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Why Fast Fashion is a Problem for the Ocean

fast fashion definition

 

Australians are considered to be the second highest consumers of textiles in the world. Clothing prices are often relatively low and many of us get a buzz from frequently wearing new clothes. But does striving to have the latest designs come at too high a cost to the environment? Read on to as we explain why fast fashion is a problem for the ocean.

What is Fast Fashion?

Fast fashion refers to trendy clothes that are mass produced and made and sold quickly and cheaply, enabling people to buy new clothes often. In order for the clothes to be sold cheaply, the workers who make these clothes are often paid very low wages and the materials are poor quality.

In the past, the fashion industry released new designs on a seasonal basis – four times a year. Nowadays some big fashion houses release a new line every week, producing almost twice the amount of clothing today than they did in 2000. Alarmingly, many of these garments are hardly worn at all and up to 85% go into landfill each year. In Australia that is thought to be enough to fill an area the size of Sydney Harbour. So, this is obviously a big issue.

The Role of Social Media in Fast Fashion

Social media has created social shopping and enabled fashion sellers to reach their audiences (the buyers) quickly, easily, constantly and cheaply. Most of us have been attracted to make a purchase by a quicky snappy offer and most of us enjoy a bit of retail therapy from time to time. But do we actually need all this stuff, or are we just on the fast fashion tread mill and being told what we need and making purchases without really thinking about it too much?

 

fast fashion ocean dump

 

The Fashion Industry

Creating trendy clothing takes a huge amount of resources. The fashion industry is one of the largest producers of carbon, the world’s largest user of water and produces 20-35% of the microplastics in the oceans.

Materials & Ocean Microplastics

Textiles used by the clothing industry fit into two broad categories: natural and synthetic. Natural materials such as cotton and wool are made from plant and animal sources and tend to be more expensive and last longer. Fast fashion relies on low-cost materials and quantity over quality, so synthetic, plastic- based materials such as polyester, acrylic and nylon are preferred. These synthetic materials produce non-biodegradable waste that is a major source of pollution in our oceans. Each time these garments are washed, thousands of tiny fibres are released from them and travel through our water ways to the ocean. Up to 75% of ocean creatures may have ingested ocean microplastics and suffer long term issues as a result.

 

ocean microplastics

How You Can Help Reduce Fast Fashion Waste

Obviously, the fashion industry need encouragement in the form of policy to encourage a refocus on making things that last and so encourage reuse and recycling. But if we don’t buy those garments in such quantity in the first place, we can make a significant difference ourselves.

The first and most simple thing you can do to help reduce fast fashion waste is to take a step back and think about whether you actually need the item. Do you already have something similar? Why not save the money? From here you can start changing your behaviour by simply shopping more mindfully.

 

Tips for Combatting Fast Fashion

-Think before you buy – do you actually need it and put the money to better use?

-Avoid buying new items cheaply each season, and instead be prepared to invest in high quality pieces that will last

-Start looking further into the brands you buy from and investigate their eco-credentials. Do you actually want to give them your money if they don’t care about the environment?

-Be prepared to ‘make do and mend’ – maybe you already have the item, but it needs a stitch or two?

-Check out the bargains in the op shops

-Share what you learn with your friends and others

-Support charities and organisations that are tackling fast fashion

Of course, there is no one simple solution to the issue of fast fashion but shopping mindfully and thinking about what that cheap items represents and whether you actually need it is a very good place to start.

 

Further reading

For more information about Human Impact on the Ocean, check out our website for courses and free resources

Sources

nature.com

greenpeace.org

 

marine biologist for a dayCheck out our Marine Biologist for A Day Program – Ages 7-12 years

 

Our Goal

Ocean Life Education’s goal is to educate children about how our lives are interconnected with our ocean and to inspire them to feel a responsibility to take action to protect it.

What Do Marine Teachers Do?

early years

 

Education is key to understanding the ocean and how crucial it is to our existence, as well as inspiring people to want to protect it. So, the role of a marine teacher is a very important one. But what do marine teachers do?

The Role of a Marine Educator in Schools

The crucial role of a marine educator is to foster curiosity, imagination, knowledge and enthusiasm. As humans, we only generally care about what we know, so education makes a big difference if you want people to connect with and protect the ocean. Creating awareness at an early age is crucial in the creation of life-long ocean guardians.

We aim to do this through introducing children to our diverse range of live marine animals and presenting engaging lively ocean-experience activities that teach all ages about marine science and ocean conservation.

vacation care incursionsOcean Life Education’s Marine Educators

Ocean Life Education’s lead marine educator, Richard Coward, is a qualified Marine Biologist and heads our crew of marine educators who travel around southern Queensland educating kids. Not only are they all very knowledgeable but they are also passionate advocates for the ocean and engage kids to want to learn.

Qualifications to Become a Marine Teacher

Marine teachers have a minimum degree and frequently a master’s in marine biology. They often undertake extensive research projects and have wide-ranging first-hand experience…and fascinating stories to tell!

Specialist Teaching Roles

An estimated 80% of all life on earth is found under the ocean surface and more still inhabits coastlines. So, as you can imagine teaching roles include many fascinating specialisations. Consider the range of animals alone, from the tiniest microbes and plankton to the massive blue whale! There will always be a need for marine teachers to pass on their knowledge about these things.

 Where do Marine Teachers Work?

As the ocean covers over 70% of the planet, you will find marine teachers all over the globe, from the icy north and south poles to the warm tropical waters of the Caribbean. In Queensland, marine educators may work on the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park or as expert guides on whale watching tours. Other areas of work include:

  • conservation and marine parks
  • fisheries and the fishing industry
  • planning and management
  • universities
  • museums and zoos
  • marine science institutions
  • power generation (sustainable please!)
  • engineering and consulting
  • government and industry.

Interested in Becoming a Marine Teacher?

Read our blog to find out How to Become a Marine Biologist in Queensland

Information about teaching in Queensland Marine Teachers Ass QLD 

marine biologist for a dayCheck out our Marine Biologist for A Day Program – Ages 7-12 years

 

Our Goal

Ocean Life Education’s goal is to educate children about how our lives are interconnected with our ocean and to inspire them to feel a responsibility to take action to protect it.

Ocean Life Education Incursions in Brisbane

brisbane incursions

As Director of Education at Ocean Life Education, I have been educating children about my passion, the ocean, for nearly sixteen years. My lively team of qualified marine educators and I visit schools, early learning centres and events inspiring young people to appreciate and want to protect the ocean with our live animal incursions in Brisbane and beyond.

I firmly believe in the old adage that “you only protect what you love”. How can you expect children to appreciate the ocean if they rarely or never experience it?

Bringing Ocean Education to the Classroom

Unfortunately, many children are unable to get to the ocean or even experience an aquarium. By bringing the ocean into the classroom or to an event we are able to influence many children who would not normally get the opportunity to see marine animals in their ocean habitat.

It’s very clear that this experience is really significant to them. Interactions with the animals are meaningful as they link to theoretical learning and children are immediately engaged and fascinated. You can see it on their faces and tell by the awesome and varied questions they ask!

Our marine educators arrive with a host of live marine animals, artefacts, games and information and blend ‘hands on’ interaction with science and humour, so our incursions are very lively and fun.

 Live Marine Animal Incursions

 We have a very varied team of marine animals that generally include the following diverse bunch…

 Baby Bamboo Shark, Fresh Water Turtle, Blue Linckia Seastars, Thorny Seastars, Tropical Sea Cucumber, Black Sea Cucumber, Sea Urchins.

Children are able to observe the animals in tanks and get the opportunity to feel their unique textures and learn about why and how they have adapted to be the way they are.

We are very mindful of the welfare of our animals and the wellbeing of the children and work to strict guidelines on sourcing and sustaining live animals.

Our crew

Our marine educators are a very lively bunch, each with a specialisation in the marine environment and most are qualified marine biologists, like myself. I have worked as a marine biologist in a variety of roles in Australia and overseas. I’m passionate about the ocean and my vision is to protect that environment for future generations to enjoy too.

Meet our crew

School incursions in Brisbane

School incursions offer students a break from their usual school routine and are designed to stimulate and extend their learning experience. They provide children with a hands-on educational experience without the need for extra supervision or safety planning.

Ocean Life Education provides curriculum-aligned and captivating school incursions which are the perfect accompaniment to a study block, bringing the subject to life.  The programs are tailored to the needs of the particular class, ensuring the children get to learn exactly what is required and the school achieves its learning goals.

We cover a range of curriculum topics in our school ocean life incursions, plus anything specialist that needs to be added in. Topics might include: Habitats, Life Cycles, Human Impact, Classification, Adaptation and Animal Behaviour and we can focus on a specific animal such as sharks – always very popular!

We also have extensive resources and supporting material at hand, such as videos, activities and worksheets, and offer flexible learning online courses for children who prefer to study in their own time. 

Early Learning Incursions in Brisbane

Early learning incursions are a great way to bring the real outside world into the childcare centre. The change in routine really helps restore focus and maximises learning by giving children the ability to participate in an engaging ‘learn as they do’ educational experience.

Younger children up to 2.5 years will discover a wide range of facts including:

  • Animals have colours, patterns, shapes and textures
  • Shells are protective houses once used by living marine creatures
  • Marine animals look & feel different for a reason
  • Animals breathe & exist under water
  • Sea creatures have mouths, stomachs and legs like humans, but they are very different in appearance
  • How to handle, care for, and protect live animals

WE then begin to introduce more depth to the information and introduce the following concepts to the older children (3-5 years):

  • The importance of caring for the environment for the future
  • The grouping of living things according to their features (Classification)
  • Who eats who! (Food chains)
  • The relationships between living organisms and their environment (Ecology)

 Our Goal

Ocean Life Education’s goal is to educate children about how our lives are interconnected with our ocean and to inspire them to feel a responsibility to take action to protect it.

More about Richard

 Our Programs

https://www.oceanlifeeducation.com.au/programs

Party Animals

b'day party nixon2

What’s not to love about a party – the food, the fun… and throw in a friendly turtle, a baby shark, some striking sea stars, and you’ve got the makings of a pretty memorable day for any young nature lovers!

Ocean Life Education loves a good celebration – especially when we get to share our passion for all things sea related with a roomful of eager attendees.  So when the call came to be part of a young shark lover’s birthday, we didn’t need to be asked twice!

Now its fair to say that sharks are not a regular sight at Kawana Aquatic Centre on the Sunshine Coast – and we hasten to add ours was not let loose in the pool but Bob was there none-the-less along with some colourful companions.

The constant rain was forgotten as birthday boy Nixon and his friends became fascinated by our menagerie of marine animals – gentle touching them to help create connection and understanding which will hopefully lead to a lifelong desire to protect them and help conserve their environment.

Our Ocean Life animal ambassadors are guests of honour at all sorts of parties – from Kindy break-ups, to Xmas celebrations and any community events celebrating nature.

And while we like to think we’re educating through fun interactions, sometimes it’s the party recipient themselves who teaches us all a lesson in caring.  Young Mia was so determined to make a difference to ocean animals, she encouraged all her friends to make a donation to the Australian Marine Conservation Society – instead of bringing gifts.  She raised $200 to help fund efforts to preserve our oceans for generations to come.

It’s children like Mia and Nixon that makes it all worthwhile for us and even more reason we love to hang with our party animals.