Even if you never meet one…or you live in a desert or atop a mountain…

Ribbon trail of the balloon swallowed by a Kemp’s ridley juvenile off the Sarasota, FL coast. Photo: Blair Wirthington
(http://myd.as/p6429)

1) Find alternatives to balloons. Deflated, they are trash that can injure & kill sea and land animals, and birds. Our national reserves of helium are running dangerously low. This precious gas is expensive to produce and is vital to science, medicine, and industry. Visit www.balloonsblow.org for more info and fun alternatives to balloons.

Guillemot entangled in balloon ribbons
Photo: Richard Gilbert/balloonsblow.org

2) Use the Blue Ocean Institute’s guide to Wild-caught seafood (and sushi) and its website for more info. http://blueocean.org/seafoods/

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Use the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s guide for wild and farmed seafood. http://www.montereybayaquarium.org.

3) Look for products, fish vendors, markets, and restaurants that participate in the Marine Stewardship Council’s programs. Whole Foods is tops here. MSC has both shopping and dining out lists here.

4) Refuse single-use plastic; join a beach cleanup; Catch that breezy plastic trash in your own neighborhood.

Garbage day in our neighborhood often trails “presents” for us to collect.

5) Education is key. Find your own best solutions and share them with others.