Our Daily Ocean: Day 145

News Flash! Today was a record breaking day!  With a high temperature of 103˚F,  June 30, 2012 has broken the old daily record of 100˚F from way back in 1959!  (Umm... just to give you a base as to how HOT it was here compared to our "normal"... the average is 89!!)  Hot temps mean LOTS and LOTS of people heading to the beach to cool off in the ocean and enjoy the nice ocean breezes.... and that means lots and lots more litter.

Speaking of records... it reminds me to tell you that my friend Sara who writes The Daily Ocean reached a major milestone just the other day!  She did her 300th beach clean up!!  WOWZA!  To think that I met Sara on her 130th clean up, makes me SO happy and proud of her for not giving up on her goal!  365 non-consecutive beach clean ups is a goal not many would take on... but she did and she's so close to seeing this through!!  With 65 clean ups to go, Sara will complete her goal this year!  AWESOMENESS :)

So, if you haven't been following what Sara has been doing...  I encourage you to start now.  Get inspired.  Go check out her blog: The Daily Ocean.  "Like" her facebook page and follow her on twitter @thedailyocean  :)(And, of course, if you feel so inclined be sure to thank her for making such a big difference in our world.) 

20 minutes on June 30, 2012 at Access 16

Litter by weight: 4 lbs 11.5oz 
Cigarette butts: 305
Straws: 15

Total amount of cigarette butts removed from Wrightsville Beach, NC in 145 days: 

47,339

Our Daily Ocean: Day 144

For the past couple of weeks, I have had a hard time getting to the beach.  My schedule has been jam packed, so I've been slacking on beach clean ups.  BUT... good news: I think (emphasis on think) my schedule is going to be pretty mellow for the next month!  Since I haven't been out to the beach much, I've been relying on reading the WB Keep It Clean blog to find out the scoop on how the beach is looking (litter-wise) this summer.  Up until recently, the news has been that there is less litter this year.  BUT... that's all starting to change.

When I walked up to Access 16, the first thing that I noticed was the sign "This is litter too" was moved  directly to a main entry point at the access!!  I'm so happy about the sign being moved because the visibility is SO much better... and the receptacle on the pole is a really great idea!  I was seriously so excited about this simple move, that I immediately began thinking that I was definitely going to find a very low amount of cigarette butts on the beach... but as I walked just behind the sign, I started finding littered cigarette butts.  (such a bummer)

But, the signage move and new receptacle is a step in the right direction.  It's part of the effort to help eliminate the number one littered item on Wrightsville Beach.  On June 7, my family and I attended the WB special meeting where the Board of Alderman had one of two choices to make.  They could either: Vote the smoke-free beach ordinance into effect OR vote to put the ordinance on the November ballot.  Either way, the board was voting to move forward with the proposed smoke-free beach ordinance and it was very exciting to be there!  .... AND... if you haven't yet heard... the board voted to put the "Smoke-Free Beach Ordinance" on the November ballot!

I wonder how many cigarette butts will be added to our growing tally by then??  Hmmm....

"The need for change bulldozed a road down the center of my mind." ~Maya Angelou

20 minutes on June 25, 2012 at Access 16

Litter by weight: 2 lbs 13 oz

Cigarette butts: 410

Straws: 21

Total amount of cigarette butts removed from Wrightsville Beach, NC in 144 days: 

47,034

Our Daily Ocean: Day 143

World Oceans Day.  A day to celebrate and give thanks to our oceans for all they provide for us... which is a lot more than a nice view and good surf.  Yes, today I did a beach clean up.  How could I not?  But, that was just 20 minutes.  Most of my evening at the beach, I sat stretched out on the sand watching the waves roll in and my kids play in the surf... taking in the salt air and loving that I get to live where I live.

"I find myself at the extremity of a long beach.  How gladly does the spirit leap forth, and suddenly enlarge its sense of being to the full extent of the broad, blue, sunny deep!  A greeting and a homage to the Sea!  I descend over its margin, and dip my hand into the wave that meets me, and bathe my brow.  That far-resounding roar is the Ocean's voice of welcome.  His salt breath brings a blessing along with it."  ~Nathaniel Hawthorne

Good news on World Oceans Day... President Obama proclaimed June 2012 to be National Oceans Month.  He writes:  

"President John F. Kennedy once told us, "We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea -- whether it is to sail or to watch it -- we are going back from whence we came." During National Oceans Month, let us celebrate our heritage as a seafaring Nation by instilling an ethic of good ocean stewardship in all Americans."

"For in the end, we will conserve only what we love. We will love only what we understand. We will understand only what we are taught."  ~ Baba Dioum 20 minutes on June 8, 2012 at Access 39 Litter by weight: 15.5 Cigarette butts: 94 Straws: 5

Total amount of cigarette butts removed from Wrightsville Beach, NC in 143 days: 

45,624