“Be the change.”
—Gandhi
You can make a difference and help save our beaches. Learn simple things that you can do to help protect beaches starting with simply educating others about the beach thereby helping us celebrate the beauty of the world’s beaches!
These tips are some of the simplest things you can do to protect the beaches you love. Compiled from the US Environmental Protection Agency and Blue Flag Canada.
- Take only photographs and leave only footprints. Don’t leave anything at the beach. Period. This includes things you think might bio-degrade such as fruit cores, peels, pet waste, or cigarette butts.
- Participate in or organize a local beach cleanup. We have some cleanup programs in our resources section or organize your own!
- Stay off sand dunes and out of environmentally sensitive areas. Dune vegetation is critical for dune stabilization and animal habitat.
- Do not feed animals. It is tempting to feed the animals, but human food causes health problems for animals.
- Do not disturb the animals or plants. Animals and plants are an important part of going to the beach. Not disturbing them will help ensure they will be there for other to enjoy too.
A coastal scientist discusses the impacts of shoreline armoring in Florida. Photo: Program for the Study of Developed Shorelines