You have probably heard about the massive British Petroleum deepwater horizon oil rig explosion and spill that took place in the Gulf of Mexico in April 2010. Reports vary, but some have estimated that more than £1 billion has been spent to rectify the situation, and there is still much to do and say before this disaster is finally over. The trend must have caught on. It's widely believed that sometime around the 15th of June, Egypt's own Red Sea witnessed a devastating oil spill from a rig in the Southern entrance of the Gulf of Suez in an area widely known as Geisum. Through the BP disaster, we've come to realize that marine ecosystems- including underwater life and others such as birds and reptiles that live on the shores of these coasts- could be tragically affected. Income generation from tourism is vital for the survival of coastal cities such as Hurghada and El-Gouna. The magnitude of marine pollution inflicted by the oil spill can severely determine the future of tourism in both the short and long term. This is one of the reasons the Hurghada Environmental Protection and Conservation Association (HEPCA) was at the forefront of this mayhem and has exerted extraneous efforts with the assistance of the community to clean up the badly affected beaches. This might be far from you because you've made plans to spend your summer in the North Coast or out of Egypt altogether. However, it is our national duty to assist the government as well as active NGOs and communities in limiting the harmful inflictions this disaster will pose on Egypt's economy and environment. The extent of damage to the marine ecosystems after the oil spill has yet to be documented. What happens has been well documented in the past though– courtesy of the Exxon Valdez tragedy in 1989, which some experts consider minor in comparison to the current Deepwater Horizon one. We can't afford to be helpless bystanders, so here are a couple of tips to get involved: 1- Help. If you're in the area, contact HEPCA, get the updates and go out to the beaches and start cleaning with them. 2- Drive less this summer. The oil is pumped from that rig to serve our fuel inefficient cars and driving – carpool, bike, use public transport and group your trips so you can reduce your over all car use. In the middle of the BP crisis, Bill Finch from The Nature Conservancy did an estimation back in May that a mere 9% reduction in national daily gasoline consumption (only 4.2 fewer miles of driving per person) would enable the U.S. to eliminate the need for offshore drilling. 3- Choose products with less packaging and/or in re-usable containers whenever possible. 4- Install a filter and stop using bottled water. 5- Limit your flights, and avoid long haul whenever possible. 6- Choose local food and lessen your food miles. 7- Choose organic fruits and vegetables (some fertilizers and pesticides are oil-based). It's not that difficult, but it does need you to make a decision to alter your lifestyle and align your needs with those of the environment and take into consideration the available resources. Eco Options Egypt
