This week, I had the opportunity to make a new friend. Carr is a Green Sea Turtle that was placed in his new home at SEA LIFE Michigan Aquarium yesterday. Before coming to SEA LIFE, Carr was hit by a boat which left his shell badly deformed. He was found in a canal in Cape Canaveral, Florida, where he was then taken to a nature center to be cared for.
Due to his deformed shell, Carr could no longer dive deep into the water. After his wounds healed, Carr had weights attached to his shell to help him with buoyancy. While these weights helped him float better through the water, his chance of survival in the wild was very slim.
SEA LIFE Michigan has happily opened their aquarium to Carr, and I was excited to witness his introduction to the SEA LIFE environment and to the aquarium’s first resident sea turtle, Benson.
As exciting as it was to watch this 85 pound hunk of cuteness curiously scope out his new digs, and swim around with his new turtle-buddy, it really got me thinking: what can we, as travelers, do to help sea turtles and their environments?
Travelers have the privledge of seeing and experiencing much of this world. Unfortunately, due to unsustainable practices around the globe, we are now seeing the result of human wastefulness and disregard for the Earth. Creatures like Carr would have a much better chance of thriving in their natural habitats if people would implement more environmentally cautious practices into their lives. So, I have brainstormed some things travelers can do to travel in an environmentally friendly way.
Reduce Waste
Did you know that an estimated amount of 8 million tons of plastic trash ends up in the ocean each year? Each. Year. And that’s just plastic! This is obviously a huge problem for our environment and its inhabitants. Things like using E-tickets instead of printing boarding passes, and using reusable bags can make a huge difference.
Bring a Reusable Water Bottle
Water is an important part of life. As we travel, we need to drink lots of water to stay healthy and active. With the need to stay hydrated, travelers should elect to bring along reusable water bottles to continuously fill up. Think of how many plastic bottles you will  keep out of the oceans!
The LifeStraw Bottle is the perfect water bottle for travelers. Not only is it reusable, leak-proof, and BPA free, but it also has a high tech filter which removes 99.9999% of bacteria, viruses, waterborne pathogens and harmful chemicals. You can take this bottle to destinations where the water is unsafe to drink, and fill it up with no worries!
Find the LifeStraw Bottle on Amazon
Check out more eco-friendly products for travel
Be Respectful Toward Wildlife
There have been way too many stories in the media recently about people abusing animals to get a great selfie. Nothing about that is cool. Animal tourism around the world is under tight watch, as more and more businesses are discovered to have questionable practices. Elephant riding in Asia is a huge no-no. The same goes for places that use drugs to subdue animals for tourists to pet.
You can still ethically observe and encounter animals in the wild, but it is important to educate yourself and others on how to do so respectfully. Some common practices include refraining from feeding wild animals, keeping at a safe distance, and only supporting businesses that treat animals respectfully.
Think About Transportation
We all know that air travel creates significant carbon emissions. But did you know there are small things you can do to help reduce this? Flying nonstop routes, flying on newer fuel-efficient aircrafts, packing lighter, and even pulling your window shade down can contribute to a greener flight. In addition, think about alternate ways to get around your destination cities that don’t involve greenhouse gas emissions. Consider walking or renting a bike before hiring an Uber car. Or, explore cities that use eco-friendly buses.
Consider Voluntourism
Voluntourism is a great option for people wanting to travel, while also lending a helping hand in local communities. There are hundreds of volunteer opportunities all across the world, which require all sorts of skill sets. You could help with jungle conservation in Peru, teach locals about agriculture and sustainability in Ghana, or even work with sea turtle conservation in Costa Rica. Check out GoEco to see more eco-volunteer opportunities around the world!
Research Tour Operators
Before you sign up for that whale watching cruise or that shark diving tour, research your tour operators. Sadly, some operators put their clients first and foremost and will engage in damaging behaviors just to have tourists’ money. Make sure that your tour companies are acting with environmentally friendly practices.
Support Businesses That Care
Not only is it important to ensure that your tour operators are eco-friendly, you should do the same with all businesses. By supporting businesses that care about the Earth and implement environmentally friendly practices, you are helping their endeavors.
When you visit SEA LIFE Michigan, you get to see amazing creatures like Carr, and you are also helping to support the SEA LIFE Trust. This is a charity that works to protect the world’s oceans and their inhabitants. Â Visit SEA LIFE Michigan’s website to learn more about this charity and to purchase tickets.
By engaging in these environmentally friendly practices, we can help keep green sea turtles like Carr safe and happy in the oceans.
And now, cue the montage of adorable turtle pics 🙂
Thank you to SEA LIFE Michigan for inviting me to Carr’s exciting introduction to his new home.
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19 Comments
What a great post, I really support any blogger that tries to bring awareness to animal welfare. The animal tourism industry can be such a horrible thing. I think the most important thing, and yet somehow the hardest for people to grasp, is to be respectful of wildlife.
When I was living in Costa Rica, we were preparing for a rush of tourists to come and see the sea turtle hatching. To my horror, the tourists literally stormed the beach, touching the baby sea turtles, getting in the way, and in all likelihood stepping on them. We need to promote respect as much as we can.
Oh my goodness that is horrific! People can be so ignorant of their effects on wildlife and the environment!
What a fantastic reminder of our moral duties as travelers! Thank you also for introducing me to SEA LIFE Michigan; I am originally from the great Mitten state and I never had heard of this awesome charity before now.
I hope this post will remind people that the beautiful world we inhabit and the animals who cohabitate with us are worth protecting and preserving! Thanks 🙂
Oh no, poor Carr. I hope he’ll be ok. When I went to Machu Picchu, the view was unbelievable but I was angered by the litter the visitors left behind. It was heartbreaking to see travelers who are irresponsible and disrespect nature.
Great tips for being a greener traveler. I always try to get flights with very few stops, just cause I don’t want to be traveling so long. I never made the connection that it is better for the environment too. It is crazy how much garbage makes it into the sea and waterways.
I think this is a great checklist in order to be a responsible traveler. We are destroying our world and we have to do something about. Spreading the news is a great start.
Poor Carr!
Everything you say it’s absolutely right, not only related to turtles but to every form of flora and fauna around the world.
The Fit Bottle seems pretty clever, I’ve never heard about it, but I’ll take it into consideration next time I travel!
Carr is such a cutie! He’s lucky someone cared enough to make sure he received the care he needed to survive. Yay to the SEA LIFE Michigan Aquarium for giving him a second chance at life. <3
Brianna, I live in a city that makes it easy to recycle most every day items. However, the boroughs around my city do not recycle. Since they don’t make it easy for people, most tend to just throw everything in the “regular” garbage. I notice that when I go to most stores, I’m the only one with a non-plastic reusable bag.
That is a happy story of Carr. Never heard of Fit bottles before, I will check this out. Indeed water is something we can’t travel without and the bottles are one of the most dumped items. If we can reduce this it will be a boon for environment.
As travelers, we have the social and moral responsibilities of taking care of our environment and its inhabitants. Great suggestions that we must take to heart and adopt. Let’s always think of sustainability and the future generations.
What a heart warming post. You are absolutely right that we should not forget about the environment while we seek the pleasures of travel. We need to preserve the beauty of this planet for the future generations. I remember our tour guide in Scotland used to pickup waste and throw it in a bin that he carried with him, such a sensible man.
It’s nice to hear that Carr was given a second chance and rehab. I agree that there is things we can do to minimise our impact on the environment. It’s a shame there is so much plastic and pollutants in the ocean.
Poor Carr…. It always break my heart when I see turtles in pain, they are such beautiful creatures. I can’t imagine what human can just throw things in the ocean without thinking or caring of the consequences… I remember visiting a place in Peru where the beach was covered in plastic… same in Mallorca… and even in Malta… It’s so sad really…
I simply adore Sea Turtle and the first time I saw one in Maldives. The story of Carr is quite interesting and the way you treat it with responsible travelling. Being a Traveler , I completely agree with you on that. We need to be conscious enough to protect our nature and should do everything possible to make the earth greener and a happy place. I will also check Fit Bottles as I haven’t heard of it.
A lovely post with a very poignant message behind it. I think that we really do need to be more respectful of the world we live in – I know I’m trying to re-use, recycle, etc and voluntourism is something I really believe in – giving back to somewhere is one of the best parts of visiting a place! On the upside, looks like little Carr is doing well in his new home!
I am always looking at ways to lower my carbon footprint. It absolutely kills me when I see pollution killing and harming our sea life as well as wildlife. So disheartening that so many people just simply don’t care! Great points.
Very great post. We have to take care about our wonderful Earth and try to do our best in order that it is well preserved. Last year I went to China and the pollution there is terrifying….at least in national parks the air was good, but seriously the situation there is tragic.
Very interesting post. Living in West Palm I see a lot of sea turtles and it kills me to know that sea turtles are being killed by people’s stupidity. Please continue to bring awareness to this issue.