Our Daily Ocean: Day 175

Warm weather is here!! Most likely not to stay, but it's here and it feels like early Spring!!  I LOVE LOVE LOVE it!!!  Warmer weather brings out a lot of people to the beach and... well... 

Love was in the air at Wrightsville Beach.  Ok, a lot of love was in the air.   In one small section, I found a beer can and then....  a used condom.  I cringed.  Then, I saw another.  Seriously?!  You've got to be kidding me!!  And when I found a third used condom, I just laughed.  I guess they had a good time.  

A little mannerism to remember for all those who get it on at the beach:

 Wrap it and trash it, PLEASE

20 minutes on January 13, 2013

Litter by weight: 2 lbs 6 oz

Cigarette butts: 48

Total amount of cigarette butts removed from Wrightsville Beach, NC in 175 days:

54,002

Our Daily Ocean: Day 172

Well, hello 2013.  It's a new year and because so much has happened and so many things have changed since this time last year... I'm finding myself super reflective.  I guess that's what New Years is about... reflecting on our past to guide us as we move to the new.  Reminding ourselves who we were, who we are and who we could be.  My head is filled with optimism and hope... a new year brings a new perspective. 

This year, Wrightsville Beach will usher in the implementation of North Carolina's first smoke-free beach.  Very BIG deal.  Successful implementation means there will be fewer littered cigarette butts on Wrightsville Beach!  I'm so excited!  I look forward to seeing a change and helping raise awareness about the new ordinance.  ...and as I reflect back, I can't stop smiling because I was part of something big.  I helped create change because I believed... because I had hope.  Because I read the words "You are the difference" and I believed it.

So let me remind you (as I do every new year) 

You are the difference.

Pass it on.  Everything we do matters.

20 minutes on January 1, 2013 at Access 42

Litter by weight: 1 lb 6.6 oz

Cigarette butts: 271

Plastic caps: 27

Total amount of cigarette butts removed from Wrightsville Beach, NC in 172 days:

53,726

Our Daily Ocean: Day 80

This week has been a really great week... yes, good things are happening!!  On Wednesday, it was an absolutely gorgeous day for my husband's birthday and my 80th beach clean up!  .... AND... inspiration is in the air!

Since starting this blog, I have connected with so many amazing people who continue to inspire me on a daily basis through their actions, motivating words, and amongst other things the synchronicity in our lives.  One of my major sources of inspiration comes from my friend Sarah who writes The Daily Ocean blog.  After meeting her (just over a year ago)... I became inspired to start these 20 minute clean ups!  AND... now I've contributed nearly 157 lbs of litter to her community collection count. Yowza!

And just as I am inspired... I find there is something so motivating when I see others being inspired by my actions... connecting to people who are making a difference... really really makes me super happy!!  Stephanie over at Good Girl Gone Green has been majorly inspired by my FilterForGood Film Project!!  YAY!!! On her blog she writes:

"If small everyday actions have lead us to the current environmental state we are in, then maybe small everyday actions can just as easily reverse the damage."

YES!!  Our everyday action DO make a difference.  ...Yes, she did a 20 minute clean up.  No, she doesn't live by the beach... she took time out of her vacation!! (High 5!)  But, here's what's really exciting...  she's going to start taking the time to pick up litter where she lives because all drains eventually lead to the ocean.  Ripple Effect in progress!!  LOVE LOVE LOVE!!! :)

20 minutes on July 20, 2011 at Access 40

Litter by weight: 8.2 oz

Cigarette butts: 153

Total amount of cigarette butts removed from Wrightsville Beach, NC in 80 days:

24,071