lifeguard tower 26 - Ocean Park, Santa Monica CA
trash collected for 20 min.
6.8 pounds
1,193.6 pounds total
7 cigarette butts
Smoking is banned on the beaches in Santa Monica.
I'm doing a comparative count with my friend Danielle who writes the blog, IT STARTS WITH ME who lives in North Carolina where you can smoke 'em if you got them on the sand.
Do smoking bans work?
Let the numbers give you the answer.
Santa Monica, CA - 53 beach cleanups (20 min. each) - 322 cigarette butts
Wrightsville Beach, N.C. - 32 beach cleanups (20 min. each) - 6,737
Danielle has collected 6,415 more cigarette butts than me and I've done 21 more cleanups.
About ten minutes into last night's cleanup I hadn't found a single-use plastic water bottle! I turned around right after thinking this to find a plastic cup. But I held out hope and kept my fingers crossed.
Until the next item I found was...
The one in the photo above
None is better than one
I still prefer none
Maybe you're the one
To take a reusable container to the beach next time?
Danielle from IT STARTS WITH ME, threw a big ole' party/fundraiser for Ocean Cure, a N.C. non-profit that gives free surf lessons to medically fragile and at risk youth. Her friend at BIG STRONG GIRL DESIGNS created a charity copper cuff for the event.
Inspired by one of the best quotes to take action for the ocean,"INDIVIDUALLY WE ARE ONE AND TOGETHER WE ARE THE OCEAN," Danielle's friend printed,
"TOGETHER WE ARE AN OCEAN FOR OCEAN CURE."
Action ripples out in so many ways. Danielle embodies this beautifully.
Thank you Danielle.
