After spending almost a decade in the Caribbean, I was constantly appalled by the use of polystyrene as food containers, plastic bags, the double bagging procedures at ALLLLL shops (even for one item!), the constant funny stares from locals when using my canvas shopping bags, the shear amount of trash underwater including miles of fishing line. Moving to Australia, and the green zones of the Great Barrier Reef and a more “1stworld” society, I thought I would be welcomed by more educated people regarding environmental practices. Both in dive stores and in the local community. Supermarkets, over using plastic, on mass, streams filled with plastic bottles and straws. Don't even get me started on the attitude towards sharks in this country!

Just no better than the small fishing town I just moved from. Even dive stores, paper pics, reams of paper use- where are the digital products? I have realised that the Caribbean were the forefront of conservation, and dive shop operators were doing some amazing things there and working hard towards digital products and environmental specialities. Now it’s time to begin here. Queensland has made some good strides in the previous months, banning plastic bags from supermarkets (sort of) and making the anti-straw campaign rather fashionable. Time to tackle conservation through education once again.