Ways to Make Your Beach Holiday a Little Greener

The person or family who doesn’t love a trip to the ocean is few and far between. But just because the beach is a natural environment doesn’t mean you don’t need to be conscious about being eco-friendly. Here are a few how-to tips to help limit the eco impact of a beach holiday and ensure the beaches we love are around for generations to come.

Do Your Own Two Minute Beach Clean. Got 2 minutes? Of course you have! Whether you’re lucky enough to sink your feet into the sand every day or only make it shore-side once or twice a year, everyone can do something to help take control of marine litter. ‘Two Minute Beach Clean’ is a non-profit initiative set up in 2009 by Cornishman Martin Dorey. As the saying goes, many hands make light work. By collecting just a few pieces of litter every time you leave the beach, we’ll start to see a real difference. Look out for the 2 Minute Beach Clean sign on Croyde beach and get involved!

BYOB (Bring Your Own Bottle), water bottle that is! Did you know it takes over 450 years for a plastic bottle to biodegrade? That means every bottle that’s ever been made still exists today (unless it’s been recycled). By bringing your own reusable bottle to the beach you’ll be saving single use plastic from reaching the marine environment. Plus, it will save you forking out on expensive bottled water from the supermarket…and you’ll feel really good about yourself! Everyone’s a winner.

Check out Surfers Against Sewage to see the amazing work the have done tackling marine pollution, and they do a great reusable water bottle you can buy that that will help fund their campaigning.

Choose the right sun cream. The sun doesn’t shine often here in the UK but when it does we need to protect our delicate English skin from the burning heat. Lathering on layers of sun cream is a great idea to save you from looking like a lobster on your beach holiday, however it could be really damaging to creatures of the deep, as well as your own body! There are four common sunscreen ingredients that have been proven to be harmful even in minute concentrations. Oxybenzone, Butylparaben, Octinoxate and 4-methylbenzylidene-camphor are all just as nasty as they sound. Avoid them if you can!

Leave only footprints.It’s a cheesy line, but yes we just used it! Everyone knows the beach is that much better when you’ve got a BBQ and some beers to boot. By simply ensuring whatever you bring to the beach leaves with you when you go, you’re making a positive impact. Also, it’s a bit of a no-brainer, but by making and packing your own food you save on single use packaging, which is what we all hate to see lying in the sand.

Make sustainable seafood choices. Be a fussy customer! It’s ok to ask your waiter where the fish on the menu has come from and how it was caught. Knowledge is power, power to the fish! Find out more about sustainable seafood on the Greenpeace website here.

Ways to Make Your Beach Holiday a Little Greener

Useful Links

Surf School

Contact Us