Day 335 - Sept. 23, 2012

lifeguard tower 26 - Ocean Park, Santa Monica CA

trash collected for 20 min. 

3 pounds

1,265.8 pounds total

3 cigarette butts

Last night I went to hear Greg Stone, Marine Biologist/Explorer/Scuba Diver and Conservationist talk about the health of the oceans. He has an article on Sea Mounts in this month's National Geographic and had real life tales of diving into icebergs to share with us. 

The work he does now with Conservation International focuses on policy and international collaboration. 

What I really enjoyed about his talk was when he broke down why the ocean is so key to not only the health of the planet, but the health of all the people on the planet.  

For starters, the ocean is the primary source of protein for developing nations. With over 8 billion people here and 9 billion around the corner, managing the way we catch fish so they can reproduce and grow at a rate that keeps the ocean a vital food source is a really good idea. 

How can you help?

Go to Monterey Bay Aquarium and download their seafood guide for Android and iphone. 

Then in the grocery store or at a restaurant you can check if the fish you want to order is caught using sustainable fishing practices and is healthy for you to eat.

It's true, LA states on their Public Works Website that you can recycle styrofoam cups in the blue bins provided by the city. So why does this photo bother me? Because I've read up on what happens to materials in the recycling waste stream. 

My friend Harry from The Flotsam Diaries lifts the veil on recycling to reveal the ugly truth that

 - THE TRIANGLE IS A LIE. 

Harry goes into detail and sites his sources to deliver concise, easy to understand facts about recycling. Even the stuff we dutifully clean and sort into our bins is still an issue. Many nations in the world have little to no recycling infrastructure at all.  

How can you help?

Buy in bulk so there is less plastic packaging. 

Buy less plastic wrapped stuff. 

Carry a clean, reusable bag to the grocery store. 

All of these efforts make a difference. Remember, there's a whole lot of us on the planet. What if most of us changed only a little? I believe it would still make a world of difference.