Since the 1950ies, an incredible amount of 8,3 Billion tons of plastic have been produced worldwide. 600 Million tons of those have been recycled, 800 Million Tons have been burnt. And the rest of it? Let´s be honest! The remaining 6,9 Billion tons have ended up somewhere in the environment. In short, there is now way of removing this mass mechanically. Not only because of the sheer number of plastic particles, but also because most ecosystems are much too sensitive, to be comed through by heavy machines. The conclusion is simple: the only way to clean our environment careful enough to not cause even more damage is: 

Now you might think we´re kidding. No! Which kind of machine we could think of, would be able to clean places like those: 

Klick images to enlarge.

Machines always need energy, supervision and maintenance. And they can not distinguish between plastic particles and e. g. small animals. That´s why human hands are the most sensitive and efficient tool for freeing our environment from plastic waste. 

And there´s more: 

There are so many people in this world living at and from the sea. Around 40 % of all humans live less than 100 km from the shore. And billions of tourists spend their holidays at the beaches, relaxing, swimming, snorkelling, diving.

All together this makes an incredible number of people,

spending time close to the sea or at the beach. 

Every day. 

And all together, we can make an impact!

🌸Whenever you spend time at the beach or in the sea, take a moment and check if you find any plastic around you. No matter if small or big.

🌸 Pick it up and collect it into a reusable cotton-bag, an old screw-top jar or something alike. Don't use a plastic bag if possible! 

🌸 If possible, make a photo of what you found and share it on your social media using the HASHTAG

#cleanouroceans

🌸 Describe what it is, using words like

"plastic bag", "sixpack string", "fisher net", "microplastic", "cigarette bud"

🌸 add where you found it, using words like

"shore", "beach", "sea", "mangroves" 

🌸 add a country, city, location or use the tracking service of your mobile device if you prefer.

Sharing your photos on social media such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter & Co. will draw attention to the pollution of our environment. The more photos, the bigger the result. Not only your friends and family but people all around the world will become aware of how we destroy our beautiful nature. And they will realise how badly they need our help, when in future days we want to enjoy what is still completely natural to us:

🌸 Gorgeous beaches

🌸 Fine sands trickelling between our toes

🌸 Sea turtles

🌸 Whales

🌸 Dolphins

🌸 Swarms of colourful fish

🌸 Coral Reefs

🌸 Seabirds

and all the wonderful creatures which make our shores and oceans so fantastic.

If we don't act NOW, in a few years all this will become some fabulous fairytale of the past. 

Sharing photos of course won't do all the trick. It is essential that we overthink our consumer behaviour, that we reduce our waste significantly and immediately stop releasing plastics and other garbage into our environment. This is what everybody of us can do: 

🌸 Replace your everyday plastics with reusable materials wherever it is possible: wood, keramics, cotton, glass, stainless steel.

🌸 Urge your local governments to act responsible: put wastebins, set up garbage collection and recycling.

🌸 Urge your local shops, bars and restaurants to use reusable materials instead of plastic dishes and cutlery.

🌸 Tell everybody you know about the Clean-Our-Oceans project and inspire others to act.