Like so many species, elephants need our help.   Hence World Elephant Day, an annual event, bringing the world together to help elephants.

So here are ways you can help elephants:

• Sign a pledge to support a world that protects elephants, wildlife and their habitat.  Pledge here
• Be informed – find out more about the challenges and threats elephants face
• Visit Elephant Conservation charities to find out how you can help – donating will be one way, of course, but there are plenty of other ways to make a difference
• Share your love for elephants and the threats facing them on social media to help spread the word
• #BeElephantEthical – share the infographic below
• Organise an event to raise awareness and/or funds about the challenges and threats elephants face
• Visit WorldElephantDay’s Facebook page and check out all the petitions you can add your voice to in order to help elephants and ways to make a difference

Visit the WorldElephantDay website and have a really good look round it for ideas, information, elevents.

 #BeElephantEthical
#WorldElephantDay

 
©Pew Charitable Trust

Every year, 273 million sharks are killed.

For shortfin mako sharks, this overfishing has meant they have declined in every major ocean, that decline ranging from a whopping 96% to 60%.

And now, some of their ray relatives – giant guitarfish and wedgefish – have been declared to be the most imperilled marine fish families on earth.

BUT

In a few dates, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) has an opportunity to protect them from fishing that’s illegal and unsustainable

The EU already supports these safeguards (including the UK).

The Pew Charitable Trust has an opportunity for us all to thank policy makers for supporting protections for mako sharks, giant guitarfish and wedgefish. 

CITES Parties meet in August to look at 3 proposals that would add 18 shark and ray species to Appendix II including makos, giant guitarfish and wedgefish. 

Please tell EU leaders that you support protections for these species—and that you want them added to Appendix II this month. Send your message today

It’s July and a chance for you to challenge yourself – can you #GoPlasticFree for the month of July?  Will you take up the challenge?

The Marine Conservation Society (MCS) is holding what is now its annual  #GoPlasticFree challenge.  It does say that it’s pretty impossible now to be completely plastic-free, but we can all make small changes to reduce our plastic footprint.  The more of us who try to do this the better.

According to its website, 3,957,397 tonnes of plastics have been dumped into the ocean so far this year.  Goodness knows how that’s worked out, but even if it was a couple of tonnes, that would be too many.

We use single-use plastic for pretty much everything, from cleaning our teeth and showering, to buying and storing our food and other products.  The problem is that plastic’s properties allow it to persist in the environment for hundreds to thousands of years.

Anyway, you will no doubt have  heard the saying “Be the change you want to see in the world” so I’ve been looking to get rid of as much plastic in my life as I can.

So far, I’m using bamboo toothbrushes, a shampoo bar, a water bottle I can refill, I never bother with a straw anyway (can’t see the point of them), a coffee mug, I keep a bag in the for stopping off at the shops, and we’re growing herbs and fruit to cut out plastic packaging. 

I know this is only a start, and I’ve got a lot more to do but now I stop before I use something or buy something and think, “Is there an alternative?” and “do I really need this?”  And it’s amazing how much money you can save asking those questions…

For suggestions about what to do…

The Marine Conservation Society has lots of resources including

• Get your school involved
• Fundraise
• A Plastic Free Living Booklet you can download
• Plastic Free products
• Share tips on our community page

So dive in and see what you can do to reduce your plastic use.  It’s estimated that if there isn’t a global response, there could be more plastic than fish in the sea by 2050.

Visit the Marine Conservation Society’s website for more information