Being human means being on your guard sometimes… especially on dating apps. But when it comes to nature, things that might feel unfamiliar, and even a little scary, can actually be amazing.

Example: Marine plants like seaweed, algae, and plankton, which looked spooky during childhood swim lessons, but serve a major role in planetary health. (And have a 0% chance of turning into a sea monster or killer mermaid.)

In fact, 70% of all our oxygen comes from marine plants, and 20% of all our breaths—that’s one in five—happens because of phytoplankton. How do we protect this incredibly important resource?

🌱 BYO water bottles and coffee mugs to help keep microplastics out of the ocean, and away from the marine plants that help us breathe.

🌱 Avoid jumping on the fast fashion cycle, which sends poorly-made clothes with plastic fibers straight into a landfill, and ultimately, our water supply.

🌱 Before you jump from one body of water—like a tide pool or a lake—into another one, rinse your body with fresh water. That helps prevent invasive species from overtaking native ones, and helps maintain the balance of biodiversity needed for marine life to thrive.

🌱 When you’re swimming and boating, leave the marine plants alone. Don’t pull lily pads out of the water for an Instagram moment; don’t throw seaweed onto the shore because it touched your arm and you thought it was a pirate zombie.

🌱 Protect their rep! If someone freaks out about seaweed or algae, tell them why marine plants are so special. (And when you do, please be kind about it, because being nice to kelp is vital, and so is being nice to other humans.)