It’s happened to us all. You are taking a leisurely stroll down the beach in our bare feet, letting the soft sand move gently between our toes. You hear the gleeful screams of small children waft through the sea air as they run past you into the crashing waves. On the beach, you pass by couples, groups of friends and single sunbathers all relishing in the ocean breeze and sun.
The sights and sounds are wonderful to take in. Until that is, you nearly step on a pile of plastic debris half buried in the sand, right in your path. You aren’t sure, but those pieces may have once been a toy shovel or a pair of sunglasses. Your emotions go from happy to immediately sad for the beach, disappointed in your fellow man and angry that someone at sometime decided to just abandon their trash on your beautiful beach. (Hopefully you pick it up too!)
As a seaside retailer, you know how important clean beaches are for the environment. You also know that people won’t want to come to a beach or your nearby store if the beach isn’t kept clean. But beyond just the appearance, you know that plastic in the oceans and other human activities are harming marine life. Thankfully, many of you have decided to use your store as an instrument to do something about it.
And whether you are just getting started on your eco-friendly retail journey or you’ve been at it for a while, we’re here to help you along the way. The March/April issue of Seaside Retailer is full of examples of retailers who are making an effort to make a difference in a variety of ways, from the products they carry, the shopping bags they offer, the events they host to the causes they promote.
Whether you are just getting started on your eco-friendly retail journey or you’ve been at it for a while, we’re here to help you along the way.
You’ll also learn about innovative brands that are committed to sustainability and providing eco-friendly merchandise for you to carry in your stores.
To those retailers who have already taken steps to be more environmentally friendly, I challenge you to ask yourselves, what else can I do? To those who aren’t already making an effort to be eco-friendly, why not start now, even if it is something small?
I want to thank all of the eco-friendly retailers who shared their stories with us to make this special eco-friendly edition possible: Loggerhead Marinelife Center, Kitty Hawk Kites, Eco Chic, Marine Discovery Center and Turtle Central. We know there are many more of you that did not make it into our pages this issue, and we want to recognize you too for your efforts. And to all the brands out there who offer products that are made in a sustainable way or provide a sustainable function, thank you for giving retailers responsible options for their stores.
These efforts from our industry’s entire supply chain are making a difference to preserve the ocean’s ecosystem and allow future generations to enjoy the many treasures the beach and sea have to offer.
