This year’s April celebrations in honor of Earth Day are coming to a close. Under the global theme "It's Our Turn to Lead", we shone a light on the actions you take, not only during Earth Day but all year round, to tackle one of the biggest ocean issues of our time: marine debris.

From honoring our first ever Dive Against Debris Hero to kick-starting a massive marine debris removal project in Vanuatu post Cyclone Pam, our Earth Day celebrations focused on showing the world how divers are leading the fight against marine debris in their local communities.

Earth Day 2015 also coincided with an important public consultation for the European Union’s Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD). Project AWARE responded to the consultation on the proposed programme of measures to maintain or achieve Good Environmental Status (GES) in UK seas by 2020.

In our response to the consultation, we brought the unique underwater perspective of the global marine debris problem and echoed the priority measures NGOs want to see implemented as outlined in the “Priorities for MSFD Programmes of Measures” joint paper released in October 2014 by Seas At Risk and associated groups.

This consultation is integral to a long term commitment by all EU governments to develop, implement and enforce measures under the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD). The MSFD is the only EU legislation that explicitly requires EU governments to come up with measures to reduce marine litter, implement monitoring programs and devise and enforce ways to reduce marine litter. It also requires that each Member State organizes a public consultation procedure related to the implementation of this Directive.

As a member of Seas at Risk and the UK Marine Litter Action Network, our response builds on comments submitted by fellow Alliance members who, like us, are advocating for strong and ambitious measures for the reduction of marine litter. In particular, Project AWARE’s response:

• Emphasizes the need for additional national marine litter strategies and greater coordination with existing ones.
• Encourages the UK to work towards achieving the target of a 50% reduction in marine litter by 2020.
• Calls for putting greater value on waste including the introduction of deposit, refund, and/or levy schemes for single use items and bans where necessary. Also, emphasizes the need to extend and improve producer responsibility over the entire life cycle of a product.
• Highlights the need for greater support for educational programs that not only increase public awareness of marine litter but also lead to appropriate, measureable, and lasting behavior change at a variety of levels – from individual, through business, to community.

From mobilizing volunteer divers like you for change in their local communities, to channelling your voice in specific policy areas such as this critical consultation, Project AWARE takes every opportunity to lead the fight against marine debris where and when it matters.

This Earth Day, we celebrated all things rubbish with our passionate community of Dive Against Debris leaders and volunteers, and we added our global voice to a public consultation which will help identify specific new measures to help tackle the marine debris crisis. Our fight against marine debris continues but we need you to continue to take the lead on solving marine debris issues in your local communities. Keep diving against debris – your surveys are critical to showing the true extent of the problem and ensuring that marine debris stops being out of sight, out of mind. Remember, It’s Our Turn to Lead!

Photo courtesy of Rob Thompson and Alex Brinnen, Dive Against Debris Volunteers UK