Our Daily Ocean: Day 113

On Thursday evening, my husband and I went to the Wrightsville Beach Town Hall to show our support for our friends that were presenting "Smoke-Free Wrightsville Beach" to the Board of Aldermen.  The purpose of the presentations was to request a public hearing to revisit banning smoking on the beach strand.  After what seemed like the longest process to vote on having a public hearing added to the agenda... (including a strong motion to not have it on the agenda... grr).... a public hearing to "BAN SMOKING" on Wrightsville Beach is on the agenda for March 8!!!  <--- Mark your calendars!!!!

As I would imagine everyone knows... I started this project specifically for this very reason.  I'm passionate about helping make Wrightsville Beach the first "Smoke-Free" beach in North Carolina!!  Solana Beach was the first in California... and now there are 38 other California municipalities that have followed suit.  Curious about California and other states that have banned smoking on their beaches??  Check out this list!!

Some may say, "Why ban smoking?  There's so much other litter on the beach."  Here's my take on it.  Sure, we find a lot of litter on the beach besides cigarette butts... BUT... and this is a big 'but'... as many times as we've been to the beach... we have never picked up more _________ than cigarette butts.  As we passed the 38,000 mark today, I can attest to the simple fact that in 113 clean ups we have not picked up 38k of anything else.  The most littered item worldwide... this is a problem that isn't being fixed by education or fines.  What is in place now (obviously) isn't working.  Yeah, I have 38k+ cigarette butts to back that up.

I am committed to contributing everything I can to this community.  I love Wrightsville Beach and I'm stoked to be part of an amazingly inspiring and motivating team that's passionate about protecting, cleaning up and enjoying our beach.  Big thanks to my friend Bonnie for joining my husband and me at the beach today!!

20 minutes on Janurary 14, 2012 at Access 16

Litter by weight: 10.1 oz
Cigarette butts: 484

Total amount of cigarette butts removed from Wrightsville Beach, NC in 113 days:

38,187