Hello Shark OFF family! We hope you’re having an amazing July filled with beach days, picnics, and much needed rest, but did you know that July is #PlasticFree Month? People all around the world are participating in lessening their single use plastic consumption. Single use plastic consumption is severely damaging the ocean’s ecosystem and our favorite creatures in it. July is a great time to learn some new ways to live more sustainably, especially with the amount of disposable masks, gloves, and other PPE we’ve used within the past year and a half. PlasticFreeJuly.Org is the place to go to learn from and connect with people all over the world who are going green! Head to the tab entitled “What Others Do” to read real life stories from people who want to make the world a safer, healthier place.
A town in the western suburbs of Sydney, Australia launched a program called Bags from Banners, where they take old City Council event banners and turn them into reusable bags that they then distribute to the community! This is just the first step in transitioning the city to using only reusable bags.
In regards to the world’s plastic crisis, Robert, the Business Support Manager at The University of Western Australia’s (UWA) Oceans Institute explains, “it’s a solvable problem regardless of political stance.” When approached about Plastic Free July, Robert acted immediately by forming a committee to plan events and start spreading awareness. The committee planned beach cleanups, seminars on microplastics, banned straws from UWA’s campus, and switched to caterers with sustainable practices! What’s even more exciting is that they’re taking the plastic free message beyond the campus, now “working with venue and event organizers to make the annual Australian Marine Sciences Conference plastic free.”
It just takes a little thought and creativity to change your life and save the world! Here at Shark OFF, we take sustainability very seriously, which is why our packaging is either compostable or recyclable – yet another reason to order your Proven Shark Repellent! Even more importantly, we donate 10% of our profits to the Ocean Voyages Institute, a clean up org that removed more than 330,000 pounds of plastic from the ocean in 2020 alone.
Don’t be afraid to take charge and talk to your school/university, employer, local government, and even just your family about reducing plastic waste! The stories above show that small, simple changes make a big difference. Remember, there is no planet B!