Our Daily Ocean: Day 162

Yesterday evening, my kids and I went to Wrightsville Beach with my friend Tracy and her kids.  Our main goals were to catch up and catch the sunset.  While finding our way through the sand dunes to the perfect spot to watch the sunset, we started a very sporadic clean up by finding a lot of random things including an inflated pool donut... which my daughter pointed out that it made a perfect necklace... ;)

Photo credit: Tracy Carr, Scarf: Late Sunday Afternoon (thanks! Live Like You're On Vacation)

As we found our way out of the dunes and to the water, I came across some Honda car keys alone in the sand.  It's the first time that I've ever found lost keys... and I wanted so badly to find the owner and make their day.  Unfortunately, even after pressing the unlock button by all the Hondas in the parking lot, I couldn't find the person the keys belonged to.  Bummer.  Knowing that I wouldn't get any closer to the owner by taking the keys with me, I decided to leave them at the gazebo at the Jack Parker parking lot at the south end of Wrightsville Beach.  Would love to know if those lost keys were found!

I had so much fun last night.  Sand in my toes, salt air, and the feel of the cool ocean... the evening was pretty perfect.  Beach clean ups with friends are the best... AND... beach clean ups that end with a sunset... even better.  Seriously, I love love LOVE where I live.  

20 minutes on October 14, 2012 at Access 44

Litter by weight: 2 lbs 11 oz

Cigarette butts: 181

Total amount of cigarette butts removed from Wrightsville Beach, NC in 162 days:

51,147

Our Daily Ocean: Day 161

I got to Wrightsville Beach bright and early this morning... 9 is early, right? ;) to chat with Melanie (from Greensboro, NC) about plastic.  Before I got to sharing how I reduce the amount of plastic our family uses, recycles, and throws away... I started a quick beach clean up.

What's great about doing a beach clean up and talking about reducing plastic is that every time I bend over to pick up something... it's most always plastic.  Doing consistent beach clean ups has been a major catalyst in me focusing on how much plastic we as a family use and connecting our plastic use with the global problem of plastic pollution.

Easy ways to become part of the solution to plastic pollution:

• Carry reusable shopping bags.  Take them everywhere from the grocery store to the mall.
• Say adios! to bottled water (and other plastic packaged beverages)
• When dining out request no straw in your drink (you can even request no disposables)
• Carry a bag with reusables so you're not stuck using plasticware or styrofoam take-out containers
• Instead of single serving products (juice boxes, granola bars, fruit cups, chips, etc), buy the larger size with less packaging or learn to make your own!  Check out my Plastic-Free Food 
• Share what you're doing with others!  Do you have a tip on how you use less plastic?

Let's get drastic about reducing plastic... because in today already walks tomorrow.

20 minutes on October 13, 2012 at Access 16

Litter by weight: 8.5 oz

Cigarette butts: 132

Straws: 4

Total amount of cigarette butts removed from Wrightsville Beach, NC in 161 days:

51,098

Our Daily Ocean: Day 160

Well, another semi-long stretch between beach clean ups had me so happy to be back at Wrightsville Beach on Wednesday.  The weather couldn't have been nicer... the blues of the ocean and the sounds of the beach welcomed me back... and ushered in many reminders to me why I love where I live SO very much.

As usual, a lot has been happening.  Just last week, I was in California... on the west coast friend tour!  While we were there, my husband and I did a 20 minute The Daily Ocean beach clean up in Santa Monica with Sara, Garen and Mark!  I love beach clean ups with friends.  

Check it out! Day 339: October 4, 2012

Oh, and I also love that during the clean up with Sara and friends, I only found 9 cigarette butts in 20 minutes.  This November, Wrightsville Beach registered voters have the opportunity to vote FOR making Wrightsville Beach a cleaner more family friendly beach.  It's a step to cleaning up the air and the sand at WB!!  

P.S... for an update on the cigarette litter comparison that Sara and I are doing... glance over to the sidebar to see the HUGE difference between our two beaches.

News! The Daily Ocean & It Starts With Me (that's Sara and me) are in the October issue of DIVE Magazine!  Get a FREE digital copy here :)

20 minutes on October 10, 2012 at Access 16

Litter by weight: 1 lb 1 oz

Cigarette butts: 127

Straws: 4

Total amount of cigarette butts removed from Wrightsville Beach, NC in 160 days:

50,966

Earth Paint

For the past couple of years, I have been homeschooling my three children.  It's not something that I ever thought I could do or would do, but here I am doing it. (and, it's pretty darn awesome!)  At the end of last school year, I told myself that this year was going to be the year of art.  Wherever I can work art in for my kids... that's what we're doing.   So, when Earth Paint contacted me about reviewing an organic, eco-friendly paint kit made from natural earth pigments (and made in the USA)... I couldn't say no... because really... I never even knew that eco-friendly paints existed.

When the Earth Paint Children's Paint Kit arrived at our house, my kids excitement couldn't be contained.  We waited for a nice day to sit out at the picnic table and paint... free from having to worry about anything... Paint on the table? No problem. Paint on feet? No worries. Since the paints are made from natural earth pigments and no petroleum or toxins, there really were no worries about anything.  One of the most noticeable differences is that with Earth Paint there's no funky smell (you know the normal intoxicating paint smell, right?)!  We painted outside, but we could have easily painted in a small indoor room and not have been bothered by any strong odor.  Woot!

And as my kids painted leaves, pressed them on paper, and then let them go in the wind... I couldn't help but feel good knowing that I wasn't putting anything unnatural into the environment.... or on their skin.  Yeah, my kids painted their hands, feet and at one point I found them in full tribal mode!

We had a blast painting with Earth Paints.  The colors were super vibrant... really unbelievable how beautiful the colors are.  (Though, really it shouldn't have been a surprise... the natural colors of our Earth are amazingly beautiful.)  One of my favorite things about the paints is that they come in powdered form and all I had to do was add water to the consistency that we wanted to use-- from thick tempura like paint to watercolors this paint covered anything we would want to do.  PLUS, it washed off my kids very nicely ;)

Since I focus a good amount of my time on refusing/reducing plastics, I think it's worth noting that when I opened the kit to find some little plastic cups and the powdered paints packaged in small baggies, I was a little bummed.  Not wanting to jump to conclusions, I emailed them to see if they thought about switching to plastic-free packaging.  And I'm glad I did because I learned that the baggies and the cups are both biodegradable and compostable.  (yes, I prefer reusable... but biodegradable/compostable is a million times better than anything I could ever find at a craft store).   Another thing is all of the paper packaging is 100% post-consumer recycled and printed with vegetable based inks!!  

It's nice knowing that the focus of Earth Paint is to be as eco-friendly as possible because it's better for the environment and our health.  It makes me happy because that's really what every business should be doing.  ... and for me, businesses that put environment before profit are businesses that I get excited about supporting.  I vote with my $$ and from now on this small family owned business has my support!!!

To learn more about Earth Paint, visit their website.

**Thanks to Earth Paint for sending me a Children's Kit to review.  All opinions expressed are my own and I was in no way obligated to give a positive review. :)

Our Daily Ocean: Day 159

When I stepped onto the beach on Wednesday, I immediately questioned my decision to do a beach clean up at 3:30 in the afternoon.  One thing that I haven't always been comfortable with is doing solo beach cleanups when there are lots of people at the beach.  Having to walk around and in between groups makes me feel awkward... undoubtedly someone will notice what I'm doing... watchful eyes... it's like having an audience.

Of course, I was committed to doing the beach clean up... and pressed on through my uncomfortableness.  About half way through my 20 minutes, I was making my way around a large group when I heard a voice: "How many cigarette butts have you picked up?"  I was about 6 feet away, so I stepped closer and said "a lot" and asked how he knew that's what I was doing (??).

His response:  Because that's what's here to pick up.

I ended up having a nice conversation with them about the cigarette litter problem at Wrightsville Beach... and I even learned that they had signed the petition for Smoke-Free Wrightsville Beach!! {{SMILE}}  What the heck was I so nervous about?!?  (lesson relearned)

20 minutes on September 26 at Access 19

Litter by weight: 9.5 oz
Cigarette butts: 236

Total amount of cigarettes removed from Wrightsville Beach, NC in 159 days:

50,839

 

Our Daily Ocean: Day 158

Since August of 2010, I've done a lot of beach clean ups.  Because I spend a good amount picking up things at the beach, I've found a fair amount of sea glass ... I've even found and returned a cell phone... but mostly, I've picked up more trash than I would have ever thought possible (and this project is still far from over).

On Sunday, while finishing up my 20 minute beach clean up with my friend Tracy, she found something very rare and what I think is one of the most incredible beach finds EVER-- a roll of film!!!!

A completely intact roll of film!!

Now I'm not sure how long it takes for a film canister to start to rust... but from what we can tell everything looks completely sealed and most likely there are pictures inside just waiting to be developed.  Yes, Tracy and I are both SO curious about what's on this professional black & white film, that Tracy is taking the film to have it developed! (stay tuned!)  

20 minutes on September 16, 2012 at Access 36

Litter by weight:  1 lb 11.2 oz

Cigarette butts: 343

Straws: 31

Total amount of cigarette butts removed from Wrightsville Beach, NC in 158 days:

50,603

Our Daily Ocean: Day 157

This past Saturday was Ocean Conservancy's International Coastal Cleanup day!  If you're unfamiliar with ICC, it's the worlds largest volunteer effort for ocean health.   With our locally scheduled event being a couple of weeks away, I decided to do my own cleanup at Wrightsville Beach.

When it comes to ICC, one of the main things that happens is that EVERYTHING is counted and tallied.  Volunteers tallying trash from the shores of lakes, rivers, streams and the ocean has the ability to show us the BIG picture of the major trash problems found all over the world.    

One thing that I always try to reiterate here is that Wrightsville Beach is a beautiful beach and the litter problems here are not just a Wrightsville Beach problem.  With every beach clean up we do at our local beach, it only paints a small picture to what is a global problem.  But, here's the thing that is important to remember about the "small local" picture:  Solutions to global problems start at the local level.  If we want to begin to change a global problem, we first have to start locally.

And when we start locally, we first have to look at ourselves and our own personal habits.  Take a look at the TOP TEN ITEMS FOUND chart (above).  When I first started doing beach cleanups, I asked myself:  "What things do I use on this list?  How can I begin to help change this?"  

Repeat after me.

Change starts with me... 

I am part of the solution... 

I am the difference.

20 minutes on September 15, 2012 at Access 16

Litter by weight: 6.7 oz
Cigarette butts: 131

Total amount of cigarette butts removed from Wrightsville Beach, NC in 157 days:

50,260

Me, Who Dove Into the Heart of the World [Book Review]

As much as I would like to call myself an avid reader, unfortunately with everything else going on in my life... I don't get to read as much as I would like to.  When I do find time for reading, the books that I pick up tend to be more factual based... especially dealing with topics about our environment.  So when I heard about the new book Me, Who Dove Into the Heart of the World by Sabina Berman being a novel about conservation and environment, I immediately became intrigued and wanted to read it.

When the book arrived in the mail, I couldn't wait to read it just based on the cover. (yes, I know I shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but when a book cover is beautiful... it's hard not to ;))  The book opens at one of my favorite places:

". . . the sea . . .
     . . . and the white sand beach . . ."

And just like that I was sucked in to this beautifully written, quirky and captivating book.  Written like the main character (Karen Nieto--an autistic savant known as "Miss Different Abilities") is sitting down with you telling you her life story... it's raw, pulls at the heartstrings and is a book that's hard to put down.  Well, there are various times in the book when Karen needs a break to get a "glass of water"... when I, too, found myself doing the same. :) 

Throughout the book, I marked pages because I found myself nodding in agreement with what was written... connecting to ideas and intrigued by the way the main character viewed the world and her place in it.   A few of my favorites are: 

"I also very much like the names of colors, which are things that are almost not things.  I mean, colors are things that just barely exist.  Between being and not being, they are like miracles."

"The standard human world: a bubble where nothing that isn't human is really seen or heard, where only what's human matters and everything else is either background, or merchandise, or food."

"About a text written by a Mr. Aristotle that claimed that humans are unique because they have souls, feelings, and intelligence, while other animals are complex robots with no souls, minds, reasoning, or ability to suffer or feel, I wrote 1 word: Idiotic." 

To say that I loved Me, Who Dove Into the Heart of the World would be a complete understatement.   For me, the true test of a good book is if I become emotionally enthralled in the book.  While reading, I had moments where I was confused, happy, sad, laughing out loud, and at times I even found myself frustrated.  Yes, this book was playing like a movie for me... the characters came to life and I totally got into this book so much that I had to remind myself that it was fiction.  I absolutely adored the book and now that I'm done reading it, I can't wait to pass it on to the avid readers in my life :)

Want to know a little more about the book?  Here's the description from the publisher:

Me, Who Dove into the Heart of the World (on-sale 8/7) is an extraordinary fiction debut by the award winning Mexican playwright, journalist and poet Sabina Berman. It’s an incredible story that explores how we live, what we eat, and the way we connect with others.

Karen Nieto grew up as a feral child, left alone to wander the beach near her family’s failing tuna cannery. But when her aunt Isabelle comes to Mexico to take over the familybusiness, she discovers a real girl amidst the squalor. Karen, an autistic savant, soon finds freedom not only in the love of her aunt, but also swimming amongst the creatures of the sea. Karen is defined by the things she can’t do until her gifts with animals are finally put to use to save the fishery: Consolation Tuna will be the first humane tuna fishery on the planet. Greenpeace approves, fame and fortune follow, and Karen is swept on a global journey that shows how our lives can defy even our own wildest expectations.

Thank you to Henry Holt publishing for sending me a copy of Me, Who Dove Into the Heart of the World 

Our Daily Ocean: Day 156

Well, it's official.  This 156th beach clean up is a DOUBLE milestone clean up!  Taking only 20 minutes whenever we visit Wrightsville Beach, we have managed to pick up over 300 lbs of litter AND remove over 50k littered cigarette butts from Wrightsville Beach!!

Now this wasn't accomplished by myself alone.  Nope.  Most beach clean ups, I'm joined by husband and three kiddos... and from time to time I'm joined by family and friends.  A HUGE thank you to everyone who has joined us for a 20 minute beach clean up at Wrightsville Beach to help us with this effort... I'm grateful for your willingness to help, the encouragement you give and most of all your friendships.

 Want to see who has helped us and when?  Go here.  And if you want to join us to do a 20 minute beach clean up at Wrightsville Beach, I'd love it!  Feel free to message me through Facebook  or drop me an email :)

Being that this blog was inspired by my good friend Sara's The Daily Ocean, I've taken the time to weigh all of the litter we pick up (minus large items like boogie boards and chairs).  Every beach clean up we do, Sara adds the weight to her Community Collection.  As of this clean up, we've added 300 lbs 14.6 oz to The Daily Ocean Community Count (which is now I believe over 1000 lbs!).  To learn more about The Daily Ocean Community Count Collection and to get involved.... go here.

Sara and I are also still doing our cigarette litter comparisons between our two beaches.  Just for a refresher, we started doing these comparisons to see what the difference would be between a smoke-free beach (Santa Monica) and a beach that still permitted smoking on the beach (WB).  Here's the most recent tally numbers: 

59 clean ups: 357 cigarette butts in Santa Monica

33 clean ups: 7,877 in Wrightsville Beach

One beach. 20 minutes at a time... 

We can make a huge difference in our world...

we have the ability to create change... 

we just have to be willing to try.

Let's try together.

20 minutes on September 2, 2012 at Access 26

Litter by weight: 1 lb 12.2 oz

Cigarette butts: 550
Straws: 10

Total amount of cigarette butts removed from Wrightsville Beach, NC in 156 days:

50,129

Our Daily Ocean: Day 155

Our actions shape our lives.  It is impossible to be alive without making an impact on the world that surrounds us.  And, when it comes to making the world a better place, what we choose not to do can be just as important as what we choose to do.  

Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending.

20 minutes on August 27, 2012 at Access 16

Litter by weight: 3 lbs 13.2 oz

Cigarette butts: 707

Straws: 18

Total amount of cigarette butts removed from Wrightsville Beach, NC in 155 days:

49,579