Day 365 - Dec. 8, 2012

lifeguard tower 26 - Ocean Park, Santa Monica CA

trash collected for 20 min. 

.6 pounds

1,333.1 pounds total 

1 cigarette butt

(Beth Dubber Photography)

Community Count Day 262 - 39 people

lifeguard tower 26 - Ocean Park, Santa Monica CA

trash collected for 20 min.

22.1 pounds

1,114.3 pounds total 

DAILY OCEAN COMBINED TOTAL - 

2,447.4 POUNDS OF TRASH OFF BEACHES WORLD-WIDE

Forty of us gathered at the end of the boardwalk at 3:00 p.m. last Saturday to do the 365th Daily Ocean beach cleanup. I set my watch for 20 minutes and off we went. The Daily Ocean has taken over 2,400 pounds off beaches around the world, twenty minutes at a time. 

Here's how we've done it. You can join us!

(Beth Dubber Photography)

My routine is to take a photo of lifeguard tower 26 to start my beach cleanup report when I update this website. Then I head to the waterline to snag what is just coming out of, or going into the ocean. 

Thank you to my friend Beth for taking some wonderful photographs of the Daily Ocean's 365th beach cleanup. Please visit her website to see her portfolio. She's a freelance LA based photographer.

Writing this post is bittersweet. Last weekend was incredible. We had a party with 80 - 100 people on Friday night. I knew community was one of the most cherished gifts I've received from doing the Daily Ocean, but seeing many of the people I admire and call friends in one place reaffirmed this. 

Looking out over the sand at the crew that showed up the next day was just as great. Like I said on Friday night, the Daily Ocean was a project conceived of for one person to clean their local beach, but I didn't do this alone. 

What did we find? As Bill Price Environmental Biology Professor from Santa Monica College where my husband teaches shows, more of the usual suspects; straws, styrofoam, cigarette butts, and wrappers. 

My friend Michael Yonke, who re-purposes found materials like wood and metal into incredible one-of-a-kind furniture, shows one of the top three items found in the ocean, candy wrappers. 

Michael recently awarded me a handmade coffee table. Read the post and check out his website. 

My friend Kou catered last night, meaning really he made sure the Izze's soda bottles got recycled and cupcake wrappers found the trash. He found a very strange object last time he was out on the beach with me, and today he's done it again. I am not sure what this dagger-looking object is, but I am glad it is off the sand and in the trash. I met Kou the year I mentored Team Marine more directly. I am still honored to be a partner. 

Find out what great environmental work Santa Monica High School's Team Marine is up to!

Laejohnie and Fernanda came out from Santa Monica College's Eco-Action Club. They are going to be doing Daily Ocean beach cleanups of their own. I'll feature their posts here and they will be the first school to officially join the Daily Ocean's next phase! Stay tuned for more information about that. 

(Beth Dubber Photography)

After our twenty minutes we weighed our haul. I'd let everyone know before we went out that it was December so we may not find a lot of trash on the beach since it hadn't rained this week and not many people were sunbathing. These are my favorite kinds of beach cleanups, when twenty minutes is dedicated to remembering my dedication to help the ocean and it is more of a walk than a trash collection. But individual effort added up it like it always does and we got 22.7 pounds of trash off the beach in twenty minutes. 

(Beth Dubber Photography)

Thank you to all of the people who took time out of their busy weekend to come be a part of this beach cleanup. A few days later I'm still delighted, relieved, and a bit melancholy to see this phase of the Daily Ocean complete. But there's a lot more to come! 

A HUGE THANK YOU TO MY FRIEND DANIELLE WHO WRITES THE BLOG IT STARTS WITH ME. She's committed to doing 365 beach cleanups in Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina where she lives. Danielle has already done 170 cleanups, and taken over 50,000 cigarette butts off her local beach. Let's all cheer her on along the way!

IT STARTS WITH ME

I'll sign off this post with my last TIP TO HELP THE OCEAN - START.

That's right. Start whatever it is that you are inspired to do. 

Want to do a Daily Ocean cleanup in your neighborhood and write me about it? You are welcome to. Don't know where to start? Ask me, I am here to help - sara@dailyocean.org

I started with one solo beach cleanup in late March 2009 and look what developed from that. It's been a joy to see where the Daily Ocean has taken me so far. You'll never be able to predict just how, and who will help you along the way. 

Millions of people dedicate their working lives, careers, free time, thoughts, money and love to help the ocean every single day. Join us. There's always room for more people who care about the ocean. You're not alone. 

The ocean faces many environmental problems, but there are many, many solutions. 

Let's put our efforts into those solutions together. 

"INDIVIDUALLY WE ARE ONE DROP, TOGETHER WE ARE THE OCEAN." 

- Ryunosuke Satoro 

Day 263 - March 5, 2012

lifeguard tower 26 - Ocean Park, Santa Monica CA

trash collected for 20 min.

2 pounds

971.2 pounds total 

I met my friend Danielle who writes It Starts With Me over a year and a half ago when she came out with her family onto the beach here in Santa Monica with me for a Daily Ocean beach cleanup. She went home and started her own Daily Ocean, which is exactly my hope for anyone who wishes to. Of all the people who have lent their hands to this, Danielle has put forth the most stunning, consistent effort. She's collected over 40,000 butts from her local beach in just over 100 days! 

Here's a quote from her latest post. She needs our help! We'll give it, won't we?

"Interesting fact time!  In 122 days, doing 20 minute beach clean ups.... we've picked up 40,827 cigarette butts off of Wrightsville Beach.  That averages out to picking up nearly 17 cigarette butts every minute! YIKES!  Houston Wrightsville Beach: We have a problem.  The hearing for the proposed smoking ban on Wrightsville Beach is exactly a week away.  Please mark your calendars for March 8.  The meeting starts at 6 PM.... and we need everyone that supports our efforts to show up to the meeting.  We can do this TOGETHER!! :)" - IT STARTS WITH ME

Please sign this SURFRIDER action alert. We can lend our names even if we can't fly to N.C. on March 8th to be there in person for their local meeting deciding on whether or not to ban smoking along their stretch of coastline. 

SUPPORT A SMOKE-FREE WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH

Before this sunset blew my mind, I watched a small pod of dolphins close to shore. Nights like these make me so glad I started this blog. If not me, then who will stand up for this place I love?

Day 333 - Sept. 20, 2012

lifeguard tower 26 - Ocean Park, Santa Monica CA

trash collected for 20 min. 

1.5 pounds 

1,261.3 pounds total 

6 cigarettes

There's a cool new site that shares old and new remedies for preventing chronic illness called - 

THE HEALIST - WELLNESS REMIXED

There's a direct connection between a healthy body and a healthy ocean.

Check out their site for interesting video and inspiring content to take better care of your body. 

Health starts with us and spreads to the whole planet. 

I'm almost in countdown mode with 32 beach cleanups to go, but this is not an end to The Daily Ocean. I'm looking at a computer monitor for many more minutes a day than normal in preparation for the next phase. It's bitter-sweet getting closer to my 365th beach cleanup goal. But once I'm done, I'm eager to get off the sand and come meet you during my -

OFF THE SAND AND ON THE ROAD 

speaking tour for schools and businesses. 

Let me know if you'd like me to come to your school, town or business. 

This plastic wrapper held some kind of fast food. 

If we all packed a quick snack from home in a reusable container or grabbed a piece of fruit, we'd buy less products that leave a plastic trace for years and years to come. 

Even if we did this once a week, there'd still be a positive impact for you and the environment. 

Once a week? Really? Come on...

Yes, really!

You may find my point idealistic or even a little silly, but for example - in Santa Monica there are about  90,000 people living here next to the ocean. 

If we all bought one less plastic wrapped snack product a week -

THAT'S OVER 90,000 PIECES OF PLASTIC WRAPPERS THAT COULD POTENTIALLY ENTER THE OCEAN.

Like my friend Danielle often reminds us with her blog IT STARTS WITH ME. 

"Everything we do or don't do has an impact on the world, it starts with me and ripples to you."

WINNING SHORT FILM FROM SUNDANCE

"IT STARTS WITH ME" - a short film by Destin Cretton

My friend Danielle of the blog, "It Starts With Me," was featured at the Sundance Film Festival as a winner of the Brita Filter For Good Contest. I am so inspired by watching her in this brief film. 

She came out onto the beach in Santa Monica with me over the summer. This film is about the cigarette butt cleanups that she started when she got home. So far she has collected way over 13,000 cigarette butts off of Wrightsville Beach, in NC. 

What strikes me most about the film, is that you never know who you are going to meet, connect with, what inspiration sparks from that chemistry, and then all of the wondrous outcomes that develop because of these chance encounters. 

I am so grateful that they included a brief bit in the film on The Daily Ocean. A special thank you to the film's director Destin Cretton for including me in his project. I hope you enjoy watching it as much as I did. Here is how to find Danielle, and how to find Mark. Enjoy.

Day 208 - August 2, 2011

life guard tower 26 - Santa Monica, CA 

trash collected for 20 min.

3 pounds collected

785.2 pounds total

COMMUNITY COUNT DAY 116 

(until I update from my rock star friend Danielle's blog IT STARTS WITH ME - 82 DAYS & counting)

Arleen and Garen 

trash collected for 20 minutes

Arleen - 2.1

Garen - 2.1 

4.2 pounds total

711.7 pounds total

THE DAILY OCEAN TOTAL POUNDS COLLECTED OFF ALL BEACHES - 1,496.6 

After the CBS Nightly News aired their segment last Sunday on The Daily Ocean, I got at least half a dozen comments from concerned viewers pleading with me to wear a glove.

I DO! Thank you for your kindness. I was touched by the time you took to write me a comment, send me an email, or a tweet to let me know that you wanted me to be safe when I went out for my collections. 

I usually wear a glove, and can't remember why I wasn't for part of that shoot. But thanks for your support and interest in The Daily Ocean!

My friend Arleen has been a supporter of this blog since she found me on twitter right after I got started. Lucky me that she is moving to Venice part time. She was here this week getting her house situated and so she came out for a cleanup to catch up since the last time I saw her. She's done cleanups with me before -- check one of them out here. 

Thanks Arleen for the good company, the good food last night, and of course for your friendship and support.

And so castles made of.....plastic? Fall into the sea, endlessly. Please excuse the poor paraphrasing of the timeless Hendrix classic, but I think you get the idea. 

I passed my hand through several plastic bags this morning in the surf while swimming out. It was low tide, the kelp was dense, and the synthetic detritus was floating around like ramen noodles. Its frustrating for me when I'm body surfing and I swim past trash. I could shove it in my rash guard...yuck! OR I could come back at the end of the day. I'm reinvested in this beach in a different way now that I spend 5-6 mornings a week in the water with my body surfing friends.

A kelp wave. 

While Arleen, Garen and I walked south

the sun set behind us with plenty of people enjoying a Southern California beach at low tide. We may have been the only people there to pick up trash in the setting sun, but we loved our walk just as much as the rest of them strolling along the shoreline. Thanks Arleen and Garen. 

PARTY TO CELEBRATE THE 365TH DAILY OCEAN CLEANUP!

Way back in 2012 (Dec. 7th) we had a party to celebrate the 365th Daily Ocean beach cleanup. I set my goal over three years ago with a few guidelines - 

How much trash could one person collect off of their local beach in "one year"?

1. go to the same beach for every beach cleanup

2. time myself to clean up for only 20 min. 

3. take photographs of the good, the beautiful and the trashy as I went along and post them here

4. go as many days as possible - not in a row - my average was one beach cleanup every three days

I wasn't sure who I would reach with my new project when it began in March of 2009, but I've made several friends like Marina Deb Ris who is a graphic designer, trashion designer, and plastic pollution awareness activist. 

Friends from other parts of my life showed up for me on Dec. 7. Here's Nancy and Sandra looking at my photographs which I displayed pop-up gallery style at Yogitoes that night. 

When enough folks had gathered I presented my new website to the crowd. 

www.dailyocean.org 

I'd been working on it for a couple of months and was proud to roll it out that night. Even though I've finished my initial goal, I'm not planning on stopping here. 

My friend Danielle was here to celebrate. We've collaborated a lot over the last few years. She has a section of her blog IT STARTS WITH ME called OUR DAILY OCEAN. We have been comparing cigarette butt counts during our respective bi-coastal 20 min. cleanups between CA and her home of North Carolina. Our friendship is for me one of the most treasured outcomes of my project.

Kellie made all the goodies. She's a talented photographer and pastry chef. My friend Ben standing next to her is lucky to call her his girlfriend. They're a great match!

Ben teaches at Santa Monica High School and coaches Team Marine. 

A big thank you for a Team Marine alum and friend Kou for helping me that night. 

So what am I up to? 

Come to www.dailyocean.org and sign up for updates and news from me. 

It's easy - click the JOIN ME button and enter an email address 

where you'd like to receive a monthly update from me. One goal of mine is that I want to speak to as many schools and businesses as will have me. Can you help?

I want to surprise and delight with my talks, photography and writing. 

I want to inspire as many people as I possibly can to care for our oceans and beaches. 

It's so easy! You can do it!

I projected a running slideshow of my photographs. 

Welcomed new friends from the Surfrider Rise Above Plastics Speaker Training Program

 - Phil and Fernanda

Got a chance to chat with friends from the beach and

reveled in the company of friends, family and ocean lovers as we filled the space with Blue Love for our Blue Planet.

The conversation is still going on. Thanks to my friend Lindsey for joining the fun who works tirelessly with Surfrider, and Environmental Charter Schools. 

Here's to many more ocean centered conversations where people feel motivated, heard and fired up to make a difference for the ocean. But a difference for the ocean is also for all the people and life on this wondrous planet of ours. Come along for further adventures at 

www.dailyocean.org

for the full party album here - Daily Ocean Party on Flckr

Monterey Bay Aquarium's ONE TEEN SUMMIT

The Monterey Bay Aquarium had it's first annual Teen Summit: Oceans Need Everyone or O.N.E. 

It was my great honor to be their speaker Sat. night. 

I'm sitting at home after the experience inspired, and grateful to have been a park of the action. 

I met really cool, motivated students. The staff at M.B.A. were very welcoming. 

A huge thank you to all that participated!

At about 7:45 Sunday morning, I posed for a quick picture with my blue marble. Wallace J Nichols started the Blue Marble project in 2009. He has been responsible for a couple million marbles traveling the globe from person to person. 

I gave students blue marbles in the spirit of passing on his idea to hold the marble which represents our blue planet, take a moment to be grateful for the ocean, and then do one kind thing to help. 

Afterwards, pass your marble on with instructions to the next person to do the same.

breakfast with the Sea Spirits from Notre Dame High School

During breakfast, Garen and I got the chance to chat with the Sea Spirits club. They have a bunch of artistic ideas to help spread the word that disposable plastics damage the environment. I hope they keep in touch and let me know how it all develops! Great having breakfast with you!

I had the chance to speak to the participants who spent the night in the aquarium. I reiterated what I spoke about the night before. This quote, by author Anne Lammot embodies the spirit of what I said:

"Maybe what you have written will help others, will be a small part of the solution. You don’t even have to know how or in what way, but if you are writing the clearest, truest words you can find and doing the best that you can to understand and communicate, this will shine on paper like its own little lighthouse. Lighthouses don’t go running all over an island looking for boats to save; they just stand there shining.”

More marbles went to the group from Truckee - Makea and Austin who were with J at Bioneers and were excited to see the Blue Marble project in action again!

Faith and I taking a picture together. She asked questions the night before, and came up to talk again the following day. Thank you Faith!

It was so much fun to talk to all of you after breakfast! One cool moment from our conversation was when Kennedy (in the middle in red) told me that she wanted to pursue law, but was also into sciences. I asked her if she had ever heard of the NRDC - National Resource Defense Council. 

"No!" she said as a huge smile, and visible light bulb turned on over her head. It hadn't occurred to her that she could pursue both. So here's that link, NRDC and stay in touch!

participants scooping up marbles to pass around when they return home

This is a coffin lid that we hope was a discarded Halloween prop...now smartly re-purposed with this cool sign. I liked the fish bones and glued found pieces of plastic lining the top. These guys were funny, enthusiastic and creative. Thanks for stopping to talk after breakfast and good luck!

A Cyprus Tree lining the trail behind us after we left the aquarium for a morning walk.

After the students took off at 8:30, Garen and I spent an hour along the Pacific Grove trail that runs along the coast. What a wonderful way to enjoy a Sunday morning!

The coast lining Monterey Bay is breathtaking. One look and you see several species highlighted inside the aquarium right before your eyes. 

A few dozen harbor seals lined the beach to the right of this photograph. 

The Standford University Marine Lab

Another thank you to Garen for coming with me to Monterey, driving all the way up to the San Jose airport, showing me so much support,  and lending his photography skills.

A special thank you to my Dad who came all the way from NYC, throwing in a few work meetings on Thurs. and Fri. so he could be here. 

the back of Monterey Bay Aquarium

Around 9:30 we went back into the aquarium to see the world class exhibits again. 

view from the second floor inside the aquarium

a sardine bait ball - seen by most humans only from the surface while sea birds pick it off

This artist cuts out seaweed, and algae forms from plastic bottles. Beautiful.

Jacques! (Nemo reference...)

A grey whale hangs in the atrium near the entrance. 

For my friend Danielle from It Starts With Me. She was in town briefly as part of her family trip to Northern California. Our paths crossed at an Italian Restaurant after this photograph was taken. It really made my day to see her, her husband Aaron, and their three beautiful kids. I wish we could do that more often, but since she's in N.C. and we're in CA, I'll have to look forward to the next time we're brought together. I know it will happen again!

There's no record of a Hammerhead Shark EVER biting a person.

And so my weekend in Monterey came to an end. I sped home to see how our dog Kona was doing since he hurt his back. He's lying next to me on the couch as I type, napping with our other dog Kayla. Our cat Meera is lying behind me. 

I'm watching the sun set rapidly from our living room window in Santa Monica, reflecting on family and being home. It occurs to me that this weekend I met part of a growing, extended family who have found each other because of their love for the ocean, and for the planet. They will no doubt make sweeping changes to save, protect, and preserve our collective home.