Environmentally friendly - coral reef related

In my Toastmasters International class, I'm considering giving a short speech on our coral reefs and things we can do from our homes to help protect the environment including the coral reef.

What are some bullet points that I might want to mention?

Thanks for your input.

 

Amount of energy needed to produce a new aluminum can Vs recycle
The same above for glass and plastic too.

Take a gander at this. Plastic Oceans
Great Pacific Garbage Patch - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Using re-useable grocery bags Vs plastic or paper

Don't speed, keep car tuned up, tires properly inflated, etc

Use spray pumps Vs aerosolized products. (Vinegar & Water glass cleaner Vs aerosol glass cleaner).

 

First, congrats on joining Toastmasters. It's a great way to improve your communication skills.

If you're talking specifically about coral reefs in the speech, I'd recommend starting with a short synopsis of why they are important. They represent a critical component of the ocean's eco-system and food chain.

I'd also talk about things that are contributing to their demise. To name a few:

Global Warming - causing ocean temps to rise and creating areas that corals can no longer inhabit.

CO2 Build Up - Lowers the PH in the ocean. Creates dead zones. Makes it so organisms that rely on calcium can't utilize it as needed (e.g. corals can't grow, shelled creatures can't produce their shells).

Waste Run Off - This takes the form of pesticides, industrial waste, agricultural run off, etc. and poisons ocean eco-systems.

Dive Industry - I may catch some flack for saying this, but the dive industry in the US in general does a poor job protecting our reefs from the divers they take to them. I've seen reefs dramatically decay over the years due to an increase in dive traffic. It got so bad that I stopped diving in the US. Overseas this does not appear to be as much of a problem because dive boat operators are far more environmentally concious.

 

Thanks for the input guys, some very helpful info.

Rocketman, I think Toastmasters is an excellent way to improve your communication skills and public speaking skills. My speech tomorrow is about hobbies and how they change over time with maturity and responsibility. I was trying to find a way to incorporate 'reefin' in the speech but due to time constraints I wouldn't be able to do too much. Maybe someday soon I'll do a speach specificially on coral reefs and how they are impacted by our effects on the environment.