Our Daily Ocean: Day 256

 I wish... I wish.... I wish.... 

I will. 

Thursday, November 5, 2015 @ 10:43 AM
Access 16-19
Time: 20 minutes
Weather: 78 & cloudy (rising tide: low tide @ 8:53 AM)
Cigarette butts: 104  (27 fresh)

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 238

On Tuesday, I went to Wrightsville Beach in the middle of the day and was shocked to find it completely packed (for a winter weekday).  Of course, my first thought was "doesn't anyone work in this town?"  And then it hit me... spring break for ECU, UNC and App State (and who knows what other NC universities!?).

 So, I learned a valuable lesson.  When living in a beach town, it is important to know when universities are on spring break... or just be shocked when there's no parking and the beach is packed in the middle of the week in winter!

Now, even though the beach was packed, I didn't see (or smell) anyone smoking! YAY! ... and there wasn't much litter to pick up!  In fact, even though we did our best to weave through the people sprawled out on the sand, we only picked up 5 cigarette butts!!



Clean Beach and Clear Waters: Wrightsville Beach from Wilmington and Beaches CVB on Vimeo.

... yup, first smoke-free beach in North Carolina.  And, we're STILL excited about it!

20 minutes on March 11, 2014 at Access 28
Litter by weight: 2 lbs 9.1 oz
Cigarette butts: 5

Total cigarette butts removed: 57,760

Our Daily Ocean: Day 234

This afternoon, my youngest and I walked all around access 43 wrapping around to where Banks Channel and Shinn Creek meet.  There on the shore of Banks Channel, we stopped to watch a pod of dolphins until they disappeared from sight.  A beautiful reminder of one of the many reasons we do our best to help protect our oceans and beaches.

  My youngest was just 4 years old when I started this project and this July he'll turn 8.  He's grown up so much... and over these past years has been part of creating a major MAJOR change in our community.  And while he may not know how big of a role he played, he is seeing first hand the difference that has been made.

He remembers when picking up littered cigarette butts on the beach was never ending.... when we would just sit down and pick up hundreds.  I remember it all too well, but there is no better jog of the memory than looking back on beach cleanups from years past.  (Reference: February 2011 and February 2012).  With the passing of the Wrightsville Beach smoke-free beach ordinance... those days seem to be behind us.  Sure, there are still people who smoke on the beach, but it seems that they are few and far between.  Case in point, today we only picked up 12.

And while the dolphins serve as a beautiful reminder as to why we do our best to help protect and cleanup our world; the reduction in the amount of cigarette butts we're finding serves as a reminder as to what can happen when we take action because we believe we can make a difference. 

“It's the action, not the fruit of the action, that's important. You have to do the right thing. It may not be in your power, may not be in your time, that there'll be any fruit. But that doesn't mean you stop doing the right thing. You may never know what results come from your action. But if you do nothing, there will be no result.” 

- Mahatma Gandhi

20 minutes on February 22, 2014 at Access 43

Litter by weight: 2 lbs 2.3 oz

Cigarette butts: 12

Total cigarette butts removed: 57,696

Our Daily Ocean: Day 228

Happy New Year y'all!  Tis the season for reflecting, refocusing and resolving.  Last year this time, I was reflecting on the passing of the WB smoke-free beach ordinance... optimistic for what was to come.... not having any clue that the outcome could be as good as it's been.

With the New Year, I'm introducing a change to one of the pages of this blog.  At the top, there's a tab that says "Our Daily Ocean".  I've made some updates to the page because as this project was originally started to help bring awareness to the problem of cigarette litter on Wrightsville Beach--with the passage of the smoke-free beach ordinance--it has now evolved to show how beach smoking bans can (and do) help reduce cigarette litter.  With the updates, I've included monthly as well as yearly tallies and averages.  

AND.... I just have to share here that the average cigarette butts removed for 2010 was 379, 2011 was 322 and 2012 was 249.  BUT, the 2013 average cigarette butts removed per cleanup was 72!!  That's a HUGE HUGE decrease from the previous years because that's a 70-80% decrease!!  I'd say that the Town of Wrightsville Beach did a fantastic job in the first year implementing the smoke-free beach ordinance!! 

View the all the tallies and averages from 2010 to present here. 

Moving forward this year, I will be heading back to the Wrightsville Beach Board of Aldermen to share the positive news and encourage the new board to continue with education and enforcement of the ban.    I've also committed to completing this project of 365 non-consecutive beach cleanups this year.  As of now, I have 137 to go!  It's a lot to do in a short amount of time... but I'm up for trying!  

“Do not be too timid and squeamish about your actions. All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better. What if they are a little coarse and you may get your coat soiled or torn? What if you do fail, and get fairly rolled in the dirt once or twice? Up again, you shall never be so afraid of a tumble.”

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Bring on the beach cleanups!

20 minutes on January 1, 2014 at Access 16

Litter by weight: 6.7 oz
Cigarette butts: 62

Total amount of cigarette butts removed from Wrightsville Beach, NC in 228 days:

57,431

Our Daily Ocean: Day 197

This past Sunday, my family and I were getting around to go to Wrightsville Beach when we saw the sky change.  As dark clouds began rolling in, we made the decision to wait on going to the beach.  And I'm glad we did because the storm that rolled in brought very heavy rain, lightening and... at Wrightsville Beach... funnel clouds (umm... no thank you!!)  See photos here: Sunday, 8/11/13 Storm Pictures  Once we felt comfortable that the storm had passed, we unpaused our beach plans.

Obviously, after such a storm... the beach was fairly deserted. And as expected, signs of people who had rushed off the beach were everywhere.

But once again, what was barely there were cigarette butts.  There's only one other cleanup that I remember specifically doing after it rained: my 127th beach clean up on March 19, 2012.  Then I picked up 91 cigarette butts.

Sunday, I picked up 10.  Only ten.

Friends of Wrightsville Beach.  We are beginning to see what "better" looks like.  And although it took a lot of work to make Smoke-Free WB a reality, people are complying with the new ordinance.  I've even taken the time while at the beach to let anyone I see smoking (which has been very few!) know that WB is smoke-free.  It's a nerve wracking experience, but everyone I've talked to has been super nice (and appreciative of me letting them know).   

A recent Star-News article reports on the topic here: Wrightsville Beach sees compliance, with little fuss, on smoking ban

smiling.  I. can't. stop. smiling.

"We live in a time where we don't need more ideas... we're swimming in solutions, we just need more volunteers.  So if there's anything in this world that fires you up, lean into the discomfort and go out there and do something and make a difference." 

~ Jason Mraz

20 minutes on August 11, 2013 at Access 39

Litter by weight: 2 lbs 7 oz

Cigarette butts: 10

Total amount of cigarette butts removed from Wrightsville Beach, NC in 197 days: 

55,610

Our Daily Ocean: Day 196

On August 9, 2010... my kids and I went to access 43 to do our very first 20 minute beach cleanup at Wrightsville Beach.  I felt such a strong pull to start this project of documenting, collecting weighing and tallying that as soon as I started... I knew that I was doing exactly what I was supposed to be doing.

I said to myself: "I am going to help fix the cigarette litter problem on Wrightsville Beach."

That first clean up, we picked up 346 cigarette butts and put them in a plastic jug.

Every year on August 9, I head back to Wrightsville Beach access 43.  I love the feeling of being connected to where this all started.  As much as the beach has been reshaped over the course of this project, so have I.  Without going into the myriad of things that have happened over the past 3 years, let me just say that amazing things happen when you expand your comfort zone.

As this year is the first year of the smoke-free beach ordinance, I was super excited to do my "Anniversary Beach Cleanup".  One of the greatest things about documenting the number of cigarette butts picked up in 20 minutes since 2010 is that I have data to make comparisons.

Different year, same date (August 9), same access (Access 43).

2010: 346
2011: 378
2012: 172
2013: 47

Now one thing that I will never claim to be is a math wiz... but thanks to my googling abilities, I'm able to figure out that comparing 2010's cleanup to 2013 that's a decrease of 86%.  Or comparing more recently 2012 to 2013 (both years have part of the beach closed for shore-bird nesting), that's a 73% reduction in cigarette litter!!!!  I'm just thrilled.  Absolutely thrilled.

Once upon a time, there was a mom who believed she could make a difference.  And she did... but she didn't do it alone.

  

20 minutes on August 9, 2013 at Access 43

Litter by weight: 13.1 oz

Cigarette butts: 47

Total amount of cigarette butts removed from Wrightsville Beach, NC in 196 beach cleanups:

55,600

Our Daily Ocean: Day 191

Not long ago, I went to write "I've been so busy."  ...and as those words started out of my head and onto the screen... I hit a mental delete and instead said, "my life is full."  And so goes, why I haven't posted in so long....

My life is full. 

As I spent so much time focused on the Wrightsville Beach smoking ban the past couple of years, it's been good for me to take a bit of time away from the beach this year and focus on other things including reading and gardening. But when I do make it to the beach, I find myself mentally rewinding to previous years beach cleanups.  I am grateful that I was part of helping create change at Wrightsville Beach... because with every beach cleanup I do... it's evident that the smoke-free beach ordinance is working.  

Comparing my 149th beach clean up from July 15, 2012 at Access 36 to July 15, 2013 at Access 36 there's a 69% decrease in cigarette litter post smoking ban! 

There are many things worth celebrating at the beach and yes... the smoke-free beach ordinance is one of them ;)  When celebrating while at the beach (or anywhere for that matter), I'd like to make the suggestion to always celebrate responsibly and with thought and concern for the environment.

Make memories, not trash.

20 minutes on July 15, 2013 at Access 36

Litter by weight: 4.7 oz
Cigarette butts: 41

Total amount of cigarette butts removed from Wrightsville Beach, NC in 191 days:

55,193

Our Daily Ocean: Day 187

My kids whispered to me, "mom, mom... MOM.... that guy is trying to light a cigarette."  We were under Johnnie Mercer's Pier picking up litter.  There was a really nice breeze and as such the man was standing behind one of the pier pylons attempting to light his cigarette... and when he did, I took a deep breath and for the first time said, "Excuse me sir... this is a smoke-free beach."  

Speaking of smoke-free beach.  I've reached a little... err... big milestone.  This cleanup, I passed the 55 thousand cigarette butt mark.  Picking up 113 cigarette butts pushes the current tally to 55,082 cigarette butts removed from WB!  Thanks to everyone who has come out and helped do a 20 minute beach clean up!

Since beach season is in full swing, that means there's A LOT more people visiting Wrightsville Beach Contrary to what the above photo may trick you into believing, there were people everywhere on the sand and in the water on a Thursday afternoon!   A lot more visitors means that there's a lot more trash littered on the beach.  The beach needs all the help it can get.  Want to help clean up the beach?  Let's do it together!  

Connect with me via email DanielleLR55 [at] aol [dot] com or on Facebook: It Starts With Me

20 minutes on May 30, 2013 at Access 16

Litter by weight: 2 lbs 13.2 oz

Cigarette butts: 113

Total amount of cigarette butts removed from Wrightsville Beach, NC in 187 days:

55,082

Our Daily Ocean: Day 186

While eating dinner at Mellow Mushroom on Memorial Day, my husband asked me which access I wanted to go to do a cleanup.  I laughed and smiled to bring a bit of lightheartedness to the fact that I wanted to go to access 16.  Friends... what I'm about to share with you is important.  It's really hard to know where to start... so let me start with this:

Words and pictures will never be able to convey what we witnessed.  

 When we first got to the beach, we were immediately distracted by ocean rescue and a large crowd that were gathered by the pier.  I learned today that a boater ran into the pier with his 52' yacht.  As soon as we moved our eyes away from the scene and to the beach, we could hardly believe the mess that lay ahead of us.  To say that it looked like people dumped their trashcans on the beach wouldn't be stretching it.  There were more littered water bottles than we had ever seen... and as the tide was coming up littered plastics were washing in and out.

It was a sad sad scene.

We picked up everything that crossed our paths and went out of our way to get what we could from the incoming tide.  After only 8 minutes into our 20 minute clean up... my bag was overflowing.  I could have easily gotten overwhelmed.  It would have been SO easy to get mad and frustrated.  But I wasn't.  I told myself before we stepped onto the sand, "The trash on the beach is going to be bad.  That's why we're going."  And in the middle of staying focused on putting some effort into cleaning up a mess that wasn't ours, I realized something that made me smile and that gave me hope.

Claire found these sunglasses that brought out another side of her personality ;)

When my bag was full, I said to my family: "I haven't found many cigarette butts.  Just focus on cigarette butts and throw away the bigger stuff."  And we looked and we looked, but they really weren't there in the numbers we have seen in the past.  In 2011, when we did our Memorial Day cleanup we picked up 487.  This year? 43 cigarette butts in 20 minutes.  FORTY-THREE!!!!!!  No piles. None being uncovered by the incoming tide.  Just some stray littered butts.  Perfect?  Nope.  Better?  ABSOLUTELY!!

On instagram my friend Kate and purveyor of Landshark Skateboards captioned one of their photos with something I think is so worth sharing:

"Love the beach?  Care about marine life?  As soon as you set foot on the sand, both are your responsibility."

Let me remind everyone to not feel overwhelmed or defeated by problems that seem too big to make a difference.  Find a mantra.  Repeat it over and over again until you believe in it.  And when you waiver and second guess yourself.  Start repeating it again.  I say this:

I cannot do everything, but I can do something.  I will not let what I cannot do get in the way of what I can do.  

*I* am the difference.

 20 minutes on May 27, 2013 at Access 16

Litter by weight: 10 lbs 9.3 oz
Cigarette butts: 43

Total amount of cigarette butts removed from Wrightsville Beach, NC in 186 days:

54,969

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 179

From the moment the Wrightsville Beach smoke-free beach ordinance passed in November, I have been waiting for the moment when I go to the beach and take this picture:

It's really official!  "NO SMOKING" is on the signs at Wrightsville Beach! AND... I helped make that happen!  It feels awesome to have played a part in helping Wrightsville Beach become the first smoke-free beach in North Carolina!  Yeah, I'm smiling. 

While I'm super excited, I'm also realistic in knowing that it may take some time before we start seeing the positive impacts of the new ordinance.  The reality is that the cigarette litter problem will never be perfect.  But, what I do know is that it's going to be better.  And, that's something to be very excited about.

20 minutes on February 12, 2013 at Access 29

Litter by weight: 1 lb 3.9 oz
Cigarette butts: 81

Total amount of cigarette butts removed from Wrightsville Beach, NC in 179 days:

54,415