lifeguard tower 26 - Ocean Park, Santa Monica CA
trash collected for 20 min.
5 pounds
1,060.9 pounds total
ZERO cigarette butts
(the second beach cleanup in a row where I've found 0. Smoke-free beaches work!)
The first piece of trash I saw walking out onto the beach was...
Sometimes I start composing my post for the day in my head while collecting trash. In general, it occurred to me that I want to emphasize more alternatives to single-use plastic convenience items, so that you feel empowered to make choices that affect positive change in the environment.
Let's start with plastic bags.
Replace them with cotton, or vinyl reusable bags. Both materials are easy to wash and durable!
Instead of making the same point as I did above, let's move on to plastic water bottles.
I collected two this night.
A stainless steel water bottle can be filled up at home, sanitized after you've drunk out of it, and used again. Filling up water at home will also save you money since most bottled water is taken from a municipal source already coming out of your tap and sold back to you anyway.
Here's a non-liter addition to tonight's list - natural sunscreen. Yes, stop by your local health food store or natural beauty supply store for chemical free sunscreen. There are natural alternatives that don't pollute the ocean, and are better for your health. Many natural alternatives can be found in main-stream pharmacies in the natural products section. Chemical exposure on your skin, and into our oceans is more costly than the initial price bump you may find when switching over. Try Burt's Bees.
