lifeguard tower 26 - Ocean Park, Santa Monica CA
trash collected for 20 min.
2.2 pounds
956.6 pounds total
A dispurbing email appeared in my inbox today titled,"100,000 GARBAGE BAGS WORTH OF TRASH WASHES INTO SAN FRANSISCO BAY EACH YEAR."
The assessment was conducted by the Bay Area Stormwater Management Agencies Association.
This is powerful information to have. There are suggestions given to reduce liter, most of which hand sole responsibility over to the individual.
While I agree that modifying my own habits reduces liter, and therefor keeps it out of the water, I would like to see more pressure put on companies that create the packaging we buy.
Extended Producer Responsibility - in shorthand - companies who include reclaimation of their product packaging at the beginning of their business model. It's happening....very slowly.
How many bags would the LA area fill? I cringe thinking about it.
Stunning photographs of a "Cloud Tsunami" rolling over Florida appeared on MSNBC's photoblog last week. Incredible.
People incorporate the beach into their everyday lives around here. I had a simular goal when I started The Daily Ocean in March of 2009. As time ticks on, I get selfconscious of how long my 365 non-consecutive goal has taken me. I mistakenly thought I'd breeze through this task in a little over a year. In actuality, it's taken much longer. I guess being away 3 and 1/2 months out of the last year can set you back...
But as I collected from the beach last night, a new acceptance came to me about the length of this project. The Daily Ocean HAS settled into my day-to-day life whether I'm collecting one day, or blogging the next, and even on the days inbetween posting cycles. This blog HAS inserted a measure of environmental action into my routine that is managable, and ongoing, no matter how long it takes me to get to my perceived "finish line." In the doing, I'm already there.
