeBloomUK.