Ocean literacy

Knowledge is about what you know about the coast and sea. Try learning a new ocean fact by checking out the Marine Conservation Society facts and stats page.

Awareness is your understanding of the challenges our coast and sea are facing. Try reading our page on climate change and how it affects the coast and sea

Attitude is how concerned you are with coast and sea related issues. Think about how much you care about issues relating to the coast and sea compared to other natural environments.

Behaviour is about your decisions and actions in relation to the coast and sea. Next time you’re in the shops, try to buy the products with less plastic packaging, if you can.

Activism is about doing things that bring about changes in policy, attitudes and behaviour. Consider learning who your local politicians are and look up what they say about your coast and sea.

Communication is about how you communicate with others and how you get your information about the coast and sea. Next time you see friends or family, try asking them if they’re interested in the sea, or share a fun ocean fact with them. You can find things to talk about by exploring some of our popular pages on jellyfish, weird and wonderful creatures or UK sharks.

Emotional connection is about how you feel when you think about or are near the coast and sea. Reflect on the coast and sea for a moment, what do you feel?

Access and experience are about how you use the coast and sea, and your experiences of these visits. If you’ve been to the coast and sea recently, think about what you did when you were there. If you haven’t been to the coast and sea recently, think about why you haven’t.

Adaptive capacity is about your ability to adjust to our changing coast and sea. Consider how you could adapt if your local coast and sea changed.

Trust and transparency are about how much you trust sources of information about the coast and sea. Check out the Marine Conservation Society beach clean data for a trustworthy source of marine data collected by volunteers.