Our Daily Ocean: Day 255

Recently, I've been hearing that there's an increase in cigarette litter at Wrightsville Beach and was even interviewed by Lumina News about the topic.  I went to the beach with the sole purpose of seeing the increase with my own eyes.

 But that didn't happen because on this beautiful warm fall day, I only found 3 littered cigarettes. :)  

Thursday, October 29, 2015 @ 11:06am
Access 25-29
Time: 20 minutes
Weather: 79˚ & sunny (falling tide: high tide @ 9:12 AM)
Cigarette butts: 3 (fresh)

(Return to) Our Daily Ocean: Day 254

It has been nearly 15 months since I last posted a beach cleanup.  Truth be told, I did some beach cleanups... took some pictures and then... well, I deleted them.  I decided that needed a break.  I needed time think about how I wanted to proceed with my remaining 111 beach cleanups.

When I first started the beach cleanup project in 2010, my kids were 8, 6, and 4.  Because of their young ages, our schedule was very laid-back.  It was super easy for us to pop over to the beach on any given day and for me to sit down at my computer in the evening and type up a blogpost.  Now my kids are 13, 11, & 9... and our days are filled.  It's a good full and one that I want to work beach cleanups back into.

So... in order to get back to the beach, I am making some changes from beach to blog on how I approach all future beach cleanups.

1. Time limit: I've stuck to the 20 minute limit for the previous 253 cleanups.  Now, I want to give what time I have whether it's 5 minutes or an hour.  
2. Weighing: No more. 
3. Sorting/Counting: I think that I'm done sorting. It's work. A lot of work. I'll continue to count.
4. Blogging: I found that not wanting to blog about my beach cleanups was my primary reason for needing a break. From now on, if I have something to say, I'll say it.  If I don't, I'll just post a photo with the cleanup stats.
5. End date: I do beach cleanups because they make me feel good. There is no time frame for finishing. 

So without further ado.... my oldest son and I did beach clean up #254 together on Saturday afternoon. The week prior to doing this cleanup, our area had major flooding due to an insane amount of rain. Knowing that the beach would be inundated with "street" litter, I made the conscious decision to not dig through the wrack line. Instead, I decided to focus on litter that came directly from beachgoers. What I found?  Out of the 57 cigarette butts we picked up, 8 were freshly littered.  The rest were found old and washed out on top of the wrack. Still old and withered... they're littered cigarette butts.  And even though they may not have been littered on the beach, they've ended up there.... sigh....

Saturday, October 17, 2015 @ 3:10PM
Access 15-17
Time: 20 minutes
Weather: 73 & sunny (falling tide: low tide @ 4:58PM)
Cigarette butts: 57

Our Daily Ocean: Day 224

At least once a week, my kids and I have gotten into a nice habit of going to the library and then to Wrightsville Beach to do a quick beach cleanup before we head to Tidal Creek Coop to do our grocery shopping.  It's a great routine for us because it creates a nice flow for our day.  

...And so it was, Wednesday morning we fell right into our perfect routine....

I think I like our routine so much because we start at the library borrowing books, then go clean up litter at the beach and end by doing our nearly plastic-free grocery shopping.  Conscious living with what feels like so little effort... but it wasn't always like that.  I used to buy books instead of borrow.  I used to go to the beach just to "go to the beach".  And, I used to not think about plastic and shop at chain grocery stores.  But I changed.  Little by little, things I read translated to things I did...

I am grateful for change.

Did you know that I haven't used a plastic straw in over 3 years?  Before then, I refused straws when I remembered but wasn't fully committed with my "no straw please" mantra.... it took me picking up straw after straw after straw at the beach before I finally said "No More Straws" for our family.  We all (yes, even my 3 kids) happily go without by requesting "no straws" when we eat out and carry our GlassDharma smoothie straws with us when we go out for shakes or smoothies.  Learn more about GlassDharma glass straws at their website.  But, if you're local... Tidal Creek Coop carries GlassDharma straws!

20 minutes on December 18, 2013 at Access 16

Litter by weight: 1.5 oz
Cigarette butts: 32

Total amount of cigarette butts removed from Wrightsville Beach, NC in 224 days:

57,283

Our Daily Ocean: Day 195

On Wednesday, while my two youngest were finishing up with camp, my oldest son and I did a beach clean up together at... I mean... under Johnnie Mercer's Pier.

Normally, I pick an access and walk as much of the access as we can in 20 minutes.  But when we got to the beach at 3pm, the sun was so bright for my non-sunglass wearing son that he asked if we could stay under the pier in the shade.  And for the most part we did.  We only ventured out from the cover of shade to pick up a plastic bag and a few other items that caught our eyes within 5 feet of the pier.  

But even though we limited where we picked up litter for 20 minutes... there was no shortage.  Just as the shade of the pier offered us relief from the harsh afternoon sun... so many other people take refuge there throughout the day shading themselves and their children from the sun in between playing in the waves.  

Plastic juice box straw wrappers were a sure sign that children had been under the pier... and we found lots and lots of those little wrappers.   But the little plastic wrappers weren't the only things we were finding under Johnnie Mercer's Pier.   Some notable items we picked up were 13 plastic straws, 15 caps, an unused still wrapped condom and two hair extensions!  We also-- surprisingly-- found 104 littered cigarette butts under the pier.  Hmm...

20 minutes on August 7, 2013 under Johnnie Mercer's Pier

Litter by weight: 1 lb 3 oz

Cigarette butts: 104

Total amount of cigarette butts removed from Wrightsville Beach, NC in 195 days:

55,553

Our Daily Ocean: Day 185

Welcome to Wrightsville Beach, the first smoke-free beach in North Carolina!!!   We worked hard to make it happen and we're "thumbs up" happy about it! I'd like to express my personal gratitude to everyone who took the time to write the NC legislature asking them to oppose SB703 and preserve our smoke-free outdoor spaces.  Thank YOU so very very much!!

Ok... so onto last night's record low clean up... what? wait... what's that?  Yup, I said it (again). Record low cigarette butt count.  My friend Tracy and I did a 20 minute beach clean up while our kids played. The two of us together picked up 14 cigarette butts at Access 39.

Curious about how this compares to past clean ups at Access 39?

November 24, 2010 = 166 cigarette butts
August 25, 2011 = 176 cigarette butts
June 8, 2012 = 94 cigarette butts

or how about this one from Access 38 on May 14, 2011.  Same time of year.  178 cigarette butts.

I have always believed that smoke-free beach ordinances help reduce cigarette litter... but to see it happening already... I'm thrilled!!

On another note, sea turtle nesting season is upon us again!  (yay!)  That means the WB Sea Turtle Project Volunteers will be spending their early mornings walking the beach in search of turtle tracks.  As they walk the beach, many volunteers pick up litter.  Since 2009, they have removed 2,284 bags of trash from Wrightsville Beach.  You can follow along with them on their blog WB Keep It Clean 

When Tracy found that piece of coral it made me think about how it's a lot more fun finding beautiful mementos of nature than it is to find plastics and other trash.  As my friend Ginger says: 

"A clean beach means a healthier ocean in which sea turtles and other life can swim and live and play freely."

20 minutes on May 16, 2013 at Access 39

Litter by weight: 3.7 oz

Cigarette butts: 14

Total amount of cigarette butts removed from Wrightsville Beach, NC in 185 days:

54,926

Our Daily Ocean: Day 183

At the beginning of March, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to help kick-off "No Impact Week Greensboro" by giving a joint presentation on plastics and plastic-free living with Beth Terry and Bonnie Monteleone.   I have yet to share about the experience here... but I will soon because it was an amazing experience for me on so many levels.  One of the best parts of sharing what I do is connecting with like-minded people, inspiring them to do more and making new friends.  On Friday, (thanks to that event in Greensboro) I met Marie with her baby on her back and her 2 year old daughter in hand!

Marie was visiting Wilmington over the weekend and had emailed me to see if we could meet at Wrightsville Beach to do a beach clean up.  ABSOLUTELY!  I can't say enough how much I love having company with me at the beach.  Doing a beach clean up together is a great way to connect and make new friends.  Which by the way, all of the friends that I've made is my most favorite thing about having started these beach cleanups.

I'm also grateful for the insight that doing beach cleanups has given me about my own purchasing habits and the power I have to help create change.  Fed up with seeing the same products strewn all over Wrightsville Beach day after day, I've made personal changes to become part of the solution.  Plastic isn't so fantastic when it's used for mere minutes and thrown out.  There's an easy solution to plastic straws.  My personal solution is to say: "No straws please".  It takes practice, but it's really that easy.  Another solution is to use reusable straws.  Check out GlassDharma and Strawesome

Teaching future generations to care for our planet is another solution.

Kids of any age can help clean up our world.  Teach them to care for the places they love by doing a little clean up at their favorite park or beach.  

Cleanups are an easy way for kids to get involved in making a difference in our world.

...and that's exciting to be a part of.

20 minutes on April 19, 2013 at Access 16

Litter by weight: 1 lb 1.7 oz

Cigarette butts: 100

Total amount of cigarette butts removed from Wrightsville Beach, NC in 183 days:

54,889

Our Daily Ocean: Day 181

This morning, I met Ann aka Beach Chair Scientist with her husband and daughter at Johnnie Mercer's Pier.  It was 46˚ and there was a brisk breeze... but the sky was a beautiful blue and the best part was that we had the beach to ourselves!

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. 

Beach Chair Scientist 

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

Our Daily Ocean: Day 178

Lately, the weather has been completely wacky.  Some days it will be cold (you know the way it's supposed to be during winter) and then other days it will be so warm and beautiful that I kick off my flip flops, roll up my jeans and tie my jacket around my waist.

Tuesday was that kind of day.  Flip flops off, feet in the water!

Each beach clean up I do is different.  While there are definitely always similarities... for various (and sometimes not so obvious) reasons they are all unique.  Sometimes I find things that I've never found before... like this little piece of plastic from a Nike shoe.  Umm...why in the world did Nike glue a piece of plastic onto shoes?? Hmmm....  Speaking of Nike, I'm a bit obsessed with this song.

My friend Sara just put up her last post on her blog The Daily Ocean.  She's moving over to her new website www.dailyocean.org. <-- go check it out!  Having completed 365 non-consecutive beach clean ups, she's now headed off the sand and on the road for her speaking tour.  Be sure to check out her website and sign up to receive updates here.

20 minutes on January 29, 2013 at Access 16

Litter by weight: 9.7 oz

Cigarette butts: 119

Total amount of cigarette butts removed from Wrightsville Beach, NC in 178 days:

54,334

Our Daily Ocean: Day 171

Every Christmas, my family and I go to Wrightsville Beach.  It's been a tradition for us since we moved to Wilmington... ask me what I want for Christmas and my response would be "To go to the beach."  I guess, growing up in the Midwest, there's just something special about being at the beach on Christmas and reminding myself that this is not a vacation.  I don't have to hop on a plane and leave....  THIS is life.

...and I've missed being here.  I spent the end of November and the first half of December traveling.  For a short part of my trip, I visited my good friend Sara Bayles in Santa Monica.  I was there to share in celebrating Sara's 365th beach clean up (and lots of other good fun that friends have when they don't see each other but once a year!)  Now that Sara has completed her goal, she's taking her passion and inspiration off the sand and on the road for her speaking tour.  For more information on how to have Sara come to your school or business, visit:

www.dailyocean.org   

 Since 2010, it has been a tradition for me to do a Christmas day beach clean up.  It's my gift to the beach and ocean.  I get so much from just being there that in the midst of being busy and not having time... Christmas Day is a day that I make time.  My 33rd beach clean up was on Christmas 2010 and I did my 111th beach clean up Christmas 2011.... and now my 171st.  Which I'm happy to share that this has been my smallest Christmas Day beach clean up! 

It's not how much we give, but how much LOVE we put into giving. 

~Mother Teresa

20 minutes on December 25, 2012 at Access 16

Litter by weight: 7.5 oz

Cigarette butts: 275

Total amount of cigarette butts removed from Wrightsville Beach, NC in 171 days:

53,455

Our Daily Ocean: Day 167

While much of the East Coast was preparing for or already in the midst of the devastation of Hurricane Sandy, I was going about a normal Monday.  I'm not sure I can say it enough how extremely grateful I am that where I live was minimally impacted by the hurricane.  Besides the large amount of wrack and sea shells at Wrightsville Beach, not much looks different.

At first glance, the beach seems perfectly clean.  Almost as if it's been swept.  But on closer inspection... you see it.  The wrack is littered with the detritus of man....

There's an amazing phenomenon that happens during strong tropical storm systems (even if they are off-shore).  The ocean comes in and she pulls and pushes the sand... reshaping the beach... and in the process like a giant sifter she uncovers the things that had been lost and eventually (most often accidentally) buried in the sand.  Those things-- plastic caps, straws, cigarette butts, plastic fragments, toys-- all end up in the wrack.

If you have ever for one second doubted the extent of the amount of plastics in our environment, I highly encourage you to go to the beach and look closer.  Kick over that pile of wrack... look for the glisten of a plastic wrapper half buried in the sand... focus your eyes to see the cigarette butts camouflaged amongst the natural world... it's all there.

Want to do something about it?  Join me at Wrightsville Beach or do your own beach/park/waterway cleanup.  And maybe most important of all... please refuse single-use plastics.

20 minutes on October 29, 2012 at Access 16

Litter by weight: 1 lb
Cigarette butts: 386
Straws: 12
Caps: 55

Total amount of cigarette butts removed from Wrightsville Beach, NC in 167 days:

52,768

Our Daily Ocean: Day 166

All day yesterday and early today, Hurricane Sandy was just off-shore.  Thankfully, our area was only hit with a lot of rain and some wind.  As usual, when a tropical system stirs up the ocean... it's a must to get to the beach and see what has been spit out and uncovered.  It's super exciting...

My kids main goal while at the beach was to look for seashells.  I had planned on that being my main goal as well, but I just couldn't force myself to walk past the litter that was poking out of the wrack line.

Out of everything I picked up in 20 minutes, I only picked up one thing that wasn't plastic.

I picked up plastic straws, plastic caps, plastic wrappers, styrofoam, plastic umbrella tips, plastic toys, broken plastic pieces... plastic plastic EVERYWHERE.  Humph  Please please please make a conscious effort to reduce the amount of plastics you use... your decisions matter! :)

This is plastic, not sea glass.

My friend Tracy also went to the same beach access today to look for seashells.  She text me right away with a picture of the wrack line and said, "I want to clean this."  She had forgotten to take a bag, but as it would be, she found a zip-lock bag at the beach and filled it with litter!  Lots and lots of plastic caps and 127 cigarette butts!  Thanks Tracy!!!! 

20 minutes on October 28, 2012 at Access 41

Litter by weight: 1 lb 3.8 oz
Cigarette butts: 45
Straws: 11
Caps: 39

Total amount of cigarette butts removed from Wrightsville Beach, NC in 166 days:

52,382

Our Daily Ocean: Day 158

Since August of 2010, I've done a lot of beach clean ups.  Because I spend a good amount picking up things at the beach, I've found a fair amount of sea glass ... I've even found and returned a cell phone... but mostly, I've picked up more trash than I would have ever thought possible (and this project is still far from over).

On Sunday, while finishing up my 20 minute beach clean up with my friend Tracy, she found something very rare and what I think is one of the most incredible beach finds EVER-- a roll of film!!!!

A completely intact roll of film!!

Now I'm not sure how long it takes for a film canister to start to rust... but from what we can tell everything looks completely sealed and most likely there are pictures inside just waiting to be developed.  Yes, Tracy and I are both SO curious about what's on this professional black & white film, that Tracy is taking the film to have it developed! (stay tuned!)  

20 minutes on September 16, 2012 at Access 36

Litter by weight:  1 lb 11.2 oz

Cigarette butts: 343

Straws: 31

Total amount of cigarette butts removed from Wrightsville Beach, NC in 158 days:

50,603

Our Daily Ocean: Day 154

As I sat down today to update the cigarette butt tally from last night's beach clean up, my daughter took notice of the difference between the comparison that The Daily Ocean and I have been doing since March.  Since March, Sara has done 50 beach clean ups and removed 297 cigarette butts from her Santa Monica beach.  We, on the other hand, have done only 31 beach clean ups and have removed 6,620 cigarette butts from Wrightsville Beach.  My daughter had 2 reactions to that information.  First she said, "Mom, you really need to catch up!  You need to do more beach clean ups." And then she said, "Wrightsville Beach should be a smoke-free beach." (agreed)

This November, the residents of Wrightsville Beach will have the opportunity to vote on making Wrightsville Beach a smoke-free beach.  Though, Wrightsville Beach may no longer have the opportunity to be first smoke-free beach in North Carolina BECAUSE on Tuesday, Carolina Beach officials voted 4-1 in favor of a smoke-free beach ordinance!!!  My husband went to the meeting with other Cape Fear Surfrider board members and spoke out about some confusion that had been created by the town's attorney.  This is an exciting time for my area, as Carolina Beach is set to become the first smoke-free beach in North Carolina.  There is one catch though... the ordinance is pending state legislation that will allow Carolina Beach to enforce the ordinance, which should happen sometime in 2013.  Read more here.

It is not a single wave that shapes the beach, but countless waves over time.

20 minutes on August 17, 2012 at Access 36

Litter by weight: 1 lb
Cigarette butts: 121
Straws: 28 (22 from Oceanic)

Total amount of cigarette butts removed from Wrightsville Beach, NC in 154 days:

48,872