Our Daily Ocean: Day 207

Plastic.  It's the most ubiquitous type of litter that I find.   It doesn't matter if I pick up 10 pounds or less than an ounce of litter... plastic is always there.  From wrappers, to cigarette butts to wine corks and on... plastic is the number one thing I find over and over again.

In the early stages of doing consistent beach cleanups, it was this reality that pulled at me to create personal changes to use less plastic.  Starting then and continuing to my now... I continually ask myself 

"How can I be part of the solution?  How can I contribute and help solve this problem?"

One of the best ways I have found that I can contribute is by living by example.  Making changes to live using less plastics and in turn showing others what is possible.  Not long ago, my friend Beth and plastic-free hero asked me to write a post for her blog My Plastic-Free Life on how I ask for what I want.  Take a peak inside my refrigerator and pantry... and read how I speak up to use less plastic here: 

Advice from Danielle-- How to Ask for What You Want 

20 minutes on October 4, 2013 at Access 25

Litter by weight: .7oz

Cigarette butts: 15

Total amount of cigarette butts removed from Wrightsville Beach, NC in 207 days:

56,067

Our Daily Ocean: Day 180

Well... it's been another long stretch between clean ups... again.  On some level, I used to feel guilty for not doing a beach cleanup at least once a week.  But as I'm committed to doing 365 non-consecutive beach cleanups at Wrightsville Beach... I know that sometimes long stretches between cleanups are going to happen... and it's ok.

I also know that sometimes I need a little motivation to get me back on the beach.  And there's no better motivation than sharing what I do with others.  On Monday, Beth Terry of My Plastic-Free Life joined me at the south end of Wrightsville Beach for a 20 minute beach clean up before our Living Plastic-Free Presentation at UNCW!  

Beth is a fantastic example of what one person can do to be a positive force for change.  She's living a life with less a lot less plastic to show what is possible.... and I'm continually inspired by her. Let me get this out there: I love Beth because she leads by example, is super encouraging and never judges.  Yup, she's my plastic-free hero that helps motivate me to do more!

During our 20 minutes, Beth and I stepped on sand spurs, picked up mostly plastics and chatted with the WB Park Ranger.  We got to talking about Kehoe Beach (in Northern California) and the amount of plastics that wash in makes it impossible to truly "clean" the beach. If you're unfamiliar with Kehoe Beach, it's worth watching this video:

Anytime I am reminded of beaches where plastics are washing in from other places... I am also reminded that Wrightsville Beach is not suffering that same fate (yet).  What we find at Wrightsville Beach is local.  What's great about that is that WE can fix that locally.  Two things I do to help are: change my personal shopping habits and beach cleanups.

Remember: 

Solutions to global problems start at the local level.  

20 minutes on March 11, 2013 at Access 43

Litter by weight: 10.7 oz
Cigarette butts: 180

Total amount of cigarette butts removed from Wrightsville Beach, NC in 180 days:

54,595

Plastic-Free Presentations in Greensboro & Wilmington, NC

For the past several years, I have been striving to reduce the amount of plastic that my family uses, recycles and throws away.  It's something that I was motivated to do after reading the article "Our Oceans are Turning Into Plastic... Are We?".  And then once I began doing consistent beach clean ups and documenting the (mostly plastic) litter I found on my local beach, my commitment to eliminating plastics strengthened even more.  I've been sharing bits of what I do to reduce our plastic usage and this week, I will be sharing my story and personal tips to using less plastic at two different presentations-- Greensboro & Wilmington, NC-- with author Beth Terry and plastic researcher Bonnie Monteleone!

About the presentations:

Author Beth Terry will share her journey from self-confessed plastic addict to empowered plastic-free activist and explain why we can't just recycle our way out of this mess.  She'll be joined by Wilmington mom Danielle Richardet, whose own quest to live a more plastic-free life led her to become involved in a successful campaign to keep cigarette butts off her local beach.  Danielle will tell her story and share tips on ways to get kids involved in reducing plastic use.  Special guest Bonnie Monteleone will briefly share her findings and experiences from traveling nearly 10,000 nm collecting over 200 ocean surface samples looking for plastics in four oceans.  With scientists and activists, her research looks at plastics floating in some of the most remote regions in the world and why it matters.  Beth Terry's book, Plastic-Free: How I Kicked the Plastic Habit and How You Can Too will be available for purchase and signing at the end of the event.

Ready to learn what one person can do to be part of the solution?  Join us!

March 9: Greensboro, NC at Kathleen Clay Library from 10am - noon 

March 11: Wilmington, NC at UNCW Lumina Theater from 7-9pm

Also, the opening reception for Bonnie's art exhibit What Goes Around, Comes Around is on March 8 from 7-8 at Guilford College in Greensboro.  I saw Bonnie's exhibit back in 2011, and was completely in awe of what she created.  Read more here.

Plastic-Free: Kick the Plastic Habit

It all started about 5 years ago, when a friend of mine told me about this thing called the "Great Pacific Garbage Patch."  Great Pacific what?  Plastic ocean?!?  Curiosity took over and I began googling and read my first article about plastics-- "Our Oceans Are Turning to Plastic, Are We?"  Reading that article along with seeing the countless images of animals negatively impacted by our plastic waste set me off on the beginning of a long journey to reducing my plastic waste-- day by day or sometimes more like month by month... I worked on reducing the amount of plastic that I used.  But it wasn't something I could do alone... ok, well... maybe I could... but as I started moving past simple things like not buying bottled water, I often became stumped and had to start researching.  That's when I came across Beth Terry's blog now known as My Plastic-Free Life.  Turns out Beth had read that exact same article and just like that she "woke up to plastic."

Now years later, I'm still not done reducing my plastic-waste and I'm still not done learning "why" we should all take steps to reduce the amount of plastic we buy, use, recycle and throw away.  But, as much as I've learned over the years, to be honest... I still need reminders.  You see, I'm the type of person that when I learn something, it sticks with me... BUT... while I don't forget... I do often let the details slip my mind.  Sometimes-- especially with plastics-- when I let the details slip, I find that I'm not as strong with my commitments.  Which leads me to Beth's new book: PLASTIC FREE: How I Kicked the Plastic Habit and How You Can Too.  

Before 2007, Beth was addicted to plastic (well, not knowingly anyway)... then that one day when she read "Our Oceans Are Turning to Plastic, Are We?" and saw a picture of decomposed Laysan albatross chick.... the reality of her plastic filled lifestyle and the consequences it had began to set in...

Photo Credit: Chris Jordan

First she was heartbroken and sad.  Then she got mad and wondered why no one was doing anything about this??  Knowing full and well that she couldn't personally go out into the middle of the oceans and clean up the plastic mess... she made the connection and realized there was one thing that she could do.  She could start with herself.  She remembered that her actions make a difference and personal changes really do matter.  In Plastic-Free, Beth discusses 9 reasons why our personal changes matter and here's one of my favorite reasons why:

 By letting others see our personal changes, we set an example of a different way to be.

It's true.  By going out into the world and doing what we do-- whether it's picking up litter, taking our own bags to the store, carrying a reusable water bottle, saying "no thank you" to single-use items like straws or having the courage to use our voices for change-- we share with others what's possible.  

But back to the details.  Sure we know there are problems with plastic...and when we start reusing, reducing and refusing it... others want to know why.  No, I'm not allergic to plastic.  But the reasons I choose to refuse and reduce the amount of plastic our family uses is summed up quite nicely in Plastic-Free: How I Kicked the Plastic Habit and How You can Too.  Of course, Beth goes into really great detail in her book Plastic-Free, but here's the gist of why we should start and/or continue efforts to reduce the amount of plastic we all use:

1. Plastic is Made from Fossil Sources
2. Plastic Contains Toxic Chemicals (cough BPA, Lead & Cadmium, Toxic Flame Retardants)
3. Plastic Manufacturing Plants Harm Workers and Pollute Communities
4. Plastic is NOT Biodegradable
5. Plastic Pollutes the Ocean, Harming Both Wildlife and Humans
6. Plastic Pollution Doesn't Just Come from "Litter Bugs"  (nope, sure doesn't)
7. Plastic Recycling Doesn't Close the Loop  (it's actually downcycling)

So what are we waiting for? Let's start a plastic-free revolution.  Let's imagine a world free of plastic pollution and create that world.  We can do it.

...and Plastic-Free: How I Kicked the Plastic Habit and How You Can Too by Beth Terry is the perfect tool to start your journey to a life with less plastic.  To learn more about Beth's book, the praise it has received and how to buy her book, please go here.

"Change will not come if we wait for some other person or if we wait for some other time.  We are the change that we seek." 

~Barack Obama

Our Daily Ocean: Day 151

On Sunday evening, my family and I took a picnic dinner and all of our boogie boards to the beach.  We weren't playing in the water long when we started to hear thunder and flashes of lightening.  Although the rain cell was on the north end of the beach, we heeded the warning of the thunder and steered clear of the water until it all passed.

With the impending weather, many people packed up and left the beach... others like us stayed knowing that the southeastern winds would keep pushing the storm to the north.  Another thing that wind did was blow a lot of straws off of Oceanic's dining pier.  We picked up 34 plastic straws and 31 of those straws came from Oceanic. (the other 3 were from McDonald's and a juice box)  Yikes.  I'll be contacting Oceanic again and hope that we can come up with some kind of solution to help keep straws from blowing from the pier and also save Oceanic some $$.  A side-note to that: I'd personally love to see Oceanic start making changes and become part of the Green Restaurant Association.

When I saw that Starbucks coffee lid stopper (yes, I had to google what the heck that thing was!), I immediately thought about the post over on My Plastic-free Life about all of the trash Starbucks creates.  A Starbucks employee wrote Beth hoping to get some help because what she's witnessing is completely unnecessary and ridiculous.  Read the post here: Starbucks Trash: Behind the Scenes  If you'd like to get involved in a social media flash mob to Starbucks, you can learn more about that here: Flash Mob: Starbucks

In 3 weeks (August 14), the Town of Carolina Beach will vote on a proposed smoke-free beach ordinance.  If the council decides to vote in the smoke-free beach ordinance, Carolina Beach will become the first smoke-free beach in North Carolina.  If you support smoke-free beaches, please take take action by sending the council a letter using this Surfrider Action Alert:

Support Smoke-Free Carolina Beach

20 minutes on July 22, 2012 at Access 36

Litter by weight: 1 lb 9 oz

Cigarette butts: 123

Straws: 34

Total amount of cigarette butts removed from Wrightsville Beach, NC in 151 days:

48,352

More Than Resolutions Revisited

Last year--as 2010 ended and 2011 began-- I began thinking about what I wanted to commit myself to for the year.  You see... 2010 was absolutely ah-mazing.  I had won the FilterForGood Film Project and began to "see" exactly what I was supposed to be doing.  I wanted 2011 to be the year that I gave back for all of the amazing things that had happened in 2010.  So...  having a thing (err... obsession?) with the number 5... I decided that I would make 5 resolutions (or commitments) for the new year.

Now that we're well into 2012... I think it's about time that I shared how my 2011 "More Than Resolutions" went....

1.  Join Surfrider.  Yeah, we became members right away.  Connected to our local chapter and made sure to attend all events.  BUT... we didn't stop there.  My husband and I both are now on the executive board of our local chapter-- Cape Fear Surfrider.   We're really loving taking an active role in helping create change and being part of a community of people who care about the same things that we do!!

Learn more about Surfrider Foundation here.

2.  Collect our plastic waste EVERY week for 2011.  And I did.  Every week I had a (small) pile of plastic sitting on my countertop to share on My Plastic Free Life "Plastic Trash Challenge."  I didn't hide it away in a cabinet... I left it in plain sight as a reminder of where I was.  Some weeks were AWESOME... others... not so much.  There are definitely some things that we can improve on... but we're getting better... and that's what is most important.  After a year of collecting our plastic, we have nearly perfected eating out and avoiding plastic and SO much more.  This year, I plan to share more of what we're doing to reduce the amount of plastic we use... and in turn reduce MORE!

Check out my plastic tallies for the year here: Plastic Trash Challenge >> Danielle 

Awesome outcome from collecting our plastic waste:  I've been asked to teach a "Plastic-Free Food" class at Tidal Creek Co-Op!  I'm super stoked to share some of how we're reducing our use of single-use disposable plastics and most importantly "why". :)

3.  Continue to support the efforts of Bonnie Monteleone.  If you've been reading this blog for awhile now... you know that I absolutely adore Bonnie.  She is a constant source of motivation and inspiration for me.  From traveling to research plastics in our ocean gyres to sharing what she's discovered through art... simply put she's amazing. So amazing incredible that she was chosen as a finalist in the global competition "In Search of Incredible".  Bonnie has big plans for this year, including traveling to the Indian Ocean.

Plus, we have some things we are going to be doing together and I can't wait to share them with everyone! :)



4. Become one of Wallace J. Nichols 100 Blue Angels.  We did this right away as well.  Then when it came time for my birthday in June, I asked that in lieu of gifts my friends and family donate to J.  We also took part of our California vacation and attended the 100 Blue Angels appreciation dinner.  It was a great time and we're so happy to contribute to a person who is such a strong voice for our oceans.

Learn more about the work J does and become one of his 100+ BlueAngels.



5. Ban the Bag Wilmington.  Ok, so we didn't ban the bag in 2011.  (I never thought we would.)  But, after writing a letter to Senator Goolsby regarding his sponsorship of a bill to repeal the OBX (that's Outer Banks) plastic bag ban, I got very involved in my local chapter of Surfrider (see #1)!  International Surfrider board member and local chapter Chair, Sean Ahlum, has given presentations at all of the beach towns and has garnered their support for a countywide plastic bag ban!  Now Sean and Bonnie are working side-by-side to garner even MORE support to ban the bag!  Community support is high for this to happen!  Ban the Bag Wilmington 2012??  I sure hope so!

Oh yeah... and thanks to my friends Kevin & Chris of Odysea Surf and Kiteboard School.... I totally learned how to surf!  (well... kind of... I can stand up on the board and ride a wave in.... that's surfing, right??)  ....and since I tried my legs at surfing in the summer and winter... I also learned that I'm not a fan of wetsuits or booties.  I like to feel the water... and well, I'm just a girl that always prefers to be barefoot.  Sooo.... I will only be surfing in the summer ;)

Happy 2012 everyone... here's to another year of giving back and making a difference.  May all the days of the year be filled with abundance... :)

Our Daily Ocean: Day 105

Since today was "Buy Nothing Day"... I really had the best of intentions of not buying anything... but, I couldn't help myself from buying this amazingness from the comfort of my own home ;)  Then, while many people were spending their day shopping, my family and I took it easy at one of the most relaxing and fun places we know... umm... yeah, that'd be the beach!!  We turned "Black Friday" into "BLUE Friday"... and I think a new tradition may have been born!

Last week, my family and I were in California... we had such an amazing visit!!  One of the highlights of our trip was seeing our friends Sara & Garen in Monterey Bay!  Our timing to visit the aquarium couldn't have been better as Sara had just spoken at the Monterey Bay Aquarium O.N.E Teen Summit and was getting ready to head back to Santa Monica.  It had been over a year since I last saw Sara & Garen...  they're awesome awesome people... wish that unexpected visits could happen more often! :)  After we visited with our friends, we spent several hours at the Monterey Bay Aquarium.  NOW... We've been to a lot of aquariums, but this visit is one that we'll remember for a long time to come... ever see an albatross in person? (We did.)  Ever have an animal educator ask you to reduce the plastics you use and refuse single-use plastics like bags and straws?? (You can and more at the Monterey Bay Aquarium) 

My son and I picked up 19 straws in 20 minutes today.  Can you guess how they got on the beach?? (See photo for hint)

Also during our California vacation, we had great evening hanging out with Beth Terry (My Plastic-Free Life), her husband, and Manuel Maqueda (co-founder of Plastic Pollution Coalition).  As a family really striving to reduce the amount of plastic we use... it was great to share dinner, straw-free drinks ;) and conversation with others who are striving to do the same (or more) and connect over our common bonds.  One of the many things we talked about is how one of American Idol's sponsors (cough Coca-Cola) isn't happy about a video with Season 10 American Idol contestants asking us to REFUSE single-use plastics.  So in order to appease their sponsor, the company the produces AI threatened to shut down Plastic Pollution Coalition's YouTube Channel if they didn't remove the video.  The video is still up (woot!)... SO... If you haven't watched the video yet, watch it now... then share.  

Are you afraid to REFUSE disposable plastic?  

(if you are, don't be... I'm here to help)

20 minutes on November 25, 2011 at Access 36

Litter by weight: 4 oz

Cigarette butts: 96

Total amount of cigarette butts removed from Wrightsville Beach, NC in 105 days: 
35,887

52 Week Plastic Challenge: Half Way There

Back in January, I made a commitment to take the My Plastic Free Life: Show Us Your Plastic Challenge for 52 weeks straight.  When I made the decision to take the challenge for the entire year, I thought: "no big deal... I'll collect our plastic... I learn."  Of course, I'm learning... but collecting plastic is a big deal.  Seeing every week how much plastic we're using and striving to stay focused takes effort.... and sometimes makes me feel overwhelmed.  Some weeks I just want to throw in the towel and go back to "not thinking" about plastic... but the truth is:  I couldn't go back to "not thinking"... even if I tried.  I'm too aware now.  I'm too aware of the negative impacts that plastics have on our environment, I'm too aware of the recycling myth, I'm too aware of the adverse health effects of plastics... I'm aware that there is absolutely no such thing as away.  I know too much to turn back now...  

So... while this is the halfway point, I'm still learning and figuring out how to get around using plastic.  I still purchase things in plastic...  I'm not perfect, but I'm not striving for perfection.  I'm striving for better.  I was talking to my friend about this whole "better" concept.  It goes like this.  I look at what I buy and then make a decision to buy it less.  If I buy something every week, I push it to every other week... then once a month and so on.  Sometimes I give up a product-- like plastic bags, straws, & bottled water-- completely.  It's one of those, could you imagine if everybody took the same approach things??  Individual actions-- good or bad-- when multiplied bring change.  I want my change to be part of reducing the need for landfills and not trashing or poisoning our world....



To learn more about my weekly collection, go here.
To see my first 13 weeks, go here.

52 Week Plastic Challenge: 13 weeks

Back at the end of September, I challenged myself (which meant my family, too!) to a week of no foods in plastic.  Before the plastic-free food week, I took the My Plastic Free Life Show Your Plastic Challenge by collecting all of our plastic waste for one week.  This is what one week of plastic looked like before we started focusing on plastic-free food:

View the entire post here :)

As part of my New Year's "More Than Resolutions"... I committed to taking the Show Your Plastic Challenge for all of 2011!!  The purpose of me taking the challenge for the entire 52 weeks of the year is to get a gauge of what we use the most, understand habits and patterns, and most importantly figure out ways to change the amount of plastics we use.

The first quarter of the year is now over, which means I've been collecting our family of five's plastic waste for 13 weeks straight!!!

During the first quarter of the year, I focused on not purchasing breads, cereals, wraps/tortillas, pre-packaged pastas, baked goods... err...cookies (oh how I miss Liz Lovely Chocolate Moose Dragons!!), and milks in paper/plastic containers. (<--my husband has given up his half and half!!)  Here's how I'm doing it: 

Breads, wraps/tortillas, cookies = homemade (on occasion from Panera put in a paper bag)

Cereal = bulk granola

Pasta = bulk or homemade

Dairy/nut milks = local milk in glass jars or homemade almond milk  (though I did fall off the wagon a couple of times and have not fully committed to making my own yogurt.)

We have also started paying very close attention to plastics when we go out to eat.  Requesting reusable condiment dishes and avoiding some of our favorite places to eat simply because of how much disposable plastic/styrofoam they use.  Check out these tips for How to Request No Plastic and Get What You Ask For.

Sooo....this is what 13 weeks of plastic for our family of 5 looks like....

January 2-8

January 9-15

January 16-22

January 23-29

January 30- February 5

February 6-12

February 13-19

February 20-26

February 27- March 5

March 6- 12

March 13-19

March 20-26

March 27- April 2

Have you taken the Show Your Plastic Challenge??  Check out my guest post on My Plastic Free Life about why to take the challenge!!  Collect Your Plastic.  Change Your Life.

Our Daily Ocean: Day 37

It's crazy to think that just a few short months ago, my FilterForGood Film Project was being voted on... and my project being made into a short film was just a possibility.  But now, the possibility has become a reality and next weekend we will be at the Sundance Film Festival to see my project as a short film directed by Destin Cretton.  (squeeee!!)

We haven't been to Wrightsville Beach in over a week because--on Monday-- our area got hit with a winter storm.  We were originally supposed to get an accumulation of less than an inch of snow... but somehow we ended up getting 6 inches!!!  With the snow and cold temperatures, we stayed clear of the beach and found other things to do like go sledding in our backyard.   BUT... today the weather was actually kind of nice... so we made a visit to Access 29!!  As we were walking around the shoreline, my kids came across this little party on the.... errr... buried in the sand.   Hmmm... I don't think that I should have to say this... but... even if someone takes the time to bury their litter... it's STILL litter!!! 

(sorry about the grainy photos... I completely spaced and forgot my camera!!)

For the entire 52 weeks of 2011, I am collecting my plastic waste to share on "My Plastic Free Life" Show Your Plastic Challenge.   Every time I go to the beach, I always am reminded why I am making a conscious effort to reduce the amount of plastics that we use...  

When we stop accepting the products that litter our streets, our beaches, our parks.... our world... then we effectively start changing a system that isn't working.  Plastic pollution is a global problem... but in order to fix a global problem...we have to start local... and it doesn't get more local than your own home.  I encourage everyone to take the Show Your Plastic Challenge... no guilt... no judging... just an opportunity to become conscious of the things we can change... one step at a time.  My thought process: 

If we don't like something...we need to stop talking about how much we don't like it... and actively work to change it.  

(Example: Think plastic in our oceans sucks?... think littered roadways look trashy?... stop supporting those products... it's as simple as saying "No Thank You".)

On another note, it's dog days of winter at Wrightsville Beach.  We didn't take our dogs to the beach today, but they were certainly happy that some forgetful dog owners left this frisbee and 3 tennis balls.

I'm naturally an animal lover... we have 3 dogs.  BUT.... I'm not a lover of dog poo on the beach.    There was so much today... in the grasses, the tideline, randomly on the sand... shoot my kids almost stepped in some a few times... Besides the obvious reason for disliking dog poo on the beach (or other places!!), the bacteria in the feces contaminates our waters.... yuck!!  

20 minutes on January 15, 2011

Litter by weight: 1 lb 8.1 oz 

Cigarette butts: 66

Total amount of cigarette butts removed from Wrightsville Beach, NC in 37 days:

13,470

More Than Resolutions.

Last January, I made my first real New Year's Resolution.... however, I didn't call it a New Year's Resolution... I called it a Life Resolution.

This year... I'm going to keep on keeping on with that Life Resolution, my cigarette butt litter project (including getting The Bait Tank's installed on Wrightsville Beach) and plastic-free food.  But it's not going to end there.  Nope.  I'm also going to make some commitments right here right now:

1. Join of Surfrider.  (Done!  My husband just joined!)

2. Collect our plastic waste EVERY week for 2011 and share it on "My Plastic Free Life" (the blog formerly known as Fake Plastic Fish) for the Show Your Plastic Challenge.  I'm hoping that by showing off our plastic waste for 52 weeks, that we'll have lots of epiphanies on how to reduce our plastic usage!!!  (This will start on Sunday January 2.)

This is our plastic waste from December 19-25, 2010

3. Continue to support the efforts of Bonnie Monteleone with The Plastic Ocean.

4. Become one of Wallace J. Nichols 100 Blue Angels to allow him to have one true employer-- the ocean.

5. Plastic bag ban in Wilmington.  I can't stop thinking about it.  So...Yeah, we're going to do it... and Bonnie's on board... who else wants to help???

Oh yeah... and I'm totally going to learn how to surf. ;)