Our G7 Voice - with Marazion School

In February 2021, Seaful founder Cal Major spoke to the children of Marazion school on Zoom.

The children had watched one of our Vitamin Sea TV films, about Cal’s stand up paddle boarding trip down the UK’s longest river, following plastic’s journey from source to sea, and they had a few questions they wanted to ask.

Cornwall has been chosen to host the G7 summit, and the children have been learning about how to find their G7 voice. One of the questions asked was:

“What more can we do to protect the ocean? We already run beach cleans.”

The answer comes in many parts.

Firstly, it’s important to point out that the responsibility for solving the issues our ocean faces does not come down to just the individual. It is really important that where we can our actions and decisions reflect our values, such as using less single-use plastic. But it is also really important to understand the power of our own voice.

Children in particular have big booming voices when it comes to environmental change. They are the next generation to live on this planet, the ones who will inherit the consequences of our mistakes, and will benefit from the bold positive choices we make today. Their voices matter. And politicians and businesses are beginning to understand this too.

Making your voice heard can begin with writing to your MP, to local and even national businesses, and telling your personal story.

We also discussed the wellbeing benefits of being by the water, and how to spend time there mindfully. We talked about how important it is to maintain that connection to the water, by prioritising time there, throughout the Covid pandemic, and how important it is to keep going to the water so that strong connection continues to motivate us to do everything in our power to protect our ocean. We recommended trying to introduce another person they knew to the beauty of the water, so that they too could benefit from it and learn about protecting it.

Marazion School is a shining example of passionate people protecting their local blue spaces. Marazion School was one of Surfers Against Sewage’s first plastic free schools, and they regularly run beach cleans to protect the local wildlife. Well done Marazion, and thank you for such an inspiring morning together!