Normally we do our beach clean ups in the evening, but since we were at the beach to play it only made sense to spend 20 minutes picking up litter. One thing I learned about picking up litter at 2 in the afternoon is that the sand is crazy HOT!! Not wearing shoes, I tried my best to stay at the wrack line, but some plastic bags and food wrappers up in the dune grasses caught my attention... so I braved the burning hot sand!!! Completely unrelated to beach clean ups: I may have a future in walking on hot coals! ;)
While my feet were on fire, I picked up several sandwich bags/ziplocks. Here's the thing with plastics (especially bags and food wrappers): They blow. Even a person with the best of intentions to not litter, will end up littering... completely unintentional... it happens. But, it doesn't have to happen. All it takes is rethinking simple things and coming up with alternate solutions to things we commonly use.
While my feet were on fire, I picked up several sandwich bags/ziplocks. Here's the thing with plastics (especially bags and food wrappers): They blow. Even a person with the best of intentions to not litter, will end up littering... completely unintentional... it happens. But, it doesn't have to happen. All it takes is rethinking simple things and coming up with alternate solutions to things we commonly use.
Did you hear? Three of the largest plastic bag manufacturers are suing ChicoBag, a reusable bag company for "irreparably harming" their business. I, personally, think the lawsuit is completely ridiculous. And to be completely real about it.... if anyone deserves to be sued, it's those plastic bag manufacturers. Yes, I said it. ChicoBag isn't "irreparably harming" our environment and choking/suffocating/killing animals... the only thing ChicoBag has ever done was try to help create a solution to one of the most ridiculously wasteful products ever created... the plastic bag. Please take a moment to show your support for ChicoBag.
After I grabbed the (above) Harris Teeter plastic bag, my feet were on fire... so I ran to the ocean to cool my feet down. Perfect timing... 5 cigarette butts were being washed around in the incoming tide... :(
20 minutes on August 7, 2011 at Access 38
Cigarette butts: 242
Total amount of cigarette butts removed from Wrightsville Beach, NC in 84 days:
25,422
I will have to read about this law suit, it seems ridiculous.
ReplyDeleteThe ironic thing about plastic bags is that they are omnipresent so there is no need to take one to the beach to do a clean up, you can always count on finding one.
I recently collected trash from a tiny island in Croatia by filling up 7 plastic bags I found floating. Sadly I had to leave loads of trash behind for lack of time. I wish more people would be as crazy as we are ;o)
You're so right... it's almost always a guarantee to find a plastic bag. They're such a waste... and yes, the lawsuit is ridiculous.... especially since they're doing it in South Carolina (they don't have any anti-SLAPP law) is just another red flag to the ridiculousness of the lawsuit.
ReplyDeleteHave you checked out Two Hands Project on FB?? There are a lot of amazing people cleaning up our world ... it's really an inspiring page being able to see that other people are doing the same thing as us crazy people ;)
Plastics start as nurdles (pre-production plastic) and sadly, they end up in our oceans in that form. http://youtu.be/57_KdKrJKeM
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