Marine Bill

In reference to the Marine Bill please find below some information about Things We Do, and Things You Can Do. You can also download "A Sea Change", an Adobe PDF version of our Marine Bill White Paper.

• Download A Sea Change - A Marine Bill Whitepaper (300k PDF)

Thank you to all who supported us and the Marine Conservation Society by signing our Marine Reserves Now petition.

The recent Marine Conservation Society press release (215k PDF) gives the latest information and you will see that Blue Planet Aquarium visitors boosted the petition by a fantastic 7,176 – if you are one of those who took the time to sign the petition THANK YOU!

Things we do

Blue Planet Aquarium has actively supported conservation activities and practices in the following ways…

• 25 000 school visitors each year learn about conservation of the marine environment each year
• Recycling of all office paper waste
• On site conservation group Blue Watch
  Blue Watch volunteers have carried out six local beach cleans in the last two years
• Participated in the Marine Conservation Society Coastal Challenge
  Annual Ocean Awareness event in third year – visited by 2 500 visitors

The ever changing Conservation Station located in the BPA foyer in the last two years has supported the following…

• BIAZA - Shell Shock Turtle Tour
• Blue Watch and Wirral County Council Beach Rangers – “Beach Cleans”
  
• British Chelonian Group
  
• Welsh College of Horticulture
  
• PADI Project Aware – Coral Reef Conservation
  
• Aquafirma and the Galapagos Trust
  
• Great White Sharks – “Man-eaters of misunderstood?”
  
• Marine Conservation Society – ‘Coastal Challenge’
  
• NAW – Big Fish Campaign
  
• Sea watch Foundation
  
• Blue Watch – “Help Beat Climate Change – what you can do at home”
  
• National Geographic
  
• NAW and Marine Conservation Society – ‘Marine Reserves Campaign’

Blue Planet Aquarium held its first Big Blue Day on Friday 22nd December 2006 in support of the Marine Conservation Society

Blue Planet Aquarium team members attended the Climate Change Action Plan launch in Manchester on November 9th 2006 and signed up to the North West Climate Change Charter

Blue Planet Aquarium team members attended the May Day Climate Change Forum in Manchester in May 2007.

Things You Can Do

Welcome to Blue Planet Aquarium’s guide to conservation guide. The purpose of the guide is to suggest to you everyday actions you can take to protect our wonderful planet for future generations.

Share the guide with your friends, neighbours, employers and schools so that they too can make everyday choices that will protect and sustain our environment.

1. Buy eco-friendly fish
   Consumers can make a real difference to the way our fish stocks are managed. By only choosing fish from healthy, responsibly managed sources caught using methods which minimise damage to the marine environment and other species, you can help drive the market for sustainable seafood. Visit www.fishonline.org a quick reference guide to buying eco-friendly fish.
2. Don’t let water run
   Turn off the water while brushing your teeth. Fix leaky toilets and taps. Take shorter showers. Encourage your employer and schools to do the same.
3. Only wash full loads and wash clothes and dishes at lower temperatures
   Dishwashers and washing machines are amongst the most energy consuming items in your home. Most of the energy used goes to heat the water. So cooler water reduces energy use and saves money.
4. Unplug the energy vampires
   Many small appliances such as phones, DVD players, and computers have transformer type power supplies that consume between 2 and 10 watts of electricity even when the appliance is not in use. Turn off your TV, DVD player and computers. Also turn off your mobile phone, MP3 player and other personal electronics as soon as they have finished charging.
5. Fit low energy light bulbs
   Low energy light bulbs use less than 20% of the energy of a conventional light bulb, and can last up to 15 times longer. Although low energy light bulbs may be more expensive to buy, the amount of electricity they save can pay for this additional cost within the first year. After which not only will you be contributing less to global warming but you will be saving yourself money.
6. Reduce, reuse and repair
   Throwing things away is a waste of the energy and resources taken to make the product. Reducing the number of things that need to be thrown away reduces the amount of materials that have to be quarried and mined. Buy food and other products with less packaging instead of those in non-recyclable packaging. When doing your shopping choose a reusable bag to carry your goods home.
7. Recycle
   Recycle your paper, cardboard, drinks containers, glass and metal.
8. Turn it down - turn it off
   By turning down the heating by just 1 degree a saving of 8-10% can be made on annual heating bills and reduce heating in areas needing less warmth. Turn off unneeded lights and make use of daylight where possible. It costs nothing and can reduce lighting bills by up to 19%. Encourage your employer to do the same.
9. Travel less and travel efficiently
   Transport accounts for approximately one third of the Northwest’s region energy demand. Use the bus, train, bike, car share or walk to work or work from home. Encourage greater use of video and teleconferencing or webcams. Too reduce car fuel consumption keep tyres properly inflated, remove unnecessary items from your boot and remove your roof rack when it is not in use.  
10. Visit www.blueplanetaquarium.co.uk and www.mcsuk.org for up to date news on activities that you and your family can participate in.
    Join Blue Watch – Blue Planet Aquariums very own conservation group. The group encourages staff and our North West friends to get actively involved in projects in the North West.