Today is World Seabird Day, a day that serves as a sharp reminder to all of us to think about our impact and effect on wildlife. In the UK and across the world we are witnessing a staggering decline in our seabird population. The Atlantic puffin has plummeted in numbers, leading the species being declared vulnerable to global extinction, whilst the numbers of fulmars, guillemots and razorbills have dropped by between 50 and 70 per cent between 1999 and 2015. Kittiwakes, small migratory gulls, have declined by nearly 90 per cent, and are now said to be “heading for extinction”. For over 60 million years, seabirds have survived everything that our planet can throw at them. But in just the last sixty years we have lost 70% of our seabird population. To put that in perspective, that represents about 230 million animals. It’s an absolutely staggering amount. Whilst there are other factors at work, including environmental pressures of sea warming and food loss, there is no denying that plastic is playing a huge part in the loss of our wildlife. I recently read an article in National Geographic that stated plastic trash is found in 90% of seabirds. It includes bags, bottle caps, and you guessed it, the plastic straw. In this day and age, it can seem overwhelming to try and be ‘plastic-free’. But each and every one of us can do our part, and the less we use, the less will end up in our oceans and ultimately harm our wildlife. Nearly 7,000 of you have supported this campaign. That’s 7,000 less plastic straws ending up in our waterways every time we have a drink. Think about that for a second, that’s huge! Today I just wanted to say thank you to each and every one of you who has signed and shared this petition. We’ve had some incredible support for this campaign so far and I have several meetings coming up with journalists, celebrities and organisations who are enthusiastic to support us and raise awareness. There’s no reason why this can’t be a reality one day and it wouldn’t be at all possible without all of you. So thank you so, so much, and happy world seabird day! If anyone is interested in finding out more, below are a few articles along with a fantastic blog about how you can reduce your use of plastic: How straws affect wildlife: https://blog.ukonserve.com/2016/09/23/straws-enviornment/ How plastic affects birds: https://www.bird-rescue.org/our-work/research-and-education/how-plastics-affect-birds.aspx Certain seabirds found to be ‘attracted’ to eating plastic https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/nov/09/seabirds-eat-floating-plastic-debris-because-it-smells-like-food-study-finds-algae-sulfur 8 bits of plastic you can quit right now: http://www.sarahwilson.com/2016/09/8-bits-of-plastic-you-can-quit-right-now/