Our Daily Ocean: Day 80

This week has been a really great week... yes, good things are happening!!  On Wednesday, it was an absolutely gorgeous day for my husband's birthday and my 80th beach clean up!  .... AND... inspiration is in the air!

Since starting this blog, I have connected with so many amazing people who continue to inspire me on a daily basis through their actions, motivating words, and amongst other things the synchronicity in our lives.  One of my major sources of inspiration comes from my friend Sarah who writes The Daily Ocean blog.  After meeting her (just over a year ago)... I became inspired to start these 20 minute clean ups!  AND... now I've contributed nearly 157 lbs of litter to her community collection count. Yowza!

And just as I am inspired... I find there is something so motivating when I see others being inspired by my actions... connecting to people who are making a difference... really really makes me super happy!!  Stephanie over at Good Girl Gone Green has been majorly inspired by my FilterForGood Film Project!!  YAY!!! On her blog she writes:

"If small everyday actions have lead us to the current environmental state we are in, then maybe small everyday actions can just as easily reverse the damage."

YES!!  Our everyday action DO make a difference.  ...Yes, she did a 20 minute clean up.  No, she doesn't live by the beach... she took time out of her vacation!! (High 5!)  But, here's what's really exciting...  she's going to start taking the time to pick up litter where she lives because all drains eventually lead to the ocean.  Ripple Effect in progress!!  LOVE LOVE LOVE!!! :)

20 minutes on July 20, 2011 at Access 40

Litter by weight: 8.2 oz

Cigarette butts: 153

Total amount of cigarette butts removed from Wrightsville Beach, NC in 80 days:

24,071

Our Daily Ocean: Day 26

You ever read something it it completely strikes a chord with you??  I've been updating The Plastic Ocean Project blog and have been staying current with the happenings of the Sea Dragon crew in the South Atlantic Ocean.  I can't stop thinking about the other day when I was reading 5 gyres blog and my heart felt heavy and my eyes filled with tears:

"Slowly but surely, we're showing the world that it's crazy to think you can clean this up, that gyre cleanup starts on land...

And here's the pill I swallow every day when I wake up, go on deck and look at ocean - plastic particles, just below the surface, cover 75% of the surface of the earth. Yes, they're dispersed, but we're 1700 miles from land and everywhere we look, we find it. Everytime. Without exception. And the good companies we buy it from sponsor conferences and say that's okay. Well, it's not okay. It's not okay that convenience can break the entire ocean."  

Read the entire blog post here. 

So I read it AND then I felt empowered.  Yes!  What we're doing *IS* making a difference.  There is no way to just clean up the mess in the ocean, BUT we can clean up the land and teach others to be conscious of the problem of litter and plastics in our environment.  We can come together as a family, a neighborhood, a community, a city, a state, a country...  a WORLD... and WE can begin to clean up the idea that there is an "away" because now we know... there is no such thing as "away."

We can begin to sacrifice "personal freedoms" for the betterment of our world.  

Sacrifice what we consider "rights" for something more important:  the right to clean air and water. (Everything and everyone IS connected.)

One cigarette butt in each jar containing 2 cups of water.  This photo was taken about 10 minutes after I added tap water to the butts. 

Yesterday, we went to Access 26 and my husband was visiting my friend Sara in Santa Monica.  Together they did a 20 minute clean up for Sara's The Daily Ocean blog.  So when I saw my kids jump into this hole... 

I was immediately taken back to when we did our first 20 minute clean up with Sara in Santa Monica...

Photo taken on July 16, 2010 in Santa Monica, CA

Speaking of Sara.. she was recently recognized in the Yahoo! 2010 Year in Review as an  "Inspiring Act."  YAY!!!  Sara as an "inspiration" is no surprise to me... the girl has started a beach clean-up revolution... and I'm absolutely thrilled to be a major part of that.  I'm also completely grateful to have been included in the article under "the ripple"... because most certainly that's what I'm all about ;) 

Sara is also taking the beach clean ups that she does a step further as she joins the Sea Dragon crew in the spring to sail across the South Pacific with 5 Gyres.  Can YOU "Spare $5 to send Sara on 5 Gyres"??   

20 minutes on December 3, 2010

Litter by weight: 5.7 oz

198 cigarette butts

Total amount of cigarette butts picked up off of Wrightsville Beach, NC in 26 days:

10,640

Collective Will

"We all have the ability to provide clean water for every man, woman, and child on the Earth. What has been lacking is the collective will to accomplish this. What are we waiting for? This is the commitment we need to make to the world, now."
~ Jean-Michel Cousteau

Will YOU Make a Difference??

Water. It's vital to life. As water flows from our taps, many of us take it for granted. But nearly 900 million people worldwide lack access to clean water.

As we are a couple of days into World Water Week... I am constantly reminded--by an amazing person that I am fortunate to call my friend--of the global water crisis. She has donated the past 6 months of her life, to help produce the LA Tap Project Fundraiser. Because, she has a dream of making their --children in underdeveloped countries without access to clean water-- dream a reality.

As with most things... I am affected by visuals. Watch these... and you, too, will understand WHY.

Did you know that by donating $1 to UNICEF Tap Project, you provide clean water for 40 days? What if everyone you knew donated $1??

Earlier in the week, the question was asked, "Will you make a difference that makes a difference?"

In November, for my friend's birthday, I donated $25 to the Tap Project. That $25 that I could've spent on a small gift became 1,000 days of clean water. I've made a difference that has made a difference in someone's life. Now, it's your turn :)

Donate to the UNICEF Tap Project: www.tapproject.org

Dine at participating restaurants during World Water Week (March 21-27): www.tapproject.org/restaurants

Fan Acqua di Gio on Facebook and they'll donate $1 to UNICEF Tap Project!

Events are scheduled all over the country... attend an event in your area!

AND... don't forget to spread the word! :)

P.S... Read this ;)

What's 'It' All About?

The other day, my husband asked me how I became so environmental.  I thought long and hard about it and for the life of me couldn't come up with JUST one answer.  For me, it's like the questions: "What is love? or Why do you love me?"  Some questions cannot be answered with one word.

What I do know is that I'm a conscious person... I learn something and it sticks with me.  Being open to new ideas has changed my way of thinking dramatically over the years.  I didn't become the person I am today overnight.  This has all been a process... day by day... week by week... month by month... and sometimes year by year.  Sometimes I would wake up and be like, "I'm going to change (blank) this week."  And when I make a decision to change something... sometimes it's easy... other times I've flailed and it has taken months before it became second nature to me.  That said, some things are easier said than done... but it doesn't mean that they can't be done.  Believe in me when I say, "I'm still growing and evolving the way I think and do things."

Years ago, as I would walk into Target carrying my grocery bags, I started saying, "If it's going to start somewhere... It's going to start with me."  I would go into Target with my reusable bags and when I checked out I would bag my own items so as not to "put out" the cashier.  The cashiers just didn't get it (some still don't)... but I was OK with that because I knew that if just one person saw me carry in my bags, then just maybe they would bring their own bags next time and then maybe someone would see them and do the same.  By me just doing one simple thing, I had the opportunity to create a ripple effect.  Over the years,  simple changes in the way I do things and how they relate to our environment have became so ingrained in me and have rippled into other areas of my life, including friends, family and even people I've never met.

So... here I will share with you what I do, how I do it, and most importantly why.... maybe just maybe something you learn will connect with you.

Your ripple....

 It Starts With You.