Our Daily Ocean: Day 115

There are some things that you just don't see when you look at beautiful pictures of the beach (or most photography for that matter).  Things are often cropped and cut out so that you only see what is beautiful.

I think about this fact a lot.... especially now that I've seen pictures of places... especially beaches that I once thought were pristine.

If anyone were to look at pictures of Wrightsville Beach on the internet (barring some of what I share, of course), they'd see a beautiful North Carolina Beach.  A place where families bring their children for a summer vacation, a place where surfers catch waves.... a place where amazing memories are created... a place of love.  All of that is Wrightsville Beach.  ....But Wrightsville Beach is also a place where we've picked up over 38,000 cigarette butts that had been put out in the WB sand.  It's a place where cigarette butts can be found in sandcastles and tide pools.  And, you obviously know that I have a problem with that.  I said from the beginning that I was going to help make Wrightsville Beach Smoke-Free... and I've committed myself to my community because I want to help make a difference.  BUT... here's the thing.  I can't do it alone.  I need YOUR help.  When we work TOGETHER to create change... anything is possible....

Support Smoke-Free Wrightsville Beach

Speaking of together and community... my awesome friend, Tracy, was a freaking rockstar beach sweeper last night!!  Seriously, she was digging through the wrack line finding all sorts of littered items from fishing lines with hooks to lots and lots of styrofoam (grr).  She even found this:

A cigarette filter that has a root... maybe a branch of some sort growing through it. We wonder how long it take for this to happen???  Hmmmm....

20 minutes on January 27, 2012 at Access 43

Litter by weight: 3 lbs 12.4 oz 
Cigarette butts: 217

Total amount of cigarette butts removed from Wrightsville Beach, NC in 115 days:

38,585