Oceans of Optimism

A lot has happened in the world in the last month, and recent extreme weather events have affected lots of us around the world. So you may have missed that there’s been some good news going on too. Whether you’re relaxing on a deck chair or sitting at your desk, take five mins out and lose yourself in this month’s dose of happy headlines.

Cheshire Wildlife Trust are celebrating the birth of the first beaver to be born in Cheshire in more than 400 years! Just 18 months after beavers were reintroduced to the UK, this success story is a result of an initiative to encourage wetlands and thriving ecosystems through beavers’ nifty dams and lodges. Dam, that’s good!

The fishermen of County Down have been making the world a better plaice by collecting ocean plastic. As part of the Fishing for Litter scheme relaunched in 2021, they have caught the equivalent of 1,100 bin bags of rubbish! While this is amazing to see, it’s an important reminder of why we need to switch to systems of reuse and refill to prevent single-use plastic from being produced in the first place.

Scientists have recorded high recovery levels of the great barrier reef, with two-thirds of the reef having recovered – the highest recovery rate since records began 35 years ago! Though the reef still remains vulnerable to threats like mass bleach, we can celebrate the resilience of this fantastic system, and we hope this motivates everyone to do what they can to take care of our oceans and protect our underwater ecosystems.

Stingrays were thought to be the strong silent type, but scientists have recently discovered that two wild stingray species can actually talk to each other! Videos taken in Australia and Indonesia show stingrays making short and loud clicking sounds to communicate with each other. While experts are not entirely sure what these noises mean, it’s suggested that the sounds may be a way to deter predators or even call for backup. How cool is that?

Some exciting news from us… We’ve partnered with Police Scotland to help over 15,000 police officers save tens of thousands of single-use plastic items from being used & thrown away.

Our award-winning Refill app will direct Scottish officers to hundreds of thousands of water Refill Stations internationally, with well over 1,000 sites across Scotland that will help them stay hydrated on the beat.

In our NEW blog post, you can learn more about how the blue is helping save the big blue.

Remember how we kicked off #PlasticFreeJuly by Refill Revolutionising the South coast?

Well, since then, an incredible 19,000 single-use plastic bottles have been saved from our waste stream thanks to our “Turning the Tide” project with BCP Council. Meaning a HUGE reduction in single-use plastic littered on the beach and from entering our oceans. What a huge achievement!

Going forward, no pebble will be left unturned so watch this space as more action will be coming to the seafront at Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole to power the Refill Revolution.

Scientists have developed a way to estimate the environmental impact of the food and drink we buy. Measuring the impact of growing method, processing and transport against greenhouse gas emissions and impacts on nature, it is hoped this will help shoppers to think about their impact on the planet before they buy. We hope that this measurement will also take into account the plastic footprint. As we all know, single-use plastic from the food and drink industry has huge consequences for our environment.

The company Hoopsy have created a recyclable pregnancy test that is 99 per cent made out of paper. The tests have now been approved for sale in the UK after being tested as 99% accurate, so you can go plastic-free when it comes to family planning too. Find other ways to reduce plastic from your bathroom in our plastic-free living hub.