ON HOLIDAY?
HERE’S WHAT YOU CAN DO
Thank you for booking a holiday in North Devon, you will not be disappointed with our rolling hills and beautiful beaches. With nature in mind, we would like to invite you to join our campaign to protect our playground. Our oceans are drowning in plastic but we can all be part of the solution by reducing the amount of single use plastic you use.
A WAVE OF WASTE
14,000 cheap polystyrene bodyboards are being abandoned each year on beaches in the south west alone, creating a wave of waste. Reject purchasing unsustainable cheap boards; rent, borrow or buy sustainable alternatives from locations across northern Devon.
SAY NO TO SINGLE USE
Single use items are a drain on our natural resources; from the material they have been made of to the distance they have traveled to arrive on the shop shelves. Never leave home without your reusable cups, bottles, bags and cutlery. Say no to the straw, sachets and disposable bbqs.
Look Local
Use our #looklocal directory to find local fruit and veg delivery schemes, carry your own bags and reusable containers to buy loose products, and check out your local butchers and markets to experience what North Devon has to offer.
CONSUMERISM
When purchasing, ask yourself: Where did it come from? Do I really need it? Where will it go when I have finished with it? Can I rent or borrow instead? Does it support a small independent business?
REDUCE - REUSE -REPAIR - RECYCLE
DOWN THE TOILET
Never, ever flush wipes, cotton buds or sanitary products. They are mostly made of plastic, block our drains and can end up in the sea causing serious damage to marine life. Recycle, or dispose of in bins. Have you tried reusable sanitary products yet?
SUPPORT SUSTAINABLE BUSINESSES
Many have committed to becoming more sustainable by reducing carbon emissions, improving nature or eliminating single use plastics to name a few. Support those taking steps to protect our playground. Check out the local Biosphere Business Partners and plastic free champions lists
EMBRACE NATURE
Discover the ancient woodlands at Heddons Mouth or investigate the fascinating life in the rock pools at Lee Bay. You could have fun becoming a citizen scientist for the day too. Head to our QR code page for ideas galore.
TREAD LIGHTLY
Ditch the car and jump on to a bus, hire a bike or head out with your backpack for a day exploring. Pick up rubbish on your adventures, seek out locally sourced produce and leave only footprints.
CLEANSE AND CLEAN
Join one of the many beach or park cleans, or take part in your own #2minutebeachclean. You will get a warm glow from clearing up the planet, spending time outdoors and a bit of exercise for good measure! You don’t need to join an organised event, just picking up when you are out and about can make all the difference.
USE YOUR VOICE
Tackling plastic pollution is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to caring for our planet. We need everyone to SHOUT about protecting, preserving, repairing, and improving our planet for now and into the future. Demand better from your supermarket or accomodation, or tag commonly found brands you find on #2minutebeachcleans, asking them what they are doing to protect our future.
TAKE THE MESSAGE HOME
Our planet is under increasing pressure from all sorts of interlinking factors. Be it sewage pollution, plastic in our oceans or climate change we can all come together to stand up for what matters to us. Tell your mates, update your social media, or whip out your megaphone and march down the street.