Our Daily Ocean: Day 194

This time of year, the forecast is almost always 30% chance of rain.  Based on past experiences with the "30% chance of rain forecast" that usually means that it's not going to rain.  70% sunny, right?  Well, as we were driving to the beach Sunday afternoon the sky got super dark and... it rained.  A LOT and HEAVY. Hesitantly optimistic the rain would stay clear of the south end of Wrightsville Beach, we made our way to the sand... and guess what?!  No rain!  Not one drop!

But that doesn't mean we didn't get wet!  We played in the waves and at one point my husband took his surfboard out past the break and we all used it as our "base" as our kids snorkeled exploring the ocean floor.  When we were ready for a break, my kids and I took a walk down the beach.

Normally when we go to the beach, I have with me a designated beach cleanup bag.  But as we didn't take my car, I forgot and had to improvise and use a cloth bag that I brought our reusable water bottles in.  Speaking of reusable water bottles, in the 194 beach cleanups I've done... I've only ever found ONE reusable water bottle.  (a plastic camelback water bottle).  While I can't even begin to remember how many single-use plastic bottles, I've picked up in 194 clean ups... the awesome volunteers of WB Keep It Clean have picked up 197 this summer alone.

The average American consumes an average of 167 single-use bottles of water each year.  Add that to the other average Americans who do the same and it's somewhere in the 50 billion range.  OH MY PLASTIC!!  I am proud to say that our family is not contributing to that statistic.  I can't help but think that if that one person who left their single-use plastic water bottle on the beach had brought a reusable water bottle instead.  For starters, that plastic bottle wouldn't have been littered.  But besides that something else would have also happened-- others would have seen and learned.  (or felt a sense of reusable water bottle camaraderie ;) )  Everything we do matters.

20 minutes on August 4, 2013 at Access 40

Litter by weight: 10.2 oz
Cigarette butts: 94

Total amount of cigarette butts removed from Wrightsville Beach, NC in 194 days: 

55,449