World Oceans Day, celebrated annually on the 8th of June, is a recognised United Nations day that encourages people worldwide to celebrate and take action for our shared ocean, which connects us all. World Ocean Day unites and rallies the world to protect and restore our blue planet.
On the 8th of June, the Think Before You Flush campaign will be celebrating our blue space with a live chat with Dr. Easkey Britton on Instagram. Easkey will discuss different sections of her new book “50 Things to Do by the Sea” and some of her inspirations for the book.
“50 Things to Do by the Sea”, a beautifully written book by Irish Surfer and marine social scientist Dr. Easkey Britton and illustrated artfully by Maria Nilsson, was launched last month. The Irish coast offers numerous opportunities to have fun and, with the nice weather on the way, an increasing number of people are enjoying our beautiful coastal areas. However, we have all seen an increase in marine litter along our coastline. Easkey’s book combines fun-filled coastal activities with eco-awareness, this is the ultimate guide to enjoying days by the sea this summer in a sustainable manner.
Unlike toilet paper, which is designed to disintegrate quickly in our pipes and sewage systems, the synthetic materials in items like wipes, cotton buds and sanitary products makes them very strong and unable to break down. When these unsuitable items are flushed down the toilet, they can causes blockages in our wastewater network, pumping stations and wastewater treatment plants. They can also end up on our beaches and in our oceans, damaging our marine environment. Think Before You Flush is a public awareness campaign operated by Clean Coasts in partnership with Irish Water, addressing the issue of flushing these unsuitable items down the toilet.
Britton’s book offers readers 50 actions that can be taken to become “the hero our seas need”, one of which is to “Think Before You Flush”. During the live chat with Easkey Britton, we will discuss the importance of the campaign and the impact this small action can make.
Tune into @CleanCoasts on Instagram to join in for the World Oceans Day celebrations.