(RECAP) SUSTAINABILITY CAMPAIGN 1: ECO TIPS FOR THE BEACH + OCEAN

For those of you who keep up with me on Instagram, you'll likely already be familiar with my first Sustainability Campaign: Eco Tips for the Beach + Ocean. Fashion has always been my primary focus as a blogger, but ever since I rebranded to focus on sustainable fashion, I have been wanting to also create more lifestyle-focused sustainability content on the little things we can do each day to be more environmentally-friendly. Each of these Instagram campaigns will address a particular sustainability topic/issue and for the first one, I wanted to focus on how we can keep our oceans clean and healthy! So without further ado, here is a full recap of Campaign 1!

My Eco Friendly Beach Essentials

(Original post here)

1. Reversible and recycled swimsuit made from plastic bottles and made in the USA by Faherty

2. Recycled plastic sunnies by Blue Planet Eyewear
(Use code Sustainable20 for 20% off your Blue Planet Eyewear purchase!)

3. Recycled and reversible beach towel by Nomadix

4. Reusable glass water bottle by BKR from Eco Diva Beauty

5. Reusable on-the-go utensils by To-Go Ware

6. Natural and reef-friendly, tinted sunscreen in a biodegradable tube by Avasol

7. Natural and organic lip balms in biodegradable tubes by Fable Naturals

"No water, no life. No blue, no green." —Sylvia Earle

(Original post here)

We can't ignore the fact that all ecosystems are connected. We need to treat the oceans with just as much respect as we would want the land we live on to be treated with.

Sustainable Swimwear by Faherty

Photo shot by Nate Bernardo

(Original post here)

Faherty killing it in the sustainable swimwear game—this bikini (top, bottom) isn't just made from recycled plastic bottles and ethically made in the USA, but it's also reversible! ♥

The Ocean Cleanup

Photo credit to The Ocean Cleanup

(Original post here)

Boyan Slat, the 22-year-old founder of The Ocean Cleanup is an amazing example of what is possible when young people put their minds towards tackling environmental problems. For those of you who may not be familiar with The Ocean Cleanup, it is an organization committed to developing and implementing advanced technology to clean up the massive amounts of plastic polluting our oceans. Boyan's system is driven by natural ocean currents that will allow the plastic to concentrate itself, rather than manually retrieving the plastic. 

He was only 16 when he became inspired to tackle this problem and it was at 18 that he founded The Ocean Cleanup! So don't ever think that just because you are one person or because you're still young that you can't make a profound difference!

My #2MinuteBeachClean

(Original post here)

This is my #2MinuteBeachClean! Next time you're at the beach, I encourage you all to spend just 2 minutes picking up litter. You'd be surprised and upset by how much you can find, but it really does make a difference!

Marine animals, especially birds, often mistake little pieces of plastic for food. This can lead to starvation or malnutrition when trash builds up in animals' stomachs because they feel full already or because they get in the way of nutrients from food being absorbed. Not to mention how easily marine debris can lead to internal injuries.

To stay updated with 2 minute beach cleans around the world, you can also follow @2MinuteBeachClean on Instagram.

Hope you'll take 2 minutes out of your next beach trip to help keep our environment clean and safe for animals!

Saying No to Single-Use Plastics

Photo by Troy Mayne of Oceanic Imagery

(Original post here)

See how easily turtles can confuse plastic bags as jellyfish? We not only need to keep our beaches and oceans clean, but we also need to start saying NO to single-use plastic! The convenience of single-use plastics for a few minutes is NOT worth the harm that can result to innocent marine animals when our trash finds its way to the ocean!

Next time you go to the store, bring a reusable bag with you or simply put what you brought in your backpack, pocket, or purse. Stop buying plastic water bottles and start bringing your own bottles to refill! I also recommend investing a few dollars in a reusable on-the-go utensil set from To-Go Ware! I always find a lot of plastic utensils at the beach :(

Biodegradable Packaging & Eco Beauty Products

(Original post here)

Now that we're on the topic of why single-use plastics suck, I'd like to share some wonderful alternatives we can add to our beauty routine! I'm sure most of us don't reuse our empty lip balm tubes or sunscreen containers, so that's why I think this sunscreen from Avasol and these lip balms from Fable Naturals, which both come in biodegradable tubes, are so awesome! When you're done with them, you can simply compost them.

Avasol's sunscreen is not only natural, but it's also water resistant and reef-friendly! They come in different tinted shades too so you don't have to worry about overly white residue.

Fable Naturals' lip balms are made with natural, organic, and fair trade ingredients. They are extremely hydrating too and smell amazing! My favorite is the Orange + Vanilla one!

Edible Six Pack Rings by Saltwater Brewery

Photo credit to Saltwater Brewery

(Original post here)

Six pack rings are one of the most dangerous types of marine debris. Marine animals can mistake them for food, get entangled in them and suffocate or starve if it gets caught around its mouth, or grow up with deformities if they get entangled in one from a young age, resulting in their bodies having to grow around these rings :(

But Saltwater Brewery set out to change that and created these edible six pack rings! They are not only 100% biodegradable but also completely edible (made from barely and wheat ribbons from the brewing process.) Now this is the direction we need to be headed in! 

A small change the makes a huge impact!

A 100% Recycled Outfit: Sunglasses, Swimwear, & Towel

Photo shot by Nate Bernardo

(Original post here)

Chillin on my 100% recycled beach towel from Nomadix! This towel is also great for yoga, the pool, and travel in general! It's super lightweight but very absorbent and packs down small.

Also wearing recycled plastic sunnies from Blue Planet Eyewear—even better is that with every pair sold, they donate a pair of glasses to someone in need!
(+ Don't forget to use code Sustainable20 for 20% off your Blue Planet Eyewear purchase!)

And lastly, my recycled and reversible swimsuit is from Faherty.

The Seafood Watch App by Monterey Bay Aquarium

(Original post here)

Download the app here—

App Store

Google Play

For those of you who like to eat seafood, you should download the Seafood Watch app by the Monterey Bay Aquarium to your phone to make more sustainable seafood choices! My belief is that if you're going to eat fish, the least you can do is to avoid eating seafood that is overfished or caught or farmed in a way that is extremely damaging to the environment and other marine animals, because there definitely are choices that are more ocean friendly!

This app allows you to search for seafood or sushi by its market name and also find restaurants near you that serve ocean-friendly seafood. Above are links to the App Store or Google Play if you'd like to download it!

Photo edited with PicsArt

Seashore

Shot by Nate Bernardo

(Original post here)

A quiet moment appreciating the beauty of the sea ♥ Recycled bikini from Faherty.

Mermaid Vibes + Seashell Hair Comb Giveaway

(Enter the giveaway here)

Giveaway Time! I am giving away one of these stunning, handmade seashell hair combs by Alice Halliday. All of Alice's pieces are ethically handmade in Ireland.

Full giveaway details are on the original Instagram post here! 

*Giveaway will run through 9/14/16.*

Mermaid scale effect added with PicsArt.

Marine Conservation Organizations

(Original post here)

As Campaign 1 comes to a close, I want to spotlight 2 wonderful nonprofit organizations fighting for the cause of marine conservation that are worthy of our support!

Save Our Shores is a local Santa Cruz, CA based organization that has done a lot in the past 30 years to protect the Monterey Bay! Some of the amazing things they do include educating youth about our watersheds, organizing Coastal Cleanup days, preventing local cruise ship pollution, and tackling plastic pollution.

Ocean Conservancy is a Washington DC based, environmental advocacy group committed to trash-free seas, sustainable fisheries, fighting ocean acidification, restoring the Gulf of Mexico, and protecting the Arctic. They help to formulate ocean policy at both the state and federal government level, based on peer reviewed science.

From making small changes to our everyday routine to be more eco friendly or donating to larger conservation organizations, it's super easy to help, and I hope all of you will take at least one step (or more!) to do your part.

Campaign Closing Statement

(Original post here)

And that's a wrap for Sustainability Campaign 1: Eco Tips for the Beach and Ocean! I hope this has inspired you all on how easy it is to help support healthy oceans simply through making more conscious day-to-day choices! More sustainability campaigns will be coming—if you have any topic suggestions, feel free to send them my way.

A big thank you to all the sustainable brands who helped make the personal style and beauty content possible, as well as Nate Bernardo for being my fashion photographer, and Troy Mayne from Oceanic Imagery for letting me use one of his turtle photos!

With that, I leave you with a quote by Jane Goodall,

"What you do makes a difference and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make."

Let's make choices that help, not harm ♥