This post is written for the “Save the Ocean” group-writing project.

Florida’s terrible hurricane season in 2004 and the far more devastating Katrina disaster in 2005 exposed the risk that erosion and rising sea levels from climate change will, over the next 50 years, destroy one out of four homes built within 500 feet of the sea. Building on barrier islands, on beaches or on reclaimed wetlands and salt marshes not only puts your home and family at risk but also contributes to the degradation of the coastal ecosystem that normally act as storm barriers.

Image credit: Nichols Park Beach House by Thomas & Dianne Jones.

Here’s how you can ensure that coastal living can be a great experience as long as you build and buy with great respect for the natural processes of the coast:

• Obtain a geological and hydrological assessment of the area you are intending of buying.
• Order copies of flood hazard maps to see if the area you’re looking at is at risk.
• Consider homes that are not on the water but easily accessible to the beach by bike or walking trails.
• Buy a home that is well above sea level.
• Encourage friends and relatives who are considering moving to the beach to move “close to the beach” instead.
• Look to purchase existing house rather than buying in new developments that contribute to coastal sprawl.

January 2008 is “Save the Ocean” month here at The Giving Hands. Click here for more information on how you too, can save our oceans, and remember to subscribe to The Giving Hands for your daily updates!

This post is written for the “Save the Ocean” group-writing project.

“History repeats itself.”

The catastrophe of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 was made worse by the fact that many people ignored the lessons of the past (about cycles of hurricane activity, the importance of wetlands, how to build safely by the shore and how to prepare for the worst). Only by knowing where we come from can we hope to understand where we are and where we might be headed.

Image credit: Replica Of Flora Del Mar, Maritime Museum, Melaka, Malaysia by Kok-Leng Yeo.

Learning more about our local maritime and maritime history is a great way to find the kind of inspiration we may need to help save the ocean:

• Visit the nearest maritime museum (there’s one in Melaka, pictured above).
• Find out about historical research or archives on local conditions and events at your community, college or university, and see if these centers need volunteer help.
• Involve your local high school/college/university group in a maritime history project.
• Interview retired fishermen, dock workers, life guards, shipyard operators, scientists and others along the shore. Record their stories of the sea.
• Help organize a local maritime festival commemoration or historic reenactment.

January 2008 is “Save the Ocean” month here at The Giving Hands. Click here for more information on how you too, can save our oceans, and remember to subscribe to The Giving Hands for your daily updates!

This post is written for the “Save the Ocean” group-writing project.

Many household cleaning products contain toxic chemicals. So do some types of carpeting, insulation, maintenance materials and construction materials. Batteries, thermostats with mercury switches, computers containing lead and other electrical household products are particularly hazardous.

Small amounts of these chemicals tossed into the garbage eventually leach out of landfills and into the water system. They concentrate in plankton, which feed small baitfish, which in turn feed larger predator fish, which are consumed by humans, bears and marine mammals. Certain top-of-the-food-web predator fish and many fish caught in urban harbours have become a health risk to consumers, particularly children, pregnant women and people with medical problems.

Image credit: Bart

And here’s how you can keep your household refuse non-toxic:

• Remove your shoes when entering your house to avoid tracking in harmful amounts of pesticides, lead and other contaminants. Keep a welcome mat at the door for people to wipe their feet on before they enter your home.
• Use baking soda, vinegar, lemon juice and water for cleaning a range of items instead of using more harmful and expensive cleaning agents. Baking soda also freshens drains.
• Substitute cedar chips (shredded cedar wood) for toxin-heavy mothballs.
• Keep herbal mixtures or lemon, vinegar and water in spray bottles to use in place of air fresheners containing potentially harmful chemicals.
• Choose carpets with non-toxic backings and “green” building materials.
• Never throw household batteries, computers, TV sets and other appliances containing harmful components into the trash. Instead dispose of them through your local recycling center.

Recommended reads:

• Eco-friendly stain removal tips
• Non-toxic home cleaning

January 2008 is “Save the Ocean” month here at The Giving Hands. Click here for more information on how you too, can save our oceans, and remember to subscribe to The Giving Hands for your daily updates!