“Don’t be a litter bug” was something my mother said that piqued my curiosity when I was four years old. I don’t remember her response but whatever it was, it wasn’t a good enough explanation and I wanted to find out more for myself. So much so that I stole a cracker wrapper from the trash can and snuck out the house to release that plastic wrap into the world to see what would happen. As I stood over the edge of the hill about to let go of the trash I imagined that the hand of god would strike me down the moment it was released from my fingers. Disappointingly nothing happened except the wind blew away the packaging and I wasn’t able to take back my action. It was done and it would remain a blight on the hillside, perhaps forever. Not that big of a deal but now I thought I knew why I wouldn’t be a litter bug again.

Fast-forward twenty years later when I became a scuba diver and started working in the scuba industry, I received a sobering answer to that burning question of why I shouldn’t litter. Images and data on marine life negatively impacted by our refuse was sad and shocking and I was part of the problem! This is why I’m proud to be a fundraiser for Project AWARE and do what I can to reverse this tide.

Marine debris is not only unsightly, it’s dangerous to sea life, hazardous to human health, and expensive for the global economy - the cost of plastic debris to marine ecosystems are estimated at 13 billion dollars a year. Marine animals can become entangled in debris, ingest our trash and often die as a result.

Project AWARE is now providing an opportunity to get a grasp on this out of hand issue and fights to reduce and prevent trash from entering the ocean in the first place.

Working with governments, NGOs and businesses to affect change on a global scale. Global change is empowered by grassroots movement and this is where we will make a difference. 

Project AWARE’s Dive Against Debris program helps to remove undersea litter and results are visualized on the Dive Against Debris Map - http://www.projectaware.org/DiveAgainstDebrisMap

Trash removed during Dive Against Debris makes the ocean safer for marine life, and more importantly, information reported helps inform policy change. With your help, Project AWARE can use the information reported through Dive Against Debris to convince individuals, governments and businesses to act against marine debris.

Thank you for joining me and supporting this critical movement for a brighter ocean future – www.finathon/lauren