4 Mermaid Habits for Sustainable Human Living

Did you know mermaids have a very small carbon foot print? And it’s not just because they don’t have feet. Now I know what you may be thinking: “Mermaids aren’t real.” While denying the existence of mermaids is understandable, denying climate change is not.

If you are like me, you are not a mermaid or climate change denier and are looking for ways to heal our earth. Land or sea, there are way too many ways to live sustainably to list. In fact, the more I learn about how to be good to our planet, the more I realize I don’t know. I am only two years into my sustainable living journey, but I have already seen that the choices that we make on land effect the ocean.

When looking for ways to be good to the sea specifically, it helps me to think of what life is like for those who live in it. Of all the existing marine life, mermaids are by far my favorite. So without further banter, here are four practices of mermaids, and how humans can emulate them to be more sustainable for our oceans!

1) Mermaids Repurpose Forks into Dingle Hoppers

Princess Ariel famously used forks as combs for her hair, and I am here for it! With so much trash in the ocean, it’s no wonder she was looking for the mermaid functions of our gadgets and gizmos. Human trash is unquestionably the largest attack on our oceans.

So what does this mean for us humans?

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and then some. Words to live by. Trying to be a minimalist has helped me to to reduce. I also swap single use items with their reusable counterparts wherever I can. Recycling is aptly put last in the word order. Did you know only about 9% of plastic put in recycling actually gets recycled? So when an item breaks or becomes unneeded… that’s when we need a mermaid’s mentality.

There should be way more R’s than three to save our oceans--Why else would it be the favorite letter of Pirates?

The one that mermaids have mastered is to “Repurpose”. When we can get creative and use unwanted plastic cups as pots for plants, or turn ripped blue jeans into a denim bag, it extends the life of the material and keeps us from buying something to meet a need. Not to mention, it saves the item from adding to the rivers of trash that flow through the sea.

Not into DIY? That’s okay, lots of people are and, just like Ariel, will find the treasure in your trash and give it new life. Consider gifting, selling, or donating your unwanted items.

2) Mermaids Rock Shell Bras or Nothing at All…

Sexy and eco-friendly? Goals! All the mermaids I’ve seen in films and books have bras made of shells or items found on their ocean floor, like starfish or discarded fishnets which they re-purposed. (By the way, eat sustainably caught fish if possible please… mermaids do. Fishnets account for much of the plastic pollution in our oceans.) If mermaids can’t find an item locally to make a fashion statement, they simply rock their birthday suits.

For us humans, this translates to shopping for sustainable fashion. Avoiding fast fashion reduces our carbon footprint, and shopping secondhand is an easy way to reduce spending too! I was shopping at my local thrift store long before I learned about fast fashion because it is so cheap! There is a dark side to clothes that directly impact our water (secondhand or new). That danger is synthetic fibers, something man-made, not mer-made.

These far from natural fabrics are popular and have plastic woven into them. Every time they are thrown into the washing machine micro plastics are released from the material into the water. And that water, even once filtered by our cities, will still hold those micro plastics. Meaning, we drink it! I read that in some places of our country, Americans consume about a credit card’s worth of plastic per week. Just the thought of drinking plastics makes me sick- I can only imagine how mermaids and other marine life feel living in plastic infested water.

As mentioned, I truly just learned about this and am still researching solutions. I was baffled and thought of throwing out anything I had with synthetic fibers, but that would be ignoring all the R’s and shopping for a whole new wardrobe. What I have found is that there are special filters that can remove these micro plastics that people can buy and attach to their washing machines. Or if you are like me and don’t yet own a home or washing machine, there are balls that you throw in the wash that attract the micro-plastics.

Like the coraball…

So I hope to continue avoiding fast fashion and be more intentional about which materials I purchase from here on out.

3) Mermaids Protect Our Coral Reefs

Some mermaids, according to art I’ve seen, live among coral reefs. This is a habitat that is quickly dying yet is home to a wide range of marine life. I was shocked to find out that my sunscreen could be contributing to their demise.

When I went snorkeling with my Dad, a Komaaina Hawaiian, he gave me a special sunscreen to use. He explained that he had watched the vibrant coral reefs die slowly, and how toxic many sunscreens are to coral reefs. Tourists were unknowingly killing the very organisms they were flocking to. For this reason, in Hawaii, you can’t even buy sunscreen that isn’t coral reef friendly. It’s such an easy switch, I hope other states follow Hawaii’s example soon. Even if the world hasn’t caught up, we as individuals can change our habits to help our oceans survive.

4) Mermaids Lure Sailors With Their Voices.

It’s what they’re famous for. Mermaids make the water so appealing with their enchanting song, and well… we already covered the fact that some opt out on clothes. What’s to stop a sailor from diving in to meet the beautiful beings that smile at them and invite them with a song?

Yet when it comes to living a sustainable life, people aren't so drawn in. Often the first thing they see is an expensive zero waste swap list that means a lot more cleaning each day. Others meet a person who smells a little more organic than they’d prefer who tells them about their waste-free deodorant. Sustainable living takes intention and work in a climate built on instant gratification. Of course people are turned off to it. Heck, I’m not too keen on the extra work myself. But if we can model how appealing this lifestyle can be, we are more likely to draw others in with us.

Instead of starting with scary statistics about the end of the world, I try to talk to a friend about how much money I’ve saved not buying menstrual products in two years. Or I share how it is to easier to clean as a minimalist and how a clutter free space helps easy my anxiety. There must be many wonderful things about how you are acheiving sustainable living! If you feel empowered to share the benefits you see in your life, then someone else may take the plunge.

So become an honorary mermaid, merman or merfolk! Brush your hair with a plastic fork, throw on your shell bra and some reef safe sunscreen. Then, sing your siren song loud and proud! With a big enough choir for sustainability, maybe our song will reach the oceans and create change for the better future of humans and merfolk alike.

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Some Supporting Articles

https://abcnews.go.com/US/humans-consume-equivalent-credit-card-worth-plastic-week/story?id=63687144#:~:text=with%20news%20about-,Humans%20consume%20the%20equivalent%20of%20a%20credit,of%20plastic%20every%20week%3A%20Report&text=People%20are%20consuming%20about%205,University%20of%20Newcastle%20in%20Australia.

https://www.nationalgeographic.org/article/whopping-91-percent-plastic-isnt-recycled/

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/watching-a-coral-reef-die-in-a-warming-ocean