Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Our Daily Ocean: Day 99

Sunday evening, my family and I met our friends Bonnie, Ginger and John at the beach to do a little... ok... a BIG litter awareness art project in the sand with (almost) all of the litter that Ginger and John picked up on their morning turtle walks at Wrightsville Beach.  It took us a few trips up the steps to Johnnie Mercer's Pier and a good hour before we figured out exactly how it should be.  As we made adjustments and discussed how we could make it better, we watched as people walked by and slowed down... it definitely grabbed the attention of beach goers that passed by, which was super exciting because bringing awareness to a problem is the first step to changing a problem.
Speaking of art.  Bonnie is having an art exhibit that will run from September 22- October 27 at UNCW's Boseman Gallery.  Since I've seen a bit of what Bonnie has created...I'm super excited to see it all come together!!  So, if you're in Wilmington (or nearby) mark your calendars.


Just in today:  The lawsuit that was brought on ChicoBag by plastic bag giants has been settled!!  WOOT!  Such great news!  Plastic bags blow!! We picked up 2 plastic bags on the beach on Sunday evening AND Sunday morning my husband picked up several plastic bags in the water as he was SUPing two of our kids around Wrightsville Beach.  Every time I'm able to snap a photo of a plastic bag in the environment, I add it to Surfrider Foundation Cape Fear Chapter's photos on Facebook, if you catch a plastic bag in "action" snap a photo, grab it... then post your photo!

Saturday, September 24th is NC BIG SWEEP!!  Volunteers are needed, so come on out and help clean up our beaches and waterways!

Please come prepared to be outdoors: wear sunscreen, sturdy closed toe shoes and clothes that can get dirty.  Help us reduce the amount of waste at the event by bringing your own reusable water bottle and gloves if you have them."


20 minutes on September 11, 2011 at Access 16

Litter by weight: 6 lbs 10. 8 oz
Cigarette butts: 759
Total amount of cigarette butts removed from Wrightsville Beach, NC in 99 days: 
34,941
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2 comments:

  1. theplasticocean.blogspot.comSeptember 14, 2011 at 2:30 AM

    Danielle, your images are so crystal clear as are your thoughts on the issue of plastic and cigarette butts in the marine environment. Oh wait, that was redundant because cigarette butts are a form of plastic.

    Thank you for your commitment and I will end by quoting "Waste Land" again. "People say what is one can, I say 99 does not make 100 so one can recycled is very important." How fitting for day 99 and yes every one of your posts are important too.

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  2. RESCUESeptember 14, 2011 at 8:09 AM

    Thank you Danielle and Bonnie for a great clean up. It was fun to play with art in the sand. Sometimes, it can be so overwhelming to do clean ups and I often wonder if I am really making a difference or just spinning my wheels. Getting together with like minds has really re-charged me.

    I was given a card with this Mother Teresa quote: "We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the Ocean. But the Ocean would be less because of the missing drop."

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