Our Daily Ocean: Day 226

Having grown up in the midwest, I have always expected winter to be... well, wintery.  Bones chilled, fingers frozen... type of cold.  And growing up, that freezing cold more often than not seemed to set in long before winter arrived.  But now having lived in coastal North Carolina for the past 14 years, I have come to expect the unexpected.  Yes, it may be winter.... but on Sunday, December 22... it was 81˚.

Unfortunately, because of the ocean water temperature being in the 50's, it didn't feel quite as warm at Wrightsville Beach.  But who am I kidding?  It was nice.  It was really really nice.

It was also nice once again to not find much to pick up during our 20 minute beach cleanup.  But no matter, the amount we pick up... it's always worth our time.  Little beach cleanups matter just as much as the ones where we leave the beach with our bags overflowing.    

These little cleanups help to create focus.... remind us that the problem is still there... to look harder and to do more.  We can always do more... 

20 minutes on December 22, 2013 at Access 39

Litter by weight: 1.9 oz

Cigarette butts: 32

Total amount of cigarette butts removed from Wrightsville Beach, NC in 226 days:

57,348

Our Daily Ocean: Day 213

When I came across this piece of plastic at Wrightsville Beach, I thought it was just a stray piece of plastic.  Then I went to grab it and found that I couldn't pull it without it tearing.

So my kids and I started digging.  As we dug, we learned that we were digging out a "Food Lion" plastic bag that someone filled with sand and buried.  (Unfortunately, I don't have more photos because each time we thought we had removed enough sand to pull the bag the bag it would tear.  The last thing I wanted was for shreds of a plastic bag to blow away.)  Thankfully after digging around the bag enough we were able to get the whole thing!

Did you know that approximately 380 billion single-use plastic bags are used in the US every year?  That's more than 1,200 bags per US resident, per year.  Even if 99% were recycled, that'd still leave 3,800,000,000 plastic bags littered or in a landfill EVERY SINGLE YEAR.  But we're not even close to a 99% recycling rate with plastic bags.  The recycling rate for plastic bags is around 1 to 3%.

Not even close.

 There are some things that are easy to live without and plastic bags are definitely one of them...  do your part and refuse single-use plastic bags by bringing your own or going without.

P.S... If you're in Greensboro, NC, my friend Teresa aka Green Bag Lady will be handing out fabric bags Friday and Saturday!  More info here-- Green Bag Lady: Off to North Carolina

20 minutes on October 27, 2013 at Access 20

Litter by weight: 10.9 oz
Cigarette butts: 36

Total amount of cigarette butts removed from Wrightsville Beach, NC in 213 days: 

56,529

Our Daily Ocean: Day 203

I have no doubts of the powers of the ocean.  Whether I'm in the water or on the shore... just being near the ocean has such a positive effect on me.  It always just feels good...  

"The ocean stirs the heart, inspires the imagination and brings eternal joy to the soul." ~Wyland

I'm grateful that 14 years ago, we made the decision to move from landlocked St. Louis and find our way to this beautiful coastal town.  There's no place I'd rather be... 

Find a place you love.  Cherish it.  Protect it. 

20 minutes on September 29, 2013 at Access 40

Litter by weight: 1.3 oz

Cigarette butts: 26

Total amount of cigarette butts removed from Wrightsville Beach, NC in 203 days:

56,037

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 145

News Flash! Today was a record breaking day!  With a high temperature of 103˚F,  June 30, 2012 has broken the old daily record of 100˚F from way back in 1959!  (Umm... just to give you a base as to how HOT it was here compared to our "normal"... the average is 89!!)  Hot temps mean LOTS and LOTS of people heading to the beach to cool off in the ocean and enjoy the nice ocean breezes.... and that means lots and lots more litter.

Speaking of records... it reminds me to tell you that my friend Sara who writes The Daily Ocean reached a major milestone just the other day!  She did her 300th beach clean up!!  WOWZA!  To think that I met Sara on her 130th clean up, makes me SO happy and proud of her for not giving up on her goal!  365 non-consecutive beach clean ups is a goal not many would take on... but she did and she's so close to seeing this through!!  With 65 clean ups to go, Sara will complete her goal this year!  AWESOMENESS :)

So, if you haven't been following what Sara has been doing...  I encourage you to start now.  Get inspired.  Go check out her blog: The Daily Ocean.  "Like" her facebook page and follow her on twitter @thedailyocean  :)(And, of course, if you feel so inclined be sure to thank her for making such a big difference in our world.) 

20 minutes on June 30, 2012 at Access 16

Litter by weight: 4 lbs 11.5oz 
Cigarette butts: 305
Straws: 15

Total amount of cigarette butts removed from Wrightsville Beach, NC in 145 days: 

47,339

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... :)

Our Daily Ocean: Day 84

Today we spent about 4 hours at Wrightsville Beach.  It was plenty of time to play in the waves, build some drip castles, get a sunburn (yeah... I missed a couple of spots... oops!), and do a 20 minute beach clean up.

Normally we do our beach clean ups in the evening, but since we were at the beach to play it only made sense to spend 20 minutes picking up litter.  One thing I learned about picking up litter at 2 in the afternoon is that the sand is crazy HOT!!  Not wearing shoes, I tried my best to stay at the wrack line, but some plastic bags and food wrappers up in the dune grasses caught my attention... so I braved the burning hot sand!!!  Completely unrelated to beach clean ups: I may have a future in walking on hot coals! ;)

While my feet were on fire, I picked up several sandwich bags/ziplocks.  Here's the thing with plastics (especially bags and food wrappers):  They blow.  Even a person with the best of intentions to not litter, will end up littering... completely unintentional... it happens.  But, it doesn't have to happen.  All it takes is rethinking simple things and coming up with alternate solutions to things we commonly use.

Did you hear? Three of the largest plastic bag manufacturers are suing ChicoBag, a reusable bag company for "irreparably harming" their business. I, personally, think the lawsuit is completely ridiculous.  And to be completely real about it.... if anyone deserves to be sued, it's those plastic bag manufacturers.  Yes, I said it.  ChicoBag isn't "irreparably harming" our environment and choking/suffocating/killing animals... the only thing ChicoBag has ever done was try to help create a solution to one of the most ridiculously wasteful products ever created... the plastic bag.  Please take a moment to show your support for ChicoBag. 

Support ChicoBag and Help Defend Small Business

After I grabbed the (above) Harris Teeter plastic bag, my feet were on fire... so I ran to the ocean to cool my feet down.  Perfect timing... 5 cigarette butts were being washed around in the incoming tide... :( 

20 minutes on August 7, 2011 at Access 38

Litter by weight: 10.4 oz

Cigarette butts: 242

Total amount of cigarette butts removed from Wrightsville Beach, NC in 84 days:

25,422

Our Daily Ocean: Day 74

For some reason, I had this idea that when warmer weather got here I would be posting our clean ups more regularly.  I guess I forgot that with hot sunny days I'm not inside much and June is a VERY busy month for us!! (More about that later in the week!)  

On Friday, we took a picnic dinner to the beach, played in the ocean and then did a 20 minute clean up.  One of the first things I saw was this plastic bag with million dollar homes in the background.  As soon as I snapped the photo, I immediately thought of this article: "Don't Talk About Fish, Talk About Saving Pristine Oceanfront Property."

I thought about it because every time I do a clean up, I think about how pissed off I would be if I paid a million plus to live on the beach and then had to look at the million dollar view being trashed.  Oh wait, I don't live at the beach and I'm still pissed off that people have a lack of respect for the pricelessness of the ocean and beach.  (ok... I pretty much feel the same about litter no matter where I am)

Though, I have to admit that with many things, I can accept the fact that accidents happen.  Many littered items have been littered by mistake.  BUT...mistakes are an opportunity to learn... an opportunity to make sure it doesn't happen again.  Cigarette butts are different.  Cigarettes are tossed down without any thought or care.  Imagine this:  You're sitting on the beach... you're driving... you're at the park and you see someone throw a plastic water bottle.  How many do they toss to the ground before you say something?  How many do you have to pick up before someone realizes that something needs to change?  I'm not being condescending or sarcastic... I'm serious.  With trillions littered every single year, this problem is not confined to Wrightsville Beach.  This problem is bigger than anyone thinks it is.... so I guess I'm just wondering... when is it going to end?  (yes, I think the same about plastic pollution)

20 minutes on June 17, 2011 at Access 19

Litter by weight: 2 lbs 1 oz

Cigarette butts: 469

Total amount of cigarette butts removed from Wrightsville Beach, NC in 74 days:

21,975

Our Daily Ocean: Day 73

On Wednesday--before my husband took his SUP out into the ocean--we did our first ever clean up at Access 5!  The north end of Wrightsville Beach must have less smokers... or more conscious smokers because the amount of cigarette litter we found was negligible in comparison to what we normally find.

But, just because there's less smokers DOES NOT mean that there isn't litter.  There is always litter.  In the middle of winter on the coldest of days, there was always litter to be found at the beach.  Now that beach season is here... there's just more.

Besides all of the littered trash that we find... we also tend to find a lot of shoes.  The day after we did our 73rd clean up, my friend Tracy called me to ask if I had went to the beach because a friend of hers had her shoes stolen and wondered if maybe I took them.  Sorry!  It wasn't me... we were 11 accesses away! 

Tracy's call got me thinking about all of the shoes we find during our clean ups and the 46 shoes found by WB-Keep It Clean volunteers.  Here is a very important tip for beach goers.  Leave your shoes in your car.  Seriously.  There is just no point in wearing shoes to the beach.  Ummm... unless, of course, you're going in the heat of the day and you have to walk across blazing hot sand.  My advice would be to put your shoes in your bag or in something that you know you won't forget. :)

  During this clean up we found 3.5 pairs of shoes.  I feel that I should mention that when we do our clean ups... we often walk past shoes, towels, beach toys, or anything else that we hope has an owner.  We leave them be (ok.. sometimes we move them away from the tideline) until we're leaving the beach in hopes that someone will come back for their forgotten items.  But if they don't... we pick it up.  That's what we do.

20 minutes on June 15, 2011 at Access 5

Litter by weight: 2 lbs 12.1 oz (not including the boogie board)

Cigarette butts: 68

Total amount of cigarette butts removed from Wrightsville Beach, NC in 73 days: 

21,506

Our Daily Ocean: Day 71

After over a week of being away from Wrightsville Beach... my family and I made it out after dinner for a 20 minute clean up on World Oceans Day.  :)

My favorite moment of the clean up was watching my kids chase after a plastic bag.  They were so determined.  Check them out... they didn't stop until they got it.  My kids ROCK!!! :)

 

After my kids got the plastic bag, we saw a mother and her two kids picking up litter and walking with a plastic bag.  I approached them thinking they had picked up the bag only to find out they brought it to the beach (because she had forgotten their reusables). We got to talking about sea turtles... so it was a great opportunity for me to share with them about how when plastic bags are floating in water they take on the appearance of jellyfish.  I didn't have to say one word more because in that instant, she connected to one of the many problems of plastic bags.  Next time... they won't be getting plastic bags!  YAY!! :)

20 minutes at Access 36 on June 8, 2011

Litter by weight: 11.4 oz

Cigarette butts: 295

Total amount of cigarette butts removed from Wrightsville Beach, NC in 71 days: 

21,347

Our Daily Ocean: Day 62

After a brief conversation the other night, I've been mulling over this thought:  "How do we get people to show up to make a difference??" .... and I'm not talking about people showing up to lobby Congress.  I'm talking about the simple things....

As a mother of 3 young children, it would be easy for me to say that I have too much going on... not enough time... and make up so many reasons why I can't do something... why I can't show up to make a difference... but, I don't.  

At some point, I realized that whatever I can do... no matter how small it seemed... I was doing something.  And doing something is always better than doing nothing.  For some reason, I've connected to this idea that "I am the difference." (you are, too ;) ) And I consistently have to remind myself of that fact... especially when I do clean ups.  
Saying those words helps me to connect the things in my everyday life to the bigger picture.  Hence the words "everything we do (or don't do) has an impact on the world we live in" in this blog header.  I strive to connect the dots between my actions and the things that are happening in our world....

That's why I am making a conscious effort to eliminate single use plastics (recyclable or not) from our household.  (This process is taking time, patience and a lot of rethinking)  Knowing that plastics are swirling in our oceans, being buried in landfills, being littered, poisoning, entangling, suffocating, choking... the life out of every living thing on this planet.... forces me to look at how I am connected to it all.

So... I show up to make a difference with my reusables: shopping bags, produce bags, water bottle, glass straw, real flatware and dishes.  I say 'no thank you', I write a letter, I change where I shop, I change what I consume... I consume less.  ....And, of course,  I take 20 minutes at the beach and make it a little bit cleaner.  <--- ok, so my daughter is editing this post and she just told me that it's "not a little bit cleaner... it's actually A LOT cleaner." :)

"I am only one, but I am one.  I cannot do everything, but I can do something.  And I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do."  ~Edward Everett Hale

20 minutes on May 11 at Access 36

Litter by weight: 11.6 oz
Cigarette butts: 256* 


*Fact: 98 cigarette butts were removed from the Oceanic Restaurant's employee break area.  Yes, I'm going to call Oceanic!

Total amount of cigarette butts removed from Wrightsville Beach, NC in 62 days: 

17,496