Toxic Sunscreens: Protecting the Mesoamerican Reef - Indira Brooks
About Indira Brooks
Indira Brooks, the latest guest on the Wo(men) Mind the Water Artivist Series podcast, is a manager at Roatán Marine Park. The marine park is a non-profit dedicated to the protection of the Caribbean island located about 40 miles off the northern coast of Honduras. Indira’s work for the Roatán Marine Park involves working with people to protect coral reefs, mangroves and other marine species. Roatán’s coral reefs are second only in size to Australia's Great Barrier Reef. Indira is currently working with others to institute an island-wide ban of sunscreens containing petrochemicals. Coral bleaching and deformity in the development of fish are attributable to the petrochemicals in sunscreen.
Roatán’s Sunscreen Ban Initiative and the Future of Coral Reefs
Indira talks about growing up on the Caribbean Island of Roatán. While the island is surrounded by a rich marine ecosystem, some residents on the island are unfamiliar with this productive ecosystem. Some residents still struggle for access to water, clean water and sanitation. Before assuming her job at Roatán Marine Park, a job that involves working with people to protect coral reefs, mangroves and other marine species, Indira left the island to attend college on the mainland. In her work, Indira works both with islanders and the many tourists who arrive, mostly by cruise ship, on an annual basis. One of the latest initiatives that Indira is working on is a ban of sunscreens containing petrochemicals. Coral bleaching and deformity in the development of fish are just a few of the negative outcomes attributable to the petrochemicals in sunscreen.
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00:00:00 Pam Ferris-Olson
Today on the Wo(men) Mind the Water Artivist Series podcast on womenmindthewater.com, I'm speaking with Indira Brooks, a native of Roatán. Roatán is an island in the Caribbean about 40 miles off the northern coast of Honduras. Indira is the social environmental program manager at the Roatán Marine Park. Indira works to protect the island's marine resources.
00:00:26 Pam Ferris-Olson
The Wo(men) Mind the Water Artivist Series podcast on womenmindthewater.com engages artists in conversation about their work and explores their connection with the oceans. Through their stories Wo(men) Mind the Water hopes to inspire and encourage action to protect the ocean and her creatures.
00:00:46 Pam Ferris-Olson
I'm speaking with Indira Brooks. Indira’s focus at university was audiovisual communication. After graduation and returning to Roatán her Caribbean island, Indira’s focus has been the conservation of marine ecosystems. Indira works for Roatán Marine Park, a non-profit dedicated to protecting coral reefs, mangroves and other marine species. Indira is currently working on an island-wide ban of sunscreens containing petrochemicals. These sunscreens harm Roatán’s coral reefs, which are second only in size to Australia's Great Barrier Reef.
00:01:29 Pam Ferris-Olson
Indira I am pleased to welcome you to the Wo(men) Mind the Water Artivist Series podcast. I'd like to talk about Roatán and the work you do to protect its marine resources. You know, I knew nothing about Roatán until Vicky Nichols Goldstein, a past guest on the Wo(men) Mind the Water Artivist Series podcast suggested I talk with you. Vicki who's the founder of the Inland Ocean Coalition, which interestingly enough is based in Colorado, is working with you and others on the sunscreen ban. We will talk about that ban later in the podcast. But before we do, let's learn something about you and Roatán.
00:02:11 Pam Ferris-Olson
In preparing for this podcast, I discovered that Roatán is an island in the Caribbean near the northeastern coast of Honduras. Roatán is approximately 40 miles long and three miles wide, and yet it is home to the largest Barrier Reef in the northern hemisphere. Because of its natural resources and tropical temperatures, Roatán is a popular destination for cruise ships with more than 100 that arrive in port annually. Indira, give us a more personal view of life on Roatán. How has the Caribbean shaped your world view?
00:02:52 Indira Brooks
Hi Pam. Well, thanks for having me. Honestly, it's an honor to be featured on this amazing platform where so many women have came and told their stories and have shared what they're working on. So to get ready to talk about a bit about the life on the island an island in the Caribbean. Honestly, I like thinking it as being the best of both worlds. So on one hand you have home, friendly, family life where practically everyone knows everyone. Small communities that are close knit, some really more traditional than others. And, with an incredible local cuisine that is to die for. But on the other hand we also a terrific destination. We have a lot of tourists and visitors that come in and some stay and they become a part of the culture and they also bring a lot of different aspects and elements that come to add a different twist to it.
00:03:56 Pam Ferris-Olson
So when you were a youngster, what impact did the presence of the Caribbean have on your lessons? For example, did your school take field trips to the water's edge? And what did you do there?
00:03:58 Indira Brooks
It's funny Pam because you would actually think so, but it's quite honestly, it's not quite common for us, at least growing up, to be able to even talk about some of these topics. For example. I remember that when I was in school that we would learn, of course, about scientific topics in our science class, but like the basic stuff. But even though we're in an island surrounded by these amazing marine ecosystems such as mangoes, sea glass, coral reefs, we never learned much about them. Some of the kids really don't even get into contact with these ecosystems until they're maybe over 18, because they might live far away from the beach or they might not have access to be able to buy a mask and things to be able to snorkel.
00:05:17 Indira Brooks
For example. even just because it's for some communities that are a bit more traditional, they have seen the ocean or the sea like something that they are very respectful of. So if they're going, when they go to the beach, they're just gonna get in the water, maybe 15-20 minutes. Then they're gonna come out and they're just going to be at the shore. They're never really experience or get come into contact with that underwater world that is so amazing. And like everything in your life or everything in the world, if you really don't get to know it, come into contact with it, you can't love it. You can't fall in love with it. And if you don't fall in love with it, it's hard to really understand it and be able to be aware of what it needs and why it's important for so be protected.
00:05:57 Indira Brooks
I like to think about it like a chain. It's all connected. Once we take those kids, for example here at Marine Park, and part of our education program we do, for example, field trips to plant mangroves or to what we call our underwater boat, where the kids can go in and they see the reef from inside the boat. And some kids were amazed. They've been living here their entire life and they've never seen something like that. And it's funny because you go and you tell this to or share stories with people on the mainland and they're always like: ‘This is funny.’ Like, they don't understand. How can this be possible? You have in the sea, you have access to the ocean
And not really coming into contact with it, but it's something that happens and that's why.
awareness and education programs, not only for us as NGOs, but also finding a way to integrate this information into the national curriculum is so important.
00:07:06 Pam Ferris-Olson
I think that perspective is really important to everyone because you can live very close to the sea and not know it or appreciate it. Do when you're inland, like in Colorado, how can you expect that anybody would care because it's so far away? And yet, you can live so close and not know it.
So growing up, what sort of ecological issues do you remember residents being concerned with?
00:07:35 Indira Brooks
So that's a pretty good question because where I am right now, in the position and the environment that I'm working with, we hear a lot about these big worldwide issues: climate change, ocean acidification, and all these different topics. But when you go into the communities and when I go back to my home and my house, I might talk to my neighbors and remember all these topics that the communities are really facing. Simple problems and topics, for example, waste management, water and sanitation, things that for others might be so basic. There are things that we consider so critical and still up to today we still have these issues. The community.
Yeah, it's really sad when you communities and some don't have this proper system.
Of course, the local government has been working in the last few years hard to tackle these issues. But it's still a constant struggle because there's just so much to be done.
00:08:50 Indira Brooks
And as we move on and more people move to the island and the number of residents increase it just increases the work load. But yeah, I think the two major issues would have to be when it comes to the local communities and the ones I remember growing up. Would be waste management and modern sanitation? The basic needs.
00:09:14 Pam Ferris-Olson
I understand that. So given all the issues, like the infrastructure and water and sanitation, what led to the decision to focus on petrochemicals sunscreens or sunscreens with petrochemicals in them?
00:09:29 Indira Brooks
It's actually funny because when it comes up like the chemical sunscreens. It's actually one of the ways that we can empower people to be able to make a difference in a small action. Water, sanitation, waste management, honestly these are more complex issues, but just telling a person to make that conscious decision of not buying this sunscreen or wearing this sunscreen or this other brand or type or using alternative methods instead of using sunscreen. If that person and group of people can take that decision and change their behavior, we can all create an impact in the ocean in our ecosystems.
00:10:22 Indira Brooks
And it's also something that is in our hands and it's not that macro as waste management or water sanitation that you need like millions and millions of dollars each year to be able to solve this issue. This is something that is fairly cheap and also something that can have a big impact.
And literally the decision or the impact is in your hands or that of a resident or a visitor. Using a local sunscreen, you looking or going over the ingredients and being a conscious consumer is so important. This is something specifically to petrochemical sunscreen that can have a high or big impact on our reef.
00:11:18 Pam Ferris-Olson
How much impact is the ban likely to have on Roatán’s marine environment? Aren't there other issues that have a greater impact on the environment?
00:11:27 Indira Brooks
So on a daily basis, we have on average more than 87,000 liters of petrochemical sunscreen going into our reef.
00:11:37 Pam Ferris-Olson
Wow!
00:11:38 Indira Brooks
Exactly, it's a lot. And if this sunscreen contain chemicals that are harming the DNA of our corals that are also helping to cause coral bleaching and also deforming the development of fish and larvae and different issues with our reef. So if we can take those 87,000, a daily average of chemicals going into reef, and improve water quality, that would be amazing.
00:12:17 Pam Ferris-Olson
That is truly breathtaking, that statistic.
00:12:21 Indira Brooks
It's really an incredible number. And that's why we think this topic is so important. No one thought it was sunscreen. And we're not only talking about sunscreen. There are a lot of other products like conditioners, creams that people normally put on when they go to the beach. But it's not only when you're going to the beach. It's even if you're at home and you're taking a bath. Because some of these water ends up in the reef. It’s a bit by bit adding and also from each place where we're at. Being able to take a bit out of what's harming the reef to be able to help it.
00:13:07 Pam Ferris-Olson
What obstacles will there be in achieving compliance? Do you think locals are ready to comply?
What about all the tourists that come by boat and plane.
00:13:19 Indira Brooks
So when it comes specifically to compliance from locals is actually something tricky because locals here on the island don't actually use that much sunscreen. Like maybe I would say, it's this new young generation that are more like aware or conscious. But in everyone like over 25 or over 30, really doesn't use much sun sunscreen. So it's mostly targeted. The difficulty is going to be making sure that the visitors and the tourists do comply.
00:13:54 Indira Brooks
And the idea within the ban is to be able to ban the sale here on the island. So you're not going to be able to find any sunscreen that contains petrochemicals. But they will need bans that will be able to manage the ones that are being brought on to the island with the tourists. So if they come and they bring their own sunscreens, We're still working on how we're going to deal with that.
But I think it's a great starting point for people to be able to first prohibit this sale on the island and make sure that the stores and everyone within the tourist industry understand why this is important and no one should have this in their gift shop or at the supermarket or at the gas station at any of these types of products should be sold.
00:14:43 Pam Ferris-Olson
So, given the immensity of the work that goes into protecting Roatán’s marine resources, what gives you hope? What keeps you positive and moving? I know you said that a lot of negativity because of the immensity of getting clean water and sanitation, but for you to keep going and smile and laugh and take on this immense issue of starting a sunscreen ban, what gives you hope?
00:15:20 Indira Brooks
I think for me personally, it's just knowing that it is work that has to be done. We have to keep going. We guess we have this responsibility because we have been so fortunate to be able to, at least for me, to be able to bond and be a part of this community. And this is my island, I have a responsibility to work towards protecting it. I have been given this gift. So if I'm not able to sacrifice a bit of me to get the work done, who else would be willing to do it?
00:15:59 Indira Brooks
It's just thinking, I guess on the greater good and knowing that even though we are in difficult times, for example, right now we're seeing a wave of coral bleaching. It's just kind of depressing sometimes because you work year long, for example, monitoring the coral spawning and doing different coral restoration efforts and it just depends. Due to no fault of our own, [sigh of frustration]. Sometimes you feel like all this effort is being wasted, but at the end of the day it's work that has to be done. It's work that is needed, and if we're not doing it who is going to do it? If we don't stand up and work to ensure that the future generations still have, even if the smallest chance of seeing the reef as it is today, then who else is going to do it?
00:17:02 Pam Ferris-Olson
Well, I cannot imagine the frustration and the pain. And yet, as you say, if you don't try and do it now, it's all lost. You gotta keep in there Indira, you really do.
00:17:18 Indira Brooks
Sometimes it feels like an uphill battle, or that you're going against the current, but you just have to continue. Just have to keep on because it's important and you're really making a difference.
And something that really motivates me is when I come into contact with kids.
00:17:38 Indira Brooks
I try to be involved with another facility where there are children because like you're explaining to them or talking to them about the corals and their faces just light up and you're just having or seeing that positive impact in their faces. That gives me more hope and more energy and positive vibes to be able to continue.
00:18:01 Pam Ferris-Olson
So what advice do you have for listeners who are working to make others see the importance of protecting marine resources?
00:18:10 Indira Brooks
I think in first place you have to believe it. And, if you're not really committed for the cause. If you're not really doing it for the right reasons. If you're not drinking the message your selling, it really is difficult to be able to create or move these people that you're talking to or working with towards the action that you want them to do. So it starts from within you as a person, being fully committed to the cause.
00:18:41 Pam Ferris-Olson
Indira, I'm really glad that you joined me on this episode of the Wo(men) Mind the Water Artivist Series podcast. I enjoyed learning something about Roatán and the work you are doing to conserve the island's natural resources.
00:18:57 Indira Brooks
Thank you for having me, Pam. It's been a pleasure to be able to be and share a bit of what we're doing here. I want to invite listeners to visit our website at roatanmarinepark.org and also on social media. And even though we weren't able to cover everything that we do, listeners can find more by subscribing to our mailing list.
00:19:26 Pam Ferris-Olson
Very good. I will also put the link up on the Wo(men) Mind the Water website. If you couldn't get it down when Indira was saying it, we will have it there for you to be able to come back to and review.
I'd like to remind listeners that I've been speaking with Indira Brook who works to protect the marine resources of the second largest reef system in the world. Indira's the latest guest on the Wo(men) Mind the Water Artivist Series podcast.
Our next guest will be Jada Alexander, who uses ocean-based activities to promote mental and emotional well-being. You can learn more about our next guest daybreakbeachclub.com.
The Wo(men) Mind the Water Series podcast can be viewed on womenmindthewater.com, Museum on Main Street and YouTube. And audio-only version of this podcast is available on Wo(men) Mind the Water dot com, on iTunes, and Spotify. Wo(men) Mind the Water is grateful to Jaine Rice for the use of her song Women of Water. All rights for the Wo(men) Mind the Water name and logo belong to Pam Ferris-Olson. This is Pam Ferris-Olson.
