When people think of climate change, they often overlook how it affects life under the sea. It turns out that the ocean has been absorbing excess carbon since the dawn of industrialization. That carbon is making the ocean more acidic and in turn, pushing organisms that make up the base of our food chain to the brink of extinction.
The good news is one non-profit organization, I Love a Clean San Diego, has expanded its plethora of resource conservation and ocean health programs to include ocean acidification education. Through SDG&E’s Environmental Champions giving initiative, we support this innovative program, which provides a unique perspective on climate change and takes a hard look at simple solutions every San Diegan can make to help build healthier communities and protect our planet.
I Love a Clean San Diego educators traveled to 15 different high schools in just 5 months to explore the chemical process behind ocean acidification and demonstrate the impacts of climate change to 1,200 students. Through hands-on experiments, group discussions and interactions with sea life, students were offered real world solutions to reduce their carbon footprint and were urged to commit to make a change.
Drive for Change
Change can be as simple as volunteering for a beach cleanup or choosing to adopt a zero waste lifestyle by forgoing plastic bottles and food packaging. And for the high school students on the verge of getting their drivers’ licenses, there’s another great opportunity to reduce their carbon footprint on a larger scale – by driving an electric vehicle!
Driving an electric vehicle or plug in hybrid in San Diego is a real win for our planet and our oceans. By driving electric, these kids can not only drive in style, but feel good about fighting climate change and protecting the planet.
Visit sdge.com to learn more about the benefits of going electric.