We just received an email from one of our travelers, Mike Jarosick, who returned from a trip to Belize. Sharing our sentiments for responsible travel he wanted to share with fellow Adventure Lifers information he learned regarding the effects sunscreen has on coral-bleaching. This subject is particularly relevant to Belize, which is home to the largest coral reef in the Western Hemisphere. I love that Mike has returned home now an ambassador for the environment he had the chance to connect with during his Belize tour. Hats off to you, Mike! It's clear you know how to travel-well.
Sunscreen and Coral Reef Bleaching
A very telling study came out in 2008 by Roberto Danovaro and his colleagues at the Marche Polytechnic University in Ancona, Italy on the impact of sunscreen on the health of coral reefs. Their findings included that between 4000-6000 metric tons of sunscreen washes off swimmers and snorkelers into coral reef environments -- annually. A stunning figure. And that four very common ingredients found in most sunscreens cause complete coral bleaching, even at very low concentrations. As a result, 10% of the world's coral reefs may be endangered by sunscreen-induced bleaching.
The main culprits? These four common sunscreen ingredients:
The truth is it only takes about 20 minutes for a quarter of the sunscreen we lather on to protect our skin to wash off -- waterproof or not. To better protect our skin, AND our environment, covering up in wide brim hats and wearing a swim-shirt or wetsuit are simple options that don't wash off. Or use eco-friendly chemical sunscreens. A quick Internet search will lead you to a number of brands offering reef-safe options. I'm a personal fan of the brand Badger Balm.
We have used Adventure Life Travel before and we where impressed with the outcome of their handling of our travel arrangements. So we are using them again on this vacation. Tilly has been very helpful and we put our complete confidence in her! We feel very comfortable using Adventure Life.
Jerry Hatley
7 hours ago
Erin was responsive, knowledgeable, helpful, and ran through a few different choices with us. She got us a fabulous price on a trip, and made everything easy to do. And QUICK!!
Tina
1 day ago
Excellent trip saw much more than would have seen with out Adventure Life's help.
Anonymous traveler
3 days ago
Erin made things easier than I thought possible. So good at answering questions in a timely manner and explaining all. I feel she looks out for me.
Fran Folkman
3 days ago
Very personable and knowledgeable! Able to answer questions and provide advice based on personal experiences.