But the mess wasn't contained to the parking lot. (deep breath) I'm thankful that we have the 3 best helpers EVER. Just look at my kids... my oldest is using a littered beach bucket and filling it with cigarette butts (fyi... my kids picked up 469 cigarette butts on their own!!), my daughter following (she's the inspector), and my youngest... arms full. When he got to me he said, "Mom this one has coffee."
So... as we walked... I kept thinking to myself... "WHY???" I mean really... how can people come to the beach and leave it so trashed?? My son wonders the same thing. Here he is holding a plastic bag full of trash that he found under Johnnie Mercer's Pier. (The bag and it's contents were thrown away and are not included in the litter weight.)
And so... I can wonder "why" all day long... I want to cry thinking about it... and so I can keep thinking about the "why"... but the conclusion that I'm coming to is that the "why" people litter really isn't important. What's MORE important is giving people the reasons "why" they need to take care of the beach. Showing them the problem.
Here's a thought. There are fines in place for littering. Wrightsville Beach has a $500 fine for littering. Guess what?!? It's obviously NOT working. In order for a fine to work, it has to be enforced. It doesn't take a genius to notice that it's not being enforced. (But... I tell you what... people are quick to fill the parking meters for fear of getting a parking ticket... BECAUSE... parking at WB is enforced to the extreme!!!)
Another thought that I had while going through all of the litter is that litter fines are great and all... but they don't really teach anything of real value. What if there were people all over the beach catching litterers in action. No warning... they get a ticket and have to do community service. Litterers should be required to do a beach clean up... because then and only then will they understand the enormity of the problem. (I'd gladly volunteer to have the litterbugs come with us on our beach clean ups.)
Oh... I almost forgot. I (think) that I want to wear one of those sandwich signs. On one side, it would say something like "Take Your Trash With You" ... hmmm... "Love The Beach. Don't Litter." And on the other side it would say, "The Beach is NOT an Ashtray" or "Cigarette butts are litter, too." (I'm torn)
"Awareness is the first step to creating change in any situation, without it, there would be no desire for change."
20 minutes on May 22, 2011 at Access 15
Cigarette butts: 843
 |
| 14 aluminum cans, 3 plastic bags, 13 plastic bottles, 29 straws (12 from juice boxes), 24 plastic caps, 4 pairs of shoes... and a whole bunch of other plastic crap. |
Total amount of cigarette butts removed from Wrightsville Beach, NC in 68 days:
19,916
Hi Danielle!
ReplyDeleteWow, I am so impressed that you are thinking of using a sandwich board. That would definitely get people thinking. Maybe you could also get t-shirts for you and your husband and kids to wear when you're doing a clean-up. They could say the same thing as the sandwich board, and if they were all the same bright or bold color people's eyes would be drawn to them.
This weekend we climbed a mountain and there were signs everywhere at the base emphasizing that whatever you carry in, you need to carry out (i.e. you can't leave trash). On the whole climb I found one tiny piece of litter, which probably escaped someone by accident. There must be some way to make beachgoers as mindful as mountain climbers of taking care of their environment. After all, both groups are there to enjoy the beauty of nature.
Have you seen "The Cove?" It's pretty hard for an animal lover to watch it (it's about illegal dolphin slaughter in Japan). I was so mad that I was crying through much of it.
ReplyDeleteAnyhow, there's a great scene at the end of the film where the guy who spearheaded it all is walking through busy streets of Japan with a video monitor strapped to his chest showing horrific footage of the dolphin slaughter. It certainly got people's attention.
Perhaps you should strap one of those photos of a dead albatross with its body full of plastic to your chest. Maybe that would get a few people to wake up.
Danielle-
ReplyDeleteI'm having the same problem up here in the mountains, of penalties not being enforced. Maryland has heftier fines than you do, but they're not enforced at all. I'm trying to get my blog read locally by putting the web address in the local paper, and I plan to write letters & articles, too. I haven't read your older blogs, so don't know if you've tried that. I'm thinking we could all--all the trash picker-uppers all over the country/world--could have similar tee shirts & hats that say Anti-Litter League. If you google it, there's one in Ireland--very successful!
- Susan
Hey Ellen, EcoCatLady & Susan!!
ReplyDeleteIt's so hard to know what the right thing to do is... figuring out how to make people mindful starts beyond the beach (or the mountains). Though, awhile back I read an article about all of the trash left behind on Everest. So my thought is that it starts in the home. Think about this... if people don't take care of their homes or come from a trashy area.. they are not going to notice the trash because to them it's part of their environment. They become blind to it. :(
We did our 70th clean up tonight, and my husband confronted so many people telling them they needed to take their trash with them... their response: "That's not mine." (When clearly it was.)
I've thought about the shirts before... but get this... we come to the beach dressed "normal"... and people think we are there to clean up after them!!! As my kids walk by with their buckets (note: they are buckets from San Diego Wildlife Park)... they try to hand my kids their trash!! Maybe I need to get my kids shirts that say, "I'm not your maid, pick up your trash." (ooo... I think I'm liking that one!)
I loved The Cove... and the sight of him with that monitor walking into the IWC and in the middle of the street was so inspiring. It would be something to have all of the images of albatross, birds, sea turtles flashing across the screen. Hmmm...
I haven't written any articles. I've written letters to the editor, written the Board of Aldermen and have also presented what I'm doing (regarding cigarette butt litter). You can see one instance in my short film: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYWBIx0I6Bk I think any opportunity to let people know about what we're doing is so important...
Hmmm... thank you all so much for your comments.... my wheels are turning :) So much to think about....
Yes, I thought of that, about the tee shirts. They'd think we WERE their maids! I like your punchy slogans better. I would like some way to let them know I'm not doing manditory community service, as a punishment or as part of a road crew, especially along busy roads where I wear a reflective vest. BUT, I am really glad to know about you other folks out there with the same concerns & effort. We'll have to keep thinking of how best to publicize & educate.
ReplyDeleteI thought of doing what I saw on the Anti-Litter League website in Ireland, which is have a competition for the greenest local business: permiable parking lot, no plastic bags, recycle their cardboard cartons, no litter, etc. The reward is a sign they can put up & use for advertising. You could also do this for just litter-free school zones, businesses, neighborhoods,towns, etc.
One thing we have going for us is possibly getting free advertising & publicity due to the nature of our cause, like my getting a free pass to the landfill. There MAY be some advantage along those lines, to be part of a civic group. Under my name in my letter to the editor, I put Anti-Litter League, It takes ALL of us! So I'm a league of one! Ha ha!