Oceans of Optimism May
Your monthly dose of joyful stories

We love the month of May, with its blossom and longer, lighter evenings; its promise of warmer weather and an abundance of bank holidays. So we’re all about finding the joy in between the heavy headlines and politics dominating our news feeds, and are here to share some uplifting stories from the past few weeks with you.

Bottom trawling not welcome here
Dogger Bank, the UK largest sandbank, has been given protection from bottom trawling after campaigning by activists. The environmentally destructive fishing practice has now been banned in 3 other areas, helping to protect the marine species and the seabed from releasing carbon when disturbed. We hope to see this type of fishing practice banned in more UK coastal areas.
School for thought – planet protecting from the classroom!
A new natural history GCSE will be taught in schools from September, with a focus on how pupils can protect the planet. The new subject aims to allow pupils a deeper knowledge of the natural world and equip them with skills to tackle the climate crisis. Promising news for a brighter future.

Green is the new black
Prisons in England and Wales will soon be home to an orchard, thanks to a new project that aims to benefit both inmates and the environment. The Orchard project charity has teamed up with the Ministry of Justice to ‘green’ the UK’s prisons, which will not only attract birds and insect visitors but provide a source of local produce too – as well as health and wellbeing benefits to inmates.
Sustainable surfs up!
A nationwide sustainable surf campaign is providing free wooden bellyboard hire at selected UK beaches in an attempt to tackle the pollution from polystyrene bodyboards. It’s estimated that more than 16,000 cheap, fragile boards are left every year on beaches in the UK – some lasting just a few hours before they are broken, releasing polluting micro polystyrene balls into the ocean. The Surf Wood for Good scheme provides a sustainable alternative that is fun, free and planet friendly!

Puffin Power
Puffins are returning to the UK in record numbers as the weather warms up. Pembrokeshire’s puffin population is booming, with almost 40,000 of them currently roaming around the islands of Skomer and Skokholm – making them one of the main tourist attractions of the area.
Pirates against Plastic
Captain Fanplastic is the awesome primary school programme teaching young children about plastic pollution in South Africa and the Netherlands. Funded by the government of Canada, the scheme encourages children aged 7-12 to refuse, reduce, reuse and repurpose, and aims to reach 175,000 kids around the world!
Plastic-free Living

Got a hot tip that we’ve missed? Share it with us on social media. We want to hear from you – what works and what couldn’t you do without? Check out our top tips for living with less plastic. Or, find out how to support our campaign.
Plastic-Free Eid
With Eid al-Fitr just around the corner, lots of us are considering ways to celebrate that don’t cost the earth.
Have you read these planet-protecting books?
Need some earth-kind inspiration for your bookshelf? Check out our top ten environmental books, chosen by our team.
Have yourself a merry plastic-free Christmas
The countdown to Christmas is on, so we at City to Sea have come up with our favourite tips so you can have a merry plastic-free Christmas.
Why Making Clothes from Plastic Bottles is a False Solution
We’ve teamed up with Changing Markets Foundation to unveil the latest greenwashing practices in fashion. Find out why making clothes from plastic bottles is a false solution.
The Environmental Cost of Fast Fashion
Fashion is one of the most polluting industries and has a HUGE problem with hidden plastic. Discover the environmental costs of fast fashion.
Plastic-Free Fashion
The fashion industry is well known to be one of the world’s most polluting industries, contributing to water, air and soil pollution. But did you know that the industry also has a HUGE plastic problem too? We’re here to help you navigate and choose Plastic-Free Fashion.