Our Daily Ocean: Day 13

It's been awhile since I've done a 20 minute beach clean-up at Wrightsville Beach.  BUT... I have good news!!  While I was in California, my husband and three children decided to take it upon themselves to get over to Wrightsville Beach for a 20 minute beach clean-up.  YAY!!!  After lunch and ice cream (true I'm a bit jealous I missed out on ice cream) they cleaned up Access 29!!

The day before my family went out to Wrightsville Beach to pick up litter, I spent the day with my friend Sara of The Daily Ocean.  We visited some amazing fifth grader girls known as the "Peace Troop".  We watched the film "Bag It"!! If you haven't seen it yet... YOU NEED to... seriously, go rent it now!!

And speaking of films... today I opened one of the best emails EVER!!  Awhile ago, I entered my cigarette butt litter project in the Brita FilterForGood Film Project.  AND turns out that they like my project!!  I guess why wouldn't they... cigarette butts are NASTY!!!!  Here's the email I received... click the link and PLEASE VOTE for my project "Our Daily Ocean:  A Story of Butts"...

"CONGRATULATIONS!  You have been selected as a finalist in the FilterForGood Film Project.  We received more than 150 submissions, and YOURS was selected by alumni filmmakers of the Sundance Film Festival as one of the Top 15.  We really appreciate your entry and are excited that you’ve taken a step towards inspiring others to make a difference.

Now it’s time to vote!  The Facebook community will vote to determine the three winners who will win a VIP trip to the Sundance Film Festival and see the short film they inspired air on TV, so we encourage you to spread the word within your local community and social networks. 

Vote once per day from today to Friday, October 29 by visiting the Film Project tab on the Brita FilterForGood page or click here."

After watching "Bag It", Sara and I headed over to Ocean Park, Santa Monica to do a 20 minute clean-up with Mark Armen of The Bait Tank.  Sara has been telling me that I needed to meet Mark from the moment I started this project.  He's doing big things in California... capturing cigarette butts and saving fish with his Bait Tanks!!  In fact, his Bait Tanks are helping to reduce cigarette butt litter by 60% in the locations that they are currently installed!!!  Sounds like something we need here on our local beaches.  As Sara said so many months ago, "I'm on it!!!"

20 minutes on October 8, 2010

Litter picked up by weight: ??  (my husband didn't weigh them... it's cool.  He took the time to go out and I'm so happy he did!!)

Cigarette Butts: 403

Total amount of cigarette butts picked up off of Wrightsville Beach, NC in 13 days:

6,749