Water Use

Thermoelectric power plants use energy – often from coal or other fossil fuels – to boil water and create steam, which then spins turbines to generate electricity. Production of electrical power is our largest use of water in Georgia. Adopting water conservation strategies results in lower demand for fresh water and energy. Water conservation also reduces the energy used by local governments for treating and distributing drinking water and collecting wastewater. Thus, water conservation and energy conservation work hand in hand to protect the Earth and its oceans.

KEY ISSUE AND FILM TOPIC: How can a person, family, school, workplace, or community reduce their water use? 

Food Choices

The production of animal-based foods, like meat, eggs, and dairy, is associated with higher greenhouse gas emissions, which negatively impacts the ocean. One-third of global freshwater consumption is for animal agriculture, and livestock or livestock feed occupies one-third of the Earth’s ice-free land. The use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides in animal agriculture is the leading cause of water pollution and ocean dead zones. Human demand for fish has led to overexploitation of wild fish species and reduced biodiversity and stability of ocean ecosystems. Check out the Seafood Watch app from the Monterey Bay aquarium to guide your seafood choices.

KEY ISSUE AND FILM TOPIC: How can a person, family, school, workplace, or community change their food choices to reduce negative impacts on the ocean? 

Product Choices

Many of the products we buy – household cleaners, plastic bags, containers, toys, and cosmetic products containing micro-plastics and chemicals – have a negative impact on the ocean. The production and disposal of so many consumer products – many of which are single-use – rely on fossil fuels and can lead to chemically-polluted waterways and plastic particles in the ocean.

KEY ISSUE AND FILM TOPIC: How can a person, family, school, workplace, or community reduce their consumption of plastics? 

Transportation Choices

Our personal vehicles are a major cause of global warming. Collectively, cars and trucks account for nearly one-fifth of all US emissions, emitting around 24 pounds of carbon dioxide and other global-warming gases for every gallon of gas. About five pounds comes from the extraction, production, and delivery of the fuel, while the great bulk of heat-trapping emissions — more than 19 pounds per gallon — comes right out of a car’s tailpipe. We can – as individuals and as a society – make better transportation choices to protect the Earth and its oceans. We can walk, use public transportation, ride a bike, or carpool. As a society we can support the development of stricter fuel-efficiency standards, cleaner burning fuels, electric vehicles (supported by a ‘greener’ energy grid fueled by alternative energy), and creative urban planning solutions that reduce reliance on the car.

KEY ISSUE AND FILM TOPIC: How can a person, family, school, workplace, or community reduce their dependence on the car? 

Keeping Waterways Clean

A 2014 study led by a University of Georgia researcher estimated that 8 million metric tons of plastic trash enter the sea from land every year. Marine debris affects waters and coastlines around the world. Although we might not all live near the coast, the way we treat our local streams and rivers affects the ocean. Other pollution from land – trash, human or animal waste, runoff from roads and highways, fertilizers and pesticides – reaches our oceans through stormwater management infrastructure and wreaks havoc on important ocean habitats. 

KEY ISSUE AND FILM TOPIC: How can a person, family, school, workplace, or community change their behaviors to reduce their impacts on our waterways?