Day 105 - March 16

Want another really good reason you should come? Because it is FREE so that:

"This movie is scheduled to be shown in Maine - but Nestle is trying to buy up all the tickets and make sure as few people see this film as possible."

- July 3, 2009 Susan the Bruce Blog

life guard tower 26 - Ocean Park, Santa Monica CA

trash collected for 20 minutes

5.7 pounds

421.3 pounds total
Drew Albenze, the Chair of our West Los Angeles/Malibu Surfrider Chapter worked with a team of animators to create this short film. It rocks, I've seen it, spend a few seconds and watch.

"The Cycle of Insanity, the Real Story of Water"

Greenwashing. Do you know what that means? Or when that is happening to you?

Let me explain. It is when companies like Coca Cola try to divert responsibility from changing their environmentally damaging habits by slapping on some "green" looking advertising onto their products.

See the example above. Let's talk plastics for a second. See where it says "Plant Bottle"?

Fact - just because this plastic bottle was made from a plant based polymer plastic does not mean that it will bio-degrade, like the logo suggests, into dirt. In fact, it probably won't even make it into a recycling bin, (well this one did because I put it there, but you get the point)

Fact - bio-degradable - means that it belongs in a municipal composting facility. To date, I know of 2! One in Sun Valley, and one in the Bay Area. You think LA really sorts out all of their "compostable plastics" to get sent to Sun Valley? Yeah, I don't have to answer that for you.

Fact - to COMPOST ANYTHING EVEN FOOD, you need at minimum 135 degrees Fahrenheit, air and sunlight. Do you think those conditions occur in a regular landfill? Or in the ocean?

NO, they don't so really this "plant bottle" will see the same fate as it's cousin plastic bottles.

"ONLY 20% OF THE BOTTLES ARE RECYCLED, THE REST END UP IN LANDFILLS OR THE OCEAN." - TAPPED

DON'T GET "GREEN WASHED"

Sylvia Earle, famed Oceanographer, Aquanaut, Marine Scientist, and Ocean Activist won the 2009 TED prize. Watch her acceptance speech here. I re-watched it yesterday for inspiration while writing. She starts and ends her (this isn't a spoiler), speech by referring to "tomorrow's child" looking back on today, right now, and wondering why on our watch we didn't do something to save the dolphins, and whales, and ocean while there was still time?"

Here's something you can do, come to the FREE showing of TAPPED the documentary about the bottled water industry and so, so much more.

TAPPED - March 24th Santa Monica High School 4-6 pm. Bring everyone that you can.

First you have to know, then you care, then you can do something about it." - Sylvia Earle

"Tapped examines the role of the bottled water industry and its' effects on our health, climate change, pollution, and our reliance on oil."

Ahh warm weather brings back the people who bring the bottles back.

I don't think that it is a coincidence that over the winter, I rarely found a plastic water bottle on the beach. There were less people to be out enjoying the sunny days on the sand. Yesterday was 83 degrees here in Santa Monica, and well......I collected 8 plastic bottles in 20 minutes.

World Water Day is March 22nd, to kick it off the Director of TAPPED, Stephanie Soechtig and her Producer Sarah Olson will be driving across the country in a glass truck. Asking you to trade in your plastic water bottle for a KLEEN KANTEEN ONE! That is if you promise to

"GET OFF THE BOTTLE"

"Also beginning World Water Day, our Line Producer Sarah Olson and I will be embarking on a 30 day 30 city cross-country “Get Off the Bottle” tour. We’ll be driving a glass truck across the country, trading people their empty water bottles for a pledge to reduce their bottled water use. All those empty water bottles will go in the truck with the goal of ending the tour in New York City onEarth Day (April 22nd) with a truck full of bottles and the pledges of thousands! We’ll have our tour route mapped out on the website and you can follow us on Twitter as well as our daily blog from the road."

TAPPED THE MOVIE