Free Sunscreen Here

Family picnic, a day at the beach, golf outing, ballgame, you’re there, it’s hot, you’re roasting and you forgot to lather up in SPF50. Maybe you ran out of sunscreen. Maybe you just didn’t anticipate being out in the elements for an extended period. No matter, you are starting to burn and you feel it. Wouldn’t it be great to have a magic genie in a bottle show up with a bottle (of sunscreen)? I have often thought and written about the need for sunscreen dispensers similar to hand sanitizer stations found all over. It looks like others have, too.

I need sunscreen now!

Well, the genie seems to be out of the bottle. Through an award by the Maine Cancer Foundation, a group called Impact Melanoma is helping to provide sunscreen dispensers all over the state. Easily installed machines dispense 80 minutes of protective SPF30 sunscreen for free and are simple to access and use. Most recently Dedham Beach got one. The owner of the beach wanted to provide a fun and safe experience for beachgoers.

Community solutions to community issues

I LOVE THIS!!! But what about other places? What if you don’t enjoy the sand and surf at Dedham Beach, Maine? I recently came across a website called SUNSTATION,USA that may help. This site allows one to input a particular location and find a sun station in the community, which dispenses sunscreen free of charge. According to the site, “SUNSTATION USA is a weather resistant, touch-free, sunscreen dispenser, that provides the highest quality, Eco-friendly, all-natural SPF 30 broad spectrum sunscreen, conveniently located where you are.” The site also sells these dispensers and shows how they can be used in a variety of contexts.

Safety for everyone

I do love the idea of this for every community in our country. Parks, beaches, baseball diamonds, and golf courses could provide this product or something similar and show a real concern for those who enjoy these venues. Let’s face it. Many, if not most, of us do love the outdoors. I live in Buffalo, New York and the joke is “There are two seasons in Buffalo: winter, and the 4th of July.” The point is that many of us get a year’s worth of outdoor activity in a short of amount of time. Why not make it a safe experience when we come out of our hibernation? I know that I would feel better about hiking if there were sunscreen stations along the trails.

Practical ways to make a difference

I challenge you to reach out to community leaders with the idea of having a sun station-type dispenser where people gather and enjoy the great outdoors. This would not only help protect people from the immediate harmful effects of dangerous sun rays but would be a great visual reminder to practice good self-care (especially for children). I believe that gentle reminders do help change behaviors. I would even remind business owners of the great goodwill this engenders among paying customers and clients. It seems like a win-win for everyone.