Our Daily Ocean: Day 235

On Sunday, as I drove to Wrightsville Beach to do a quick cleanup before taking my son to his hip hop class, I thought I knew what I was getting into.  Well,  I was wrong.  While getting onto the island was a breeze, there was loads of outbound traffic and the beach was still packed (ok, packed for February)!!  Apparently, I forgot that it was UNCW homecoming weekend.

I haven't seen major crowds at the beach in such a long time that the sight was a bit overwhelming at first.  Where to walk?  Which way to go?  Does that belong to someone or was it left behind?  There are so many more variables to contend with when people have their chairs, toys and blankets laid out.  Not to mention the larger groups playing various beach games (like volleyball and bocce ball).  It's a lot to weave through while searching the sand for what doesn't belong.

It's hard not to start thinking about summer and what the litter problem will be like with the increased number of visitors to our beach.  I wish there was a way to reach those people before they arrive.  A way to connect our love for the beach and ocean to an understanding and commitment to care for it... even in the midst of getting lost in what it means to be at the beach.

20 minutes on February 23, 2014 at Access 17
Litter by weight: 2 lbs 1.8 oz
Cigarette butts: 16

Total cigarette butts removed: 57,712

Our Daily Ocean: Day 40

Guess what?!?  Another milestone!!  Today I did my fortieth 20 minute clean up at Wrightsville Beach!!  With feverish kids, my husband stayed home and  I met up with my friend Bonnie (of The Plastic Ocean) and her friend Goffinet (from Pawley's Island, SC) at Access 16.

Goffinet and Bonnie in front of Johnnie Mercer's Pier

I was really excited about heading out to the beach today because the weather was GORGEOUS!!! (near 70's!!!)  And while I love the beach and have done clean ups in 30 degree weather... it sure is a lot more enjoyable when I can feel my fingers and my nose isn't cold and red ;)  I had such a great time talking to Bonnie and Goffinet about our common efforts and how together we can do SO much more... 

 I hadn't been out to do a clean up at Wrightsville Beach since before my husband and I went to the Sundance Film Festival....but that doesn't mean that Wrightsville Beach didn't receive the gift of a 20 minute clean up.  During the filming of my FilterForGood Film back in December... Holly, Jeremy and Courtney drove down from Holly Springs, NC to support my project.  (How cool is that?!)  Last weekend, they visited Wilmington to tour Greenpeace's Arctic Sunrise... and they also made it to Wrightsville Beach to do a 20 minute clean up at Johnnie Mercer's Pier... while it was snowing!!!!!  They had to sort down through the snow... but they managed to get all this litter... which included 30 cigarette butts :)  YAY!!!!

Courtney at the pavilion at Access 16 on January 22, 2011:)

My friend Julie, along with her husband and two young children, have also been busy cleaning up Wrightsville Beach.  Yesterday, they went to Access 8 and removed litter including 11 straws and 64 cigarette butts.  They also made it out to Wrightsville Beach today!!  AND... guess where they went?!!!  The ever popular Johnnie Mercer's Pier where they picked up 201 cigarette butts!!!  What I find so interesting about that number is that I met Bonnie and Gaffinet at that same spot around 11am... and Julie and her family were there just a few hours after us!!  I would've thought that Bonnie, Gaffinet and I had cleared that area of it's butts... obviously not.

20 minutes on January 30, 2011

Litter by weight: 1 lb 6 oz
Cigarette butts: 264

Total amount of cigarette butts picked up on Wrightsville Beach, NC in 40 days:

14,035