Since the weather isn't really reflecting the spring season yet... brrrr.... the beach still isn't getting a lot of beach goers (yet). So at first glance, the beach didn't really seem to have much litter at all. Little bits here and there, but nothing really noticeable... that is... until we really started looking.
As always, the majority of everything we found was plastic. In fact, out of the over 2 and a half pounds of litter we picked up, nearly all of it went into the trash and only 2 things went into my recycle bin-- a glass bottle and a plastic water bottle. It's important for me to say: If there's something you want to do to make a difference in our world, I would like to suggest taking the time to pay attention to the products you buy. Make a conscious decision to try something different. Rethink and refuse plastics....
The truth of the matter is, no matter who we are or where we live we are connected to each other and we are inexplicably connected to the ocean. The ocean may be this vast expanse... and like outer space... it's really another world that deserves exploration. The more we learn about the ocean and how we impact it, the more we will take steps to protect it... starting with ourselves. Beach Chair Scientist has a fantastic blog on all things ocean from facts about sea potatoes to watersheds to inspiring people who making a difference for our oceans.
20 minutes on March 26, 2013 at Access 16
Litter by weight: 2 lbs 6.7 oz
Cigarette butts: 169
Total amount of cigarette butts removed from Wrightsville Beach, NC in 181 days:
54,764
Wow - amazing how much junk you're finding, even in winter before the summer season begins. How long a distance do you walk to pick up that much trash? (Your little girl is a sweetie - she looks nearly identical to my daughter at that age!)
ReplyDeleteI found another a website devoted to the marine debris/plastic pollution issue, called Marine Debris Solutions: http://www.marinedebrissolutions.com
It's not updated much, but has some info on beach cleanups that you might find interesting.
Happy to have found your blog, although it's a bit depressing and inspiring at the same time! People can be such litterbugs! Wonderful that you are personally addressing the problem and showing your kids how to make a difference.
ReplyDelete