What Do You Do to Help the Environment While Diving?

[Steve_C]

I don’t understand. Reducing single use plastic waste doesn’t help the marine environment?

Reducing plastic waste that would be disposed into the environment is good. Plastic water bottles that are recycled not so clear. My point was that the OP was asking about "reversing environmental damage" and explicitly distinguished that from "avoiding damage". Not tossing a bottle overboard is avoiding damage and not reversing damage, at least to my reading.

 

[seeker242]

So, please tell us what you do to help the environment.

Became vegan.

 

[Bob DBF]

Cut back on meat consumption, methane from cattle is 20 times better at trapping heat in the atmosphere.

Perhaps you should increase meat consumption 20 times to reduce the number of cattle and the methane they produce.

Couldn't help myself, I do however try to do what I can above and below the water.


Bob

 

[EireDiver606]

If we reduce our waste and dispose of it better on land, well have a much easier job to clean up the ocean afterwards.

Start at the source.

 

[doctormike]

Reducing plastic waste that would be disposed into the environment is good. Plastic water bottles that are recycled not so clear. My point was that the OP was asking about "reversing environmental damage" and explicitly distinguished that from "avoiding damage". Not tossing a bottle overboard is avoiding damage and not reversing damage, at least to my reading.

OP: "What actions do you take to positively help the environment while diving?"

Not sure I understand the extremely specific parsing of the intent of the OP.

I also don't see how source reduction of single-use plastic isn't helping. Yup, it's bad for the environment to drink a single-use bottle of water and toss it overboard. It's also bad for the environment to drink bottled water in the first place. I suppose if you were in a location where there wasn't potable tap water available, you might have no option.

 

[emoreira]

I often dive in a place where I see many abandoned fishing lines with lead weights, hooks, and chemical lights. I recover all I can. Sometimes local fishers use old 9V batteries and or sparkplugs as weights.
Also plastic bottles, plastic bags, plastic spoons, yogurt cans, and so on.
Whenever I find an abandoned fishing line I try to recover it and make a little ball and dispose safe on land. It's not only pollution, but also an entanglement hazard.

 

[Marie13]

Not a damn thing other than refusing to get on airplanes to go dive faraway places and diving locally (regionally) instead.

 

[northernone]

Underwater, I'll sometimes actively try to kill invasive species that make me feel better about my hobby.

...mainly diving just helps me surface a better human.

 

[divad]

What actions do you take to positively help the environment while diving?/QUOTE]

I breath very little.

 

[icechip]

Carry a mesh bag to collect trash and snap in half the invasive green crabs.