Club Med Insider

Follow the three R's: Reduce, reuse and recycle at home, work and school. Most – if not all – of our current environmental problems that directly impact coral reefs, including global warming, stem from overconsumption. Overconsumption takes a heavy toll upon the resources of our planet – such as water, oil and other raw materials. We use huge volumes of these resources each year to produce plastics, cars, TVs etc. – more than we really need. On your next shopping trip, think about what you really need and avoid items that are environmentally unsound, such as those that are not recyclable or that have excess packaging. Ask yourself: How much more stuff is enough? Watch Annie Leonard’s video on the subject and share it with others: www.storyofstuff.com

Use water responsibly. Make sure that sewage from your home does not represent a burden for the environment by minimizing your use of chemicals. For example, try to use phosphate-free detergents for doing your laundry and dishwashing. Excess nutrients such as phosphates find their way from wastewater into the watershed – the area that drains into a common waterway, such as a stream, lake, estuary, or wetland – and eventually reaches the ocean where it can negatively impact reefs. Always try to conserve water, as the less water you use, the less runoff and wastewater eventually find their way back into the oceans.

Educate yourself about coral reefs and the creatures they support. As a Senegalese environmentalist once put it: “We only protect what we love, we only love what we understand and we only understand what we have been taught”. In furthering your own education, you can help others understand the fragility and value of the world’s coral reefs. Enrol into educational programs such as the Beautiful Oceans Coral Reef Adventures that combine fun and education to help SCUBA divers, snorkelers and the entire family in becoming coral reef guardians.

Select tourism operators that care for the environment. Choose tropical marine tourism organizations that are environmental conscious and strive to lower their ecological footprint. Do they manage water consumption responsibly? How do they take care of the waste? Is there a recycling program in place? Let them know you are an informed consumer that cares about the impacts tourism has on reefs.

If you dive, don’t touch! Keep your fins, gear, and hands away from the reef, as this contact can hurt you and will damage the delicate coral animals. Control your buoyancy in order to stay off the bottom, as disturbed sediments can settle on and smother the corals. Always follow the golden rule: take only pictures and leave only bubbles.

Keep the marine environment clean. Help keep our reefs and beaches clean, and in addition to picking up your own trash, carry away the trash that others have left behind. More than just an unsightly nuisance, beach and reef litter poses a significant threat to the health and survival of marine organisms, which can swallow or get tangled in beverage containers, plastic bags, six-pack rings, and other debris. Remove only recent waste from the natural environment, as waste that has been in place for a long time often becomes a home for marine organisms.

Be an informed aquarist. As an aquarium hobbyist, buy only fish and other organisms when you know they are not endangered or threatened species and have been captive bred or collected in an ecologically sound manner. Voice your concern by asking store managers where their stock comes from and how it was caught – unsustainable collecting practices such as cyanide fishing have decimated reefs across the Pacific for the sake of the aquarium pet trade. Some species of fish, corals, and other invertebrates are so at risk that their trade is strictly controlled by the international conservation organization known as CITES – visit www.cites.org to ensure that you are not purchasing threatened species.

Watch what you eat. If you like to eat fish and other seafood, make sure that the species you choose to eat come from sustainable fisheries. Many types of seafood are threatened or endangered due to overfishing or habitat destruction, while other types of seafood are farmed in ways that produce waste which pollutes the ocean. Download a free sustainable seafood guide from the Monterey Bay Aquarium to learn what types of seafood to avoid if you care about their future: www.mbayaq.org/cr/SeafoodWatch.asp

Support organizations that contribute to the preservation of coral reefs. Many national and international organizations have coral reef conservation programs, and your support will make a big difference.

Spread the word! Remember your own excitement at learning the value and importance of coral reef ecosystems. Use your newly acquired knowledge to educate others and raise awareness about the plight of coral reefs and what can be done to help.