Our Daily Ocean: Day 174

It was 46 degrees this morning when I stepped onto Wrightsville Beach.  Having forgotten my coat, I took a deep breath, thought warm thoughts and set my timer for 20 minutes.

Typical of a cold winter day, the beach was very quiet.... which has to be my favorite thing about winter at the beach.  With only the sound of the ocean, I am alone with my thoughts... and picking up litter becomes somewhat meditative.  To be honest, without a timer set... I could walk the beach without realizing how far I've gone.

One thing that I kept thinking about while on the beach was: Being conscious to how we are connected to our world (and not separate from it or each other) is one of the most important things we can do.  Because when we become conscious to this fact, we realize that everything we do (or don't do) matters.  We know that when we take that refuse that plastic bag, we show others that there's another way.  We do it for the oceans, we do it for the animals, we do it for our air and water quality, we do it for more than we know... because one thing we know for sure is that we're all connected in this great big beautiful world.

Want to help rid New Hanover County of plastic bags?  Go here (yes, it matters)

20 minutes on January 8, 2013 at Access 36

Litter by weight: 8.7 oz
Cigarette butts: 112

Total amount of cigarette butts removed from Wrightsville Beach, NC in 174 days:

53,954

Our Daily Ocean: Day 139

Sunday morning, my husband had an interview with News 14 at Wrightsville Beach regarding the still building support for Smoke-Free Wrightsville Beach and Cape Fear Surfrider's commitment to Wrightsville Beach.  It was a gorgeous morning to be at the beach and the Mother's Day crowd was quickly building...

Having only done a handful of beach clean ups in the morning, I'm always surprised by the amount of trash to be found on the beach so early.  No doubt much is left over from the previous night... sending a message to the new beach goers of the day that it's "ok" to leave their trash on the beach too.  The whole "everyone else is doing it" type of thing... 

Every beach clean up we do, it is obvious that the most found items on the beach are plastic.  Cigarette butts, plastic bottles, plastic caps, wrappers, toys, lids, straws, etc. they're all on Wrightsville Beach and littering most places of the world.  I continually ask myself, "How can I change that?"  An easy first step is to pick it up when I see it... but I know that doesn't "fix" it.  For me, I feel it's so important to reduce the amount of disposable plastic I use because I want to help change the "norm".  As a mom, I want my kids to understand and see firsthand that our actions or inactions impact the world.  We can all help change the norm of what "everyone else is doing" by showing others that there's a different way. 

...and one thing that is doable for everyone is to use reusable bags in lieu of plastic bags.  Yesterday, we found 4 in just a matter of minutes.  No doubt it's time long overdue to ban plastic bags here in New Hanover County.  I know that it won't be too long as the "Ban the Bag" movement is growing across our country/world.  Recently, the city and county of Honolulu signed a bill to enact a plastic bag ban.  This is BIG news because as all the other counties in Hawaii have already passed legislation banning plastic bags... this makes Hawaii the first state to ban the bag!!!  AWESOME.

20 minutes on May 13, 2012 at Access 16

Litter by weight: 2 lbs 13.1 oz

Cigarette butts: 136

Straws: 9

Total amount of cigarettes removed from Wrightsville Beach, NC in 139 days:

45,087

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... :)