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We all need to pitch in when it comes to saving our planet. Businesses are responsible for a big part of greenhouse gas omissions. Plus our customers like us better when we care for their environment. As a small business, you might not have the resources to put together a team to set the precedent for an eco-friendly and sustainable business. But that doesn't mean you cannot make your business eco-friendly and sustainable. When it comes to making your small business eco-friendly and sustainable, some steps you can take are: Save Energy Invest in energy-efficient appliances. Ask your employees to turn off lights when not in use and when they leave the office after work. Also, when designing your office, opt for optimal natural lighting. In places where you are unable to work with natural lighting, go for motion-detector lights. Encourage your employees to arrive on time and leave on time. It not only saves energy but generally improves productivity. Go PaperLess Shift to electronic communication. Instead of printing receipts, send them to your customers through email. This helps not only save paper but also gives you access to your customer's inbox. Encourage your employees to go paperless. If going paperless is not possible, limit the use of paper, especially single-use paper. Consider your packaging When it comes to packaging, go for recycled paper. Reduce your packaging waste as much as you can without compromising your product quality. Offer incentives to your customers to recycle the packaging. Encourage them to buy in bulk to reduce packaging waste or offer them refill discounts. Ecofriendly Transport Encourage your employees to use public transport or cycle to work. Set a good example by doing the same. Install bicycle racks to make it easy for your employees. Offer them an incentive to do so by offering a late check-in to work when they choose a green transport. You might want to offer remote work if possible. Work With Other Green Businesses When choosing suppliers and distributors, work with companies that share the same sustainable mindset as yours. Opt for local produce and local suppliers when possible. This reduces your carbon footprint by cutting down on fuel costs. Reduce, Reuse and Recycle Always keep the 3Rs in mind when making any choice. Remember, the less waste we create the less it ends up in the landfill. You may also want to install recycling stations in the office so all waste first goes through the recycling center before being sent into the garbage bag. Collab with Environmental Awareness Companies Research companies in your city who actively work to make the environment a better place. Join their community. Sign up for their events. You can even sponsor events with them. At I Am Ocean Minded, we conduct awareness campaigns, beach events and cleanups, and other communal activities to make a real change. We invite you to join our community to take part in our ocean awareness campaigns.

Ocean Pollution in Kuwait, like all oceans in the world, is a real problem. Our Oceans are being flooded with all kinds of waste at an alarming rate. This is not just endangering marine life in our oceans but is also endangering us humans and causing global warming. Ocean Pollution Facts in Kuwait The time to save our oceans is now. If you’re in Kuwait and concerned about our oceans, here are some facts you should know: Kuwait's fisheries have declined from 6,900 tons in 1995 to 3,100 tons in 2013. This means a decline of 55% in the last 15 years. Marine turtles, coral reefs, vulnerable fish, and coastal habitats are experiencing a clear decline near Kuwait’s coast. The main pollution hazards include industrial wastes, oil spills, thermal pollution, solid waste, and fecal waste. Kuwait experiences low water clarity due to reclamation and dredging on the coast. As compared to the rest of the Gulf region such as the Mediterranean Sea, Kuwait has low levels of microplastic in marine organisms. A study conducted in 2015 found no signs of nuclear pollution in Kuwaiti waters. Sewage discharge is the most common source of marine pollution in Kuwait’s part of the ocean. Due to oil pollution, certain kinds of fish are most affected. The change is seen in the color of their skin and a decrease in size. These fish also exhibit a faster and more aggressive swimming pattern. Kuwait Environment Public Authority, KEPA, is working hard to counteract the issue of Ocean Pollution in Kuwait. What can we do about Ocean Pollution in Kuwait? Ocean Pollution is a serious problem in Kuwait. As individuals, you can: Join the Ocean Minded Community and volunteer with beach cleanups and other ocean awareness campaigns. Buy sustainable. Research your favorite brands. Look at their website. Make sure they are taking steps to reduce their carbon footprint. Reduce your energy footprint. Reduce, reuse and recycle. Be conscious of your lifestyle and adopt a more sustainable lifestyle. Turn off switches and devices, not in use. Opt for walking or cycling when you can. Spread the word. Talk about Ocean awareness with your friends and family. Share these facts with them and convince them toward a more sustainable lifestyle.

Kuwait enjoys a coastline of around 170 km, with some of the richest coral reefs in the world. There are at least 35 coral species found on Kuwaiti reefs. You can find some of them in Karu Island, Mudayra, Um Al-Maradem, Salama, Kubbar Island, and North West Qaru Reef. If you were to take a dive in these reefs, you will likely find sea urchins, green turtles, hawksbill, and around 124 fish species within these beautiful reefs. Why Coral Reefs are important? When talking about ocean conservation, coral reefs are one of the most pressing issues. But why is that? Coral reefs serve a crucial ecological, economic, aesthetic, and cultural role. They serve us by: They help navigate boats. Before seamen spot a shore, they spot the coastal reefs which guide them to the nearest shore. Reef provide habitat to thousands of sea animals. They are a source of protection and sustenance for these animals. You will likely find one of the richest marine animal diversity within these reefs. They provide us with seafood. Not only sea animals but the seafood you enjoy at your local restaurant or supermarket likely came from a reef. Estimates show that around 500 million people consume seafood fished out of a reef. Coral reefs are fast becoming a tourist attraction. With so many tourists attracted to coastal countries, reefs add a point of attraction for these people. Coral reefs act as a natural barrier against soil erosion and also sea storms. They clean up beach water. The sparkling clear water near oceans is partly because of coral reefs where corals and sponges feed on the particles in the ocean. Threats to Coral Reefs in Kuwait One of the most pressing issues when it comes to ocean conservation is the threat our demand for coastal resources has placed on this miraculous ecosystem. We are destroying our coral reefs by: When we pollute the oceans with plastic cups and trash, it results in coral bleaching. Coral bleaching kills the symbiotic algae zooxanthellae in the oceans. This alga is responsible for producing nutrients that help the coral reefs in Kuwait to survive and flourish. Destructive fishing practices, along with overfishing, create an imbalance in the coral ecosystem which severally impacts the sustainability of these reefs. Unsustainable tourism practices can result in abusing the coral reefs in Kuwait. Coastal construction can also have a negative impact on our coral reefs. What can we do to protect Kuwait’s coral reefs? Fortunately, we are now beginning to realize how important our coral reefs are for Kuwait. With awareness and informed citizens, we can help protect our coral reefs. We can start by: Reduce Ocean Pollution. This one is a no-brainer. The less pollution we produce, the better for our oceans and the entire world. Focus on the 3Rs: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. Conserve energy to reduce the greenhouse effect. When not in use, turn off your appliances. Be conscious of your electricity and water usage. Coordinated action and cooperation. Take part in beach clean-up events by organizations We organize cleanup and other events to help create a cleaner ocean that subsequently saves the coral reefs in Kuwait. Join our community to keep updated on how to save oceans and the coral reefs in Kuwait. Spread the word. Talk to your friends and family to raise awareness about preserving coral reefs in Kuwait and beyond.

1. EDUCATE YOURSELF It's hard to clean up the ocean without knowing why and how it gets polluted in the first place. So the first step is to get informed. Go online, turn on a documentary, or grab a book from the library—there are countless ways to learn about the ocean without having to move off the couch. Learn how your plastic water bottle winds up in the ocean in the first place, or how the oil from your engine can travel through the sewer and into nearby bodies of water. You can even learn about lesser-known forms of pollution—did you know that even noise pollution underwater can kill marine life? The best way to begin your ocean advocacy is to know the hows and whys. 2. CUT DOWN ON PLASTIC USE There are plenty of reasons to cut down on the plastic you use every day, but if you want to do your part for the ocean, it's doubly important. To put it into a sobering perspective: It's possible that around 8 million tons of plastic get into our oceans every year, harming plant life, water quality, and marine animals around the globe. Single-use plastics are among the most wasteful, but they're also the easiest change you can make to your lifestyle. Instead of buying single-use plastic water bottles in bulk, switch to reusable bottles you can fill up again and again. 3. HOLD COMPANIES ACCOUNTABLE It's not just individual consumers who need to watch their plastic consumption—it's local restaurants and global corporations as well. Find out which companies and businesses employ the best practices when it comes to packaging and plastic usage and which ones don't. If you feel like your local take-out place or café is being excessively wasteful, tell them. (Also, do your part by telling them you don't need any plastic utensils or paper napkins if you're planning to eat at home or the office.) 4. RECOGNIZE THE HARM OF INDIVIDUAL LITTER Picking up after yourself on the beach should go without saying, but just take a look around the sand the next time you're by the shore—obviously someone didn't get the memo. Stray bottles, cans, bags, and napkins can be ubiquitous along waterways, and even just one piece of litter can pose a problem. This garbage can be picked up by the wind, get stuck around the necks of birds and other animals, and carried back out to sea by the tides. Keep anyone in your party accountable for their messes, and if you encounter some trash that isn't yours, pick it up anyway and throw it away. That plastic bag or discarded soda can is an immediate threat to any marine life that could get caught in it, so be sure to do your part. 5. WATCH WHAT YOU FLUSH Cotton balls, floss, cat litter, insecticides, vegetable oil, paint—this is a snapshot of things that are harmful for oceans and marine life if flushed. So next time you open that toilet lid to discard a harsh cleaning agent, find out if it's safe. 6. CONSERVE WATER Any of the water you use in your home is later sent to a sewage treatment plant where the pollutants are removed before being reintroduced into local bodies of water. The problems come not only when harmful products and chemicals are flushed, but also when we simply use too much of the available water. As the Surfrider Foundation points out, excess water at these treatment plants can overwhelm the systems—many of which are older anyway—leading to pollutants getting through and finding their way into oceans, rivers, streams, etc. To do your part, simply conserve the use of water in your home. Take shorter showers, don't leave sinks running, and cut down on any superfluous activities like washing your car for long periods of time. 7. DON'T THROW ANYTHING OVERBOARD Whether you're out on a cruise or fishing, be mindful of what you leave behind. Never throw any trash overboard, even if you think it's harmless, like a stray fishing hook or line, or something small like a used piece of chewing gum or a cigarette butt. There's a ripple effect to any foreign item that enters a waterway, and often the consequence is that those tiny items amass into a large problem for the local ecosystem. Encourage those around you to be similarly mindful, and take proactive measures to ensure garbage and recycling bins are onboard during your trip. 8. WATCH WHAT YOU EAT Being a responsible seafood consumer is a vital part of ocean conservation, and knowing what fish you're eating and where it's coming from is a big part of that. Familiarize yourself with the fish you buy and where it was caught when you pick out your next meal, and ask your local supermarket chain or restaurant if their selection of seafood has been farmed in an ethical way that protects the ocean's ecosystem and doesn't pollute the water in the process. 9. UNDERSTAND YOUR CARBON FOOTPRINT Carbon dioxide isn't just responsible for pollution in the air—it also makes its way into the ocean. In fact, about a third of manmade CO2 makes its way into the ocean, which equates to about 22 million tons a day. This can cause acidification of the water, which affects the health of marine life—especially shelled animals—that live there. Taking stock of your own carbon footprint is important, and it becomes even more urgent when you think of the impact it has on everything. Climate change is all connected with one danger leading to another, leading to another, and so on. See how your energy habits can be more sustainable for the environment and make some much-needed adjustments. Simply driving less, buying energy efficient lights and appliances, and using fewer disposable goods can help. 10. SHARE WHAT YOU KNOW WITH FRIENDS AND FAMILY Don't keep all this knowledge to yourself! Bring up some of the more important facts to friends and family next time you're at the beach or out at a seafood restaurant. Invite them to join you for a cleanup, and encourage them to be mindful of their own carbon footprint. Your enthusiasm for healthy oceans and environments could be contagious, and you may soon find yourself with a network of like-minded individuals looking to make a difference.