You might think that the majority of all oxygen is generated by forests and you’d be right. But in reality, the world’s largest forests are actually underwater. Coral bleaching (reef death) is wreaking havoc on reefs worldwide, which is really bad because up to 70% of the earth’s oxygen is produced by reefs and without oxygen we can’t exactly hold our breath and wait for a solution. One really big step you can take is opting for reef friendly sunscreen, a move that is even beginning to gain traction in legislation.

You may think to yourself, “uh, I never go to the ocean”, but the reality is that chemical sunscreens will make their way into the ocean or waterways (off your sundrenched body) anyways because they can’t be removed by any water treatment plants. So it is of utmost importance to choose sunscreens that contain non-nano zinc, which is a physical barrier sunscreen due to the slight white cast you sometimes see when applying (nano-zinc in some “clean” sunscreens can still hurt ocean life).

Chemical sunscreens easily go on clear because those chemicals leach into your skin to do the “protecting”. Toxic chemicals don’t belong in our bodies or in our water. When you choose reef friendly, you can live a life more free from toxic chemicals and guilt about what you’re putting in the environment, which in the end helps us all breathe a little easier.