Our Daily Ocean: Day 5

Yesterday, before heading to the beach, the kids and I made a trip to the Teacher's Aid store to pick up a few things that we need for school.  After I made my purchases, I said no thanks to a plastic bag and the lady checking me out said, "And the environment thanks you."  I told her that we were on our way to the beach to pick up cigarette butts.  She went on to tell me that she always puts her butts in the trash and never throws them out her car window.  Then through talking I told her what the filters are made of... plastic... NOT cotton.... another person who had no idea.

I decided that we needed to move our way up the beach.... and there's no better place to go than Johnny Mercer's Pier:

Over the weekend, my husband and I went to the Jack Johnson concert in Raleigh, NC.  Before the show started we spent some time in the Village Green.  There were local (NC) non-profits and when we stopped by the Surfrider booth... I was greeted with a "Hey...".  Turns out I (yes, me) was recognized.  Adam, from our local (Cape Fear) Surfrider, found my blog on Facebook and has shared what I am doing with the WB Litter Committee.... which I am extremely grateful for, because it helps me realize even more that what I'm doing and attempting to help do is so important.  So while I was talking with Adam, he told me that my blog couldn't have come at a better time... why???  Because there have been people saying that the cigarette butt litter isn't that bad.  WHAT?!?   His thought is that they're driving by in trucks or on 4-wheelers... and I agree... because if they walked... they would surely see what I am seeing:

Yeah... that's a shoe print right next to that butt. 

But the thing is... sometimes even while walking... cigarette butts are hard to see.  Their coloring blends in perfectly with the sand and shells. 

And often looks like something completely natural:

Cigar is on the left... with a butt to the middle right.

And so many plastics are near invisible... like the juice box straw wrapper... found here next to a cigarette butt.....

The wrapper is to the left and up from the butt.

I have been having this thought lately that if all plastic was a bright color like red or neon orange... no tans, no whites, no clear... that it'd be so much easier to spot.... maybe wildlife wouldn't mistake it for something natural... and the amount of litter (including cigarette butts) would be so much more obvious...

Even the blue plastic bottle cap is more obvious than the white cigarette butt filter.  

This plastic bag almost made it to the ocean.... did you know that CA is working on banning plastic carryout bags?

The other night, I was reading The Daily Ocean... and Sara wrote about feeling self-conscious picking up litter around people's towels and such... and as I was reading it I was shaking my head in agreement because I have always felt the same way.  But there's a benefit to picking up litter right next to people and I was reminded of that as I was picking up litter at Access 16... three people commented and asked questions about what I was doing.  YAY!!  It was another opportunity for me to educate... and get reassurance that I'm helping to make a difference.

High 5's are much appreciated... especially on day 5!!! :D   

20 minutes on August 25, 2010


Litter picked up by weight: 1 lb 1 oz


Cigarette Butts:  235

Total amount of cigarette butts picked up off of Wrightsville Beach, NC in 5 days: 

1,402

Keep It Local: Strawberries

It's been a few months since strawberry season ended here in coastal NC. :(  Picking strawberries is one of our most favorite things to do... we even picked strawberries on our California vacation last month :)  Admittedly we have a problem-- we don't know when to quit.  ;)  But in the case of of picking strawberries... that's a good problem to have :D

Before the season ended we picked loads of berries and enjoyed the bounty of fresh local strawberries...

Mmmm... local berries.  They're in season and the flavor (and texture) is at their peak... far superior than anything we could ever buy in a grocery store.  True, I'm missing strawberries already... but I know that my taste buds would only be disappointed by berries shipped from across the country.  So thanks to our habit of not being able to quit picking berries, I've got ice cream buckets full of strawberries in my freezer just perfect for making smoothies AND I finally did what I've been wanting to do for so many years... make Fresh Strawberry Jam.

Sure in past years, I've made strawberry jam... but only a few jars.

As one of my many commitments this year, I decided that I wasn't going to buy strawberry jam anymore.  

Strawberries macerating.

By making my own, I bring it back to the way things used to be... picking my own food and preserving it for the future.  I know where our strawberries were grown and how they were prepared (by me!), I can control how much and what kind of sweetener I use.... no plastic seals, no trucks, no shelves stocked. 

 Keeping it local.  Keeping it seasonal. 

Want to get canning and jamming?  Check out Food in Jars

Food In Jars: Strawberry Jam

Real Maple Syrup

Several years ago, I decided that I was going to switch from Log Cabin Syrup to real maple syrup.

And...

 Let's just say that I TRIED to make the switch.... Over the course of about a year, I would buy maple syrup and mix it in with the HFCS pancake syrup and tried to slowly wean out the "fake" stuff... but for whatever reason I just couldn't let go of the sugared sweetness of the corn-syrup based "pancake" syrup.  Most times the maple syrup would get used for glazes (think Wild Caught Alaskan Salmon.. YUM!) and as a sweetener in baking.

THEN, just this year... I took the time to learn all about HFCS and started eliminating it from our household.  And thanks to Food Inc., I put the puzzle pieces together about the complete relationship between corn-syrup and GMOs.  I had always avoided GMO's, but never took the time to fully understand how much they are in our foods.  (GMOs are another post... in the mean time, if you don't know about why you should avoid them...  for your health, for the farmers, and for the planet...get googling).

I immediately made the decision that I was no longer going to buy Log Cabin (or any other "fake" syrup)... and started buying maple syrup in bulk from our local cooperative market...

We take a glass juice bottle and get A LOT of maple syrup :)

 Honestly, it took me a bit to get used to the natural earthy flavor of maple syrup...  but now I could never go back to the "fake" maple syrup.  No GMO's, no plastic bottles... and it's real... REAL is always better-- than any man made food product-- for us and for the environment. :)

Our Daily Ocean: Day 4

Yesterday, my husband took off work early so that we could go to the beach with his parents who had been visiting for the past week.  Ever since the kids and I picked up litter at access 36, they had been begging us to go to "Oceanic" for dinner.  So as much as I would've liked to go to a different access to do a 20 minute clean-up... we ended up back here:

We parked in the parking lot just across the street from the access.  As I was locking up my car I noticed the man who was parked right next to me was smoking a cigarette.  THEN... he threw his butt on the ground.  I took a deep breath and said, "Hey... I totally have to say something.  Did you know that cigarette butts are the most littered item worldwide?"  He didn't.  "And that that butt will never biodegrade... instead it will go down that drain... to the ocean......"  

He said, "I had no idea.  I'll pick it up."  AND he actually did!!  This is a milestone for me... I usually never say anything to people... I like to leave that job to my husband ;)

We spent a few hours at the beach playing in the waves and boogie boarding.  Then as we sat on the sand, my husband and I reminisced about moving me out to UNC Wilmington 11 years ago and how it was 10 years ago this very weekend that we moved into our first home here in Wilmington.  We couldn't have picked a better place to live :)

When I saw the clouds roll in... and then heard the thunder... I knew that I had to get a move on picking up litter... just me... no husband and no kids.  

2 of the items that I find the most of... cigarette butts and straws.

So close to the trashcans... which, by the way, were near empty

Typical of our last visit to Access 36, lots of restaurant litter.  But there was more than just restaurant litter... by the looks of it under the pier... it looks like that's where employees like to take their smoke breaks and then use the beach as their ashtray. :(  (After I finish writing this... I'll be contacting Oceanic about the obvious restaurant litter and butt litter.)

But, of course, not all litter is from the restaurant.  Convenience is the name of the game at the beach.  

Convenience products are especially what parents reach for for their children.  One of the most common things that I find at the beach (or even at parks) are juice box straws and the plastic straw wrappers.  Those wrappers were practically made to fly... 

As a parent of 3 young children, I can attest to the fact that kids really love juice boxes.  BUT... I don't buy them for my kids.  (I have several reasons, which is deserving of it's own post)  We have reusable drink containers.  Nothing to throw in the trash and nothing to accidentally get caught by the wind....

In case you're wondering... yes... my kids get to keep all the beach toys that they find while picking up litter on the beach.

Not pictured:  size 8 jeans and some cheap flip flops

20 minutes on August 18, 2010


Litter picked up by weight:  2 lbs 8 oz


Cigarette butts: 215

Total amount of cigarette butts picked up off of Wrightsville Beach, NC in 4 days:  1,167

Ban the Bag

Do you live in California?  (if not... watch the video and keep reading ;) )  Call Your California State Senator and urge them to support AB 1998, the bill to ban plastic carryout bags in California.
    

Of course, I don't live in Cali... BUT... I know people who do.  So I'm helping spread the word about this bill because it could be HUGE.... not just for California but for all states.  Remember when California banned smoking in bars and restaurants???  I never imagined with that ban so many other states would follow suit.  Even here in North Carolina-- tobacco country... and home of R.J. Reynolds-- there is a smoking ban.  YAY!!

SO... if you live in Cali... call and write your state senators.  If you don't live in Cali... spread the word... chances are you know someone who knows someone who.... can help make this happen ;)

Our Daily Ocean: Day 3

After my son finished with karate, we headed over to Wrightsville Beach.  We had originally decided that we were going to hit Johnny Mercer's Pier, but as I was driving over I thought since we were going to have ice cream after we picked up litter that it only made sense to go here:

Access 29 is conveniently located by our favorite ice cream shop and Trolley Stop... and lots of other places to eat and shop.

  As we walked up the access, we saw a group of older people talking.  One lady was smoking a cigarette.  My husband decided he was going to say something... so with a jovial attitude he said, "You're not going to throw that butt down in the sand when you're done, are you?"  AND... much to my surprise the lady said, "No, I'm going to take it with me.  We normally go to Morehead City... you know what they have?  These signs that say 'Don't Leave Your Butt on the Beach."  

If only every smoker was so observant and respectful of our beaches.  

Unfortunately, they're not.

Just as usual, we also picked up lots of littered plastics.  From the innocent toys...

to the forgotten drinks... 

to straws...

My son noticed this bright straw under the lifeguard stand... then he picked up 7 more .

 and then these...

 hmmm... for years we've been told how marine animals and birds get tangled in the plastic rings... but yet... they are still found on beaches :(  I have to say that I'm surprised they're still made.  Back to that whole voting with your $$ mantra.  Want to buy soda (or beer)?  Skip the rings and buy it in a box.

On our way back to the car (and to get ice cream), my kids kept stopping to pick up cigarette butts and other litter they saw.  My daughter said, 

"Some people are so trashy."  

20 minutes on August 17, 2010

Litter picked up by weight: 2 lbs
Cigarette Butts: 409

Total amount of cigarette butts picked up in 3 days off of Wrightsville Beach, NC: 952

Be Heard

I first registered to vote in 2008.  There was a lot going on locally (and there still is) that really irked me...  I figured the only way for me to change what I wasn't happy about was to register to vote, figure out what issues were MOST important to me... research ALL of the candidates and then decide what really matters and vote for what I believe in....  

‎"I have a lot of faith in people. I don't think the corporations reflect the kindness of people. I don't think our politics reflect the kindness of the people they represent." It's up to us to figure out how to change that.

-- Colin Beavan 

Rise Above Plastics

Take the Rise Above Plastics Pledge

Our Daily Ocean: Day 2

Yesterday, after I picked my daughter up from Surf Camp, we all headed out to Wrightsville Beach.  I decided to change our location and thanks to a perfect parking spot.... we ended up here:

One thing that I didn't post the other day was that thanks to the hard (and disgusting) work of my friend Jennifer on the Cigarette Litter Prevention Program... there are these signs posted at beach access sites. (see above).

Access 36 is completely different from access 43...  for starters there are more people thanks to it's convenient location with plenty of parking and showers and restrooms... not to mention all of the rental properties and condos.

But another thing that makes it so different is that there's an ocean front restaurant with a pier.  And with that comes litter that I didn't see at access 43... restaurant litter.  The theme was apparent... and I got sidetracked from picking up cigarette butts to picking up the litter from the restaurant.

Crackers with your soup or salad anyone?

How about a coaster for your beer?

And of course, you need a straw in your drink... or do you?  Whenever we go out to eat, my husband and I request no straws.  Really we don't use them at home... why do we need one when we eat out?? REFUSE ;)

One of the almost 20 straws we found... some were still in wrappers.  It's no wonder that straws are #9 on the International Coastal Clean-ups top 10 marine debris items.

In case you're wondering....#6 of the top 10 marine debris items.

Walking under the pier, my youngest son started picking up trash without realizing that the trash still had ownership... I'm now questioning whether it was right to tell him not to pick it up.... 

Of course, the other litter on the beach didn't sidetrack us completely....there were always a cigarette butts to pick up... including this freshly put out butt :(

20 minutes on August 11, 2010


Litter picked up by weight: 2 lbs 9 oz


Cigarette butts: 197

Total amount of cigarette butts picked up in 2 days off of Wrightsville Beach, NC: 543


Also, just like Day 1 as I was driving home I witnessed another litterbug throw his cigarette butt out his window. :(

Our Daily Ocean: Day #1

Saturday, we spent our day volunteering with Ocean Cure for Life Rolls On: They Will Surf Again at Wrightsville Beach, NC.  Ok... so maybe "we" was more like my husband.  I registered all of us to volunteer, but my husband did all the volunteering.  He was in the water from 9:30 am to 2:30pm helping those with spinal cord injuries get out in the water and surf.  While he was in the water pushing past the waves and strong undertow (not to mention crazy rip currents)... I was on the beach in the "Chill Zone."  For me, that just meant that I laid around, talked, and picked up litter.  Somewhat of a typical day at the beach, but with free pizza.

But it wasn't just a typical day.  Once again, just like at Hands Across the Sand, I crossed paths with the Mayor of Wrightsville Beach.

Not long before we went to California, the town of Wrightsville Beach held a vote on banning cigarrettes from the beach strand... it was voted down 3-2 :(  (**Let me just say that the Mayor is 100% FOR the ban.)  It really bummed me out.  Then we went to Santa Monica and helped Sara (The Daily Ocean) do a 20 minute beach clean-up... and since then I've had one thing on my mind:

While we were helping Sara, we quickly noticed that we weren't picking up cigarette butts.  In fact, we didn't pick up one cigarette butt during the 20 minute clean-up.  Here at our local beaches cigarette butts abound.  It's nothing for us to pick up a few hundred cigarette butts on our beaches.  So... on Saturday as I talked to the Mayor of WB, I decided that I'm going to help make Wrightsville Beach (strand) Cigarette-Free.

How am I going to do it??  Taking inspiration from Sara who writes The Daily Ocean blog, I'm going to go out to the beach and document what I pick up in 20 minutes.  My plan is to go out to Wrightsville Beach at least two times a week.

My focus?  Cigarette butts.  Yes, we're going to count (and keep) every single one that we pick up.  My hope is that I can somehow help those who are already pushing the Town of Wrightsville Beach for the ban and make a difference...

Today, after I picked my daughter up from Surf Camp, we headed over to the south end of Wrightsville Beach.

We started our 20 minute beach clean up as soon as we hit the gazebo.  Not surprised by what we found.

Of course....we didn't pass up other litter.

A piece of stretchy plastic found in the waves.

At one point during our 20 minutes, my kids and I just sat down because there were so many cigarette butts.  :(  At our 20 minute mark, we stopped picking up litter and the kids played in the ocean.

August 9, 2010

One Mom (that's "me") and three kids picked up 

346 cigarette butts 

off of Wrightsville Beach, NC in 20 minutes.

And this is what else we found:

6 oz of various plastics.

And then you wouldn't believe it... as we waited to leave the island... we sat at the draw bridge and I watched a man smoke his cigarette and then toss it out his window.  You better believe that I swatted that litterbug!!