Environmental Concerns for the Eco-Conscious Mer

[Moana.the.mermaid]

I use badger balm products all the time, Aziara. They are great for the environment.

much love, one love - Moana

[Miyu]

Sharpies aren't terrible, especially on items that they actually "set" into, but they're still made primarily of synthetic dyes that aren't intended to be used in wildlife water/ingested/etc.

I should also mention, I have some of that Tulip fabric paint, and some (glow-in-the-dark) got onto one of my pajama pants... And to this day, the one knee still glows! I've washed it lots, it seems to have gotten pretty set in there, so I would assume it's (relatively) safe for tails.

I looooove Badger products... Though last year I made my own sunblock and lotions as well

[Tiger Lily]

Ooh I use tulip paint too in some doll beds I do for my nieces for pretty edging. But would it make a fabric tail stiff where its applied?

[Miyu]

Not if you really "smush" it into the fibers, like you're trying to dye it, and wipe the top "layer" of paint off - like how most Tulip paints are meant to "sit on top" of the fabric and add texture? You don't want that. Act like you are trying to stain something with tomato sauce, LOL! My pajama knee got pretty much saturated with it, and I wiped off as I could, but the bits that got smushed down into the fibers are really not budging And they're still just as flexible and soft - I keep forgetting they got paint on them until I turn the lights out and it glows!

[Mermaid Menanna]

I just found this conversation and I think it's wonderful! Thank you for starting it!!!
A few things I'd like to contribute...
I admit I have not read every post in this thread yet, so forgive me if I repeat anything that has already been said.
In regards to touching the wildlife, I disagree a bit on what was said in the beginning of this thread. It is more about knowing what CAN be touched and HOW to do so safely rather than everything being completely hands off. The fish's slime coat is generated naturally and there are many things that naturally will affect it, interfere with it, etc. They also shed their slime coats regularly and regenerate new slime at a constant rate. It would take some rough handling to cause the kind of problem mentioned. I have been working, hands on, with fish for over 25 yrs and there are many species out there that seek out human interaction when they have the opportunity, and that includes rubbing against a person much like a cat would rub a person's leg or caress their face. There are safe ways for both person and animal to interact in a hands on manner (at lest with the animals that aren't toxic/dangerous) and I would love to help explain and teach this to anyone who is interested in learning.

I don't know if it was mentioned in another comment or not, so I'm just going to put this out here and see what everyone has to say about it. Have any of the mers gotten together in a conservation effort to literally clean up a body of water? By hand? One of my goals as soon as my tail is finished is to get out into my local waterways and clean them up! I am sickened at the many places I have gone swimming over the yrs only to find broken glass, plastic everything, and other trash littering our waterways. Once I am confident in the water with my new tail I am hoping to organize a local meet, maybe next summer sometime, and ask other mers to join me here to help clean up a chosen lake for a day or a weekend. Removing what is already out there is just as important as not adding to it. Our abilities underwater with tails give us an opportunity to really make this a huge advantage to our natural habitats. And how better to inspire the general public to get involved? I see so many efforts in the "adopt a highway" programs all over the country, but I have yet to see one that targets our waterways in the same fashion. There are also a lot of invasive species that could be collected and removed from these same waterways, such as zebra muscles and invasive plant species. I am hoping to get in touch with the local DNR and get them to work with this effort, support it, and offer guidance to anyone willing to get involved. My biggest desire/dream in becoming a mermaid is the amount of good I can do with that new ability/opportunity. IF I am able to turn my mermaiding into a professional situation I would like to expand on this cleanup effort in that way, too... the chances to get the information out there in that kind of format is something I see to be a huge effort in conservation. People need to be TAUGHT to care and there are so many ways to do that. I have always said, talk is cheap... it takes action and setting an example to really make the most difference.