Monteray Bay Aquarium with Team Marine

Monteray Bay Aquarium is a stand out place dedicated to raising awareness for all issues of ocean conservation. It was tremendous to see the aquarium buzzing with activity while taking in the ocean life there that is so well cared for.

Thank you to the aquarium for giving Team Marine free entry for the day!

A Weedy Sea Dragon - now my screensaver.

There are many signs strewn throughout the exhibits that are thought provoking and truthful.

Barnacles - can you see their legs?

One exhibit included objects sunk into the tank that would be found around a pier to demonstrate some of our contributions to marine debris pollution in the ocean and what it would look like submerged.

Jellies!

Sardines - this tank made me feel dizzy when I stood up close.

A Weedy Sea Dragon in action, and my first attempt at video blogging.

Day 112, April 9 2010

life guard tower 26 - Ocean Park, Santa Monica CA

trash collected for 20 minutes

6.2 pounds collected

443.3 pounds total
I've had a very full week that has led to feeling inspired, and hopeful about the state of our oceans. Don't get me wrong, the situation is grim, but taking 5 days to travel with Team Marine to Sacramento to lobby for legislation that supports our oceans, and beaches was the trip of a lifetime.
Environmental groups were out in force for Sacramento's Third Annual Ocean's Day - like Environment California. I received an email from them to a link where we can sign a petition in support of the bill passing through state congress right now to ban smoking on california state beaches.

Here's the link.

Once passed though, we (the public), need to keep an eye out to demand that it is enforced. This doesn't address the problem of storm drains carrying a cities worth of cig. butts into the ocean, but hey it's a step in the right direction. Especially in light of the fact that:

"On one day in 2009, volunteers pulled 340,221 cigarette butts off California beaches. [1]"

1] http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/editorials/la-ed-cigarette24-2010mar24,0,5037237.story

-Dan Jacobson Environment California

Toxicity studies

SDSU public health researcher and CBAG Member Richard Gersberg evaluated the effects left-over cigarette butts have on marine life and found that the chemicals from just one filtered cigarette butt had the ability to kill half the fish living in a 1-liter container of water. Cigarette filters are made of cellulose-acetate, which is not biodegradable.

Roz Savage - Ocean Rower Extraordinaire - is setting off on the last leg of her Pacific Crossing to raise awareness for issues like plastic pollution in the ocean and global climate change.

Follow her.

She's an inspiration. I had the privilege of hearing her speak last night and I have to tell you she's amazing. To briefly re-cap part of her story, she wrote two obituaries years ago before she switched from a practical life that felt like a dead end, to "stepping off the edge of the known world", as she put it.

She wrote the obit. that would be shaped from the life she was living and an alternative obit. of the life she wanted to live. "One that left the planet in slightly better condition than when she found it." Well she has done that. And what a f&%&*ing cool idea. How brave, to write both obits. and have the courage to change.

Thank you Roz for the millions of people your story will touch, and the planet that will benefit from your courageous spirit and tremendous actions.

She also has a project about to launch called Eco Heroes - check that out and sign up too!!

Day 111-April 3

life guard tower 26 - Ocean Park, Santa Monica CA

trash collected for 20 minutes

1.5 pounds

437.1 pounds
Surfrider had a beach cleanup today at Tower 26 where I collect. They were out there at 9:00 a.m. so I was really interested to see how much would be there at the end of the day when Garen and I arrived at around 7:00 p.m. tonight.

It looked like they did a great job. The cleanup, and cold weather left only 1.5 pounds for us to gather. 1.5 pounds to many, but better than more.
Team Marine is receiving an Ocean Hero Award in Sacramento this Tues. for their Ocean's Day. They invited me to go with them which is really exciting! We leave tomorrow morning very, very early to bee line for the capitol. We'll be lobbying for various environmental Assembly Bills. One of which is:

AB 238 - EXTENED PRODUCER RESPONSIBILITY - (YAY FOR REP. CHESBRO!!!)

I've covered EPR in The Daily Ocean before, but here is a summary of why I am in huge support of this bill:

"Summary of AB238
Would implement an Extended Producer Responsibility program in California that would require manufacturers increase the recyclability, and recycling, of their products, as well as reduce toxicity."

Californians Against Waste
While putting together a fact sheet for Team Marine to take to Sacramento, Megan and I got a chance to see a document titled, "The True Cost of Single-Use Bags"

Did you know:

" Plastic pollution threatens California’s ocean economy, valued at $43 billion. An estimated 408,000 jobs mostly in the tourism and recreation sectors are tied to the Ocean economy.[i]

---

[i] Kidlow, J. et al. (July 2005). “California’s Ocean Economy,” report to the California Resources Agency, prepared by the National Ocean Economics Program.

This will be my last post until Friday April 9th. We return from our camping/lobbying trip late Thurs. night. If I have access, and time, I'll send TWITTER updates on our lobbying adventures and other high-lights from our state capitol.

Oceana's Ocean Hero Award Nomination

My friend Siel of the popular, funny, and highly informative blog - greenLAgirl - has nominated me for:

Oceana's Ocean Hero Award.

At the urging of some friends, I have decided to put a link on my blog in case you would like to nominate me too.

I am honored that Siel thought of me, and humbled by the support I have received so far.

Also - I encourage you to nominate other Ocean Heroes that you know too!

From now until April 19th - here is the nomination page.

If I get into the final 8, then it will be time to vote! I'll keep you posted.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

Day 110 - March 31

life guard tower 26 - Ocean Park, Santa Monica CA

trash collected for 20 minutes

2.4 pounds

435.6 pounds total

It was W-I-N-D-Y today, but I like the beach in cooler weather with relatively few people.

The Daily Ocean "fun" fact - My average collection is 3.96 pounds

So let's call that 4 pounds in 20 minutes.

That is 1 pound every 5 minutes.

This is from a beach that is cleaned (raked by tractor) once a day &

has 10 - 15 trash cans between every life guard tower.

W-O-W.

On windy days, what remains? Well...plastic. PLASTIC BOTTLE TOPS, PLASTIC WATER BOTTLES, PLASTIC BAGS, AND TINY BITS OF FRAGMENTED HARD PLASTIC (not pictured here).

I was thinking about the beach when the waves come up and the wind rips down the shoreline. Its ability to erode anything is clear on days like this. But then another thought came to me.

We have made products lasting for minutes out of material that withstands this harsh environment perfectly. Does that make a lot of sense?
My friend Lindsey sent me an email about a fellow Santa Monican who has also become aware of the plastics polluting our beaches, Mark Armen's blopg - GULPABLE - check it out!!

STOP PLASTIC BAGS FROM TRASHING OUR OCEANS - ACT NOW!!!!!

OCEAN MINDED contacted me to show their support and see how they could get involved with The Daily Oceans beach cleaning efforts. I'm excited! They look like a really cool company who are sincerly dedicated to helping the ocean. Check them out!

Day 109 - March 28

life guard tower 26 - Ocean Park, Santa Monica, CA

trash collected for 20 minutes

4.1 pounds

433.2 pounds total

COMMUNITY COLLECTION COUNT - Day 30

Tracy of Recycled Bride

1.7 pounds

212.6 pounds total
Tracy of Recycled Bride (which is an awesome website you must check out if you haven't) and I went out on the beach Sunday night to find it well...trashed. We walked out discussing how lucky we were to live in Santa Monica where the weather can be in the 80's in March, and where people appear so healthy by enjoying our great beach environment. Then I remembered that great weather means a greater amount of trash to collect.

Tracy was shocked. She should be. "Why aren't there lids on those trash cans so the sea gulls can't drag out all that trash?" she wondered out loud.

Good question.

Money is one answer, and complacency is perhaps another.

Although I do think that Dean Kubani who runs the Santa Monica City's Office of Sustainability and the Environment is amazing and dedicated...

Birds eating more styrafoam. I think that I found the same thing last time I was out. Tracy was again alarmed, and well, again she should be, right?

"What happens to the birds if they eat that stuff?" she asked me.

"Nothing good," was all I could say.

Hmmm...a net washing into the water like this, might sink, but it looks to me, that it could become a bit of a death trap to the marine life that got entangled in it. I again came across an article I think worth rementioning from Surfrider's ENewsletter, THE SOUP. (You can sign up on their website.)

It's not just beaches in Southern California that are suffering from being trashed as we know -

"About 3,000 items of litter are strewn across every mile of U.K. beach at any given time, according to a study released by the Marine Conservation Society. MCS Beachwatch Big Weekend 2009 results were collected by 4,655 volunteers who went to their favorite beach in late 2009 and not only removed the litter, but also recorded what they found. The haul included 7,393 plastic bags, 16,243 plastic bottles, 17,712 fishing nets and 70,546 small plastic pieces."

read the full article here

The Daily Ocean turns 1 year old today. How could this be you may be asking since I am not close to being done?

A year ago, (see day 1 here), I really didn't understand what I was getting myself into. I thought about some guidelines for myself and decided to put this one important rule in place:

1. I collect on 365 NON-CONSECUTIVE days. Life isn't perfect. I thought. I may have to go out of town, or get sick which I can tell you both happened in the last year. For example, I went on my honeymoon.

I wanted to create an example with The Daily Ocean for people to see that they can make a difference by adding environmental activism that they are passionate about to an already full life.

Then I realized that collecting trash, and starting this blog was a great platform for me to pass on what I was learning and thinking about as I went along. A year ago I just knew I needed to do something.

I was right. I am here to report one thing that I have learned for sure in the last year, which is for me action feels a lot better than in-action.

If you have found yourself following The Daily Ocean I want to say thank you. I look forward to what is to come.

My yearly average for beach cleanups was 2 - 3 times a week. Still a lot more than most people, but not at all unmanagable.

Thank you also to all of the people I have met through the Community Collection Count portion of my blog. You have truly inspired me.

Day 108 - March 26

life guard tower 26 - Ocean Park, Santa Monica CA

trash collected for 20 minutes

1.7 pounds

429.1 pounds total
There is a huge plastic bottle manufacturing plant in Corpus Cristi Texas called Flint Hills. In that city, the birth defect rate is 84% higher than the state average. I learned this from watching TAPPED. If you want to find out more, you can now buy it on DVD by visiting their website, and watch tons of free trailers too.

The fact I mentioned above is significant because when you buy #1 PET labeled plastic drinking bottle, you are not only ingesting carcinogens from the benzene and other chemicals that leech into your beverage, but you are contributing to the noxious gas emissions from the plant that is making those bottles, and poisoning the communities that live around their factories.

I've mentioned before that styrafoam is banned as a take out container in Santa Monica. But our city is at the end of the pipe, so to speak, meaning that the Santa Monica Bay receives all the trash from the storm drains for the entire city of Los Angeles where styrafoam is not banned.

This is a picture of what to me looked like beak marks and bird "bites" from porbably some foraging sea gull who now has a belly full of this stuff. But they aren't the only animals eating styrafoam. Check out 5Gyres blog to see a post about how some folks out to dinner, found stryafoam bits ingested in their clams. Wow.
I met a woman by phone yesterday, Sophie, when I was with Team Marine at SAMO high from

ACE - Alliance for Climate Education

Go to their site to check out their trailer, and sign up for an assembly on climate change to come to your school!

"ACE is a national nonprofit dedicated to educating America's high school students about the science behind climate change and inspiring them to do something about it—while having fun along the way. Founded in 2008, ACE is headquartered in Oakland, California, with offices in New York, Washington, DC, Los Angeles, Chicago, New England, Denver, Atlanta, Houston and Austin."

TAPPED - March 24, 2010 SAMOHI

TAPPED the movie at Santa Monica High School

presented by Team Marine and The Daily Ocean

After the screening, many of the students gathered in the loby of Barnum Hall to take a picture showing our solidarity against Bottled Water and for TAPPED!!!

We counted 125 +/- in attendance

Afterwards, we asked people to sign our pledge to REFISE USING SINGLE USE PLASTIC WATER BOTTLES - with 80 signatures so far, that is a pretty good show of support!

These pledge posters are now up in Mr. Kay's Marine Bio Room, so if you forgot, or didn't have a chance to sign yesterday, you can still sign!!!!

We would like to add these signatures to the TAPPED, "GET OFF THE BOTTLE CAMPAIGN" as the director Stephanie Soechtig and her Line Producer Sarah Olson, continue on their 30 DAY/ 30 CITY tour across the USA! Find out more: TAPPED

Day 107 - March 24

life guard station 26 - Ocean Park, Santa Monica CA

trash collected for 20 minutes

2.1 pounds

427.4 pounds
Today we showed the movie TAPPED at Santa Monica High School, and wouldn't you know it, the first kind of trash that I found on the beach was a PLASTIC WATER BOTTLE.

fun fact I learned from TAPPED: if you leave your water bottle in the sun, then drink the water in it, you have an even greater risk of leaching Benzene, a known carcinogen, into the water you are about to drink. Hmmm.......bottled water is supposed to be a "healthy choice" right?

No, turns out that your paying for tap water (40% of all bottled water comes from a municipal source) that then comes to you in a plastic bottle that leaches cancer causing chemicals into it.

Oh, but not before you pay an 1000% mark up for this now contaminated tap water.....

Talk about total insaninty!!! Reminds me of the tobaco industry.

wwww.tappedthemovie.com

Plastic....check out this blog that I really like with a link to a cool video about the, "The Story of Bottled Water." - LESS PLASTIC MORE LIFE - started by:

"A POLYMER ENGINEER BY TRAINING, A NATURE LOVER BY HEART. THE HEART WON. AND HENCE THIS BLOG." - how f*&%ng cool is that?!?!

This is a graphic picture of shark fins gathered after the brutal practice of Shark Finning.

Let's put an end to this insanity, shall we?

Go to STOP SHARK FINNING

"KEEP SHARKS IN THE OCEAN AND OUT OF SOUP."

It was very dark by 7:08 when I arrived at the beach. I felt exhilirated after seeing TAPPED with 125+/- people, but I have to say it is easy to feel as dark as this weather about the future of our environment when I come to terms with the size of the David and Goliath fight we have on our hands against plastic pollution.

What's the option though?

There is none, and so as my friend and co-founder of the Plastic Pollution Coalition

Manueal Maqueda says, "Onward!!!!!"

Day 106 - March 18, 2010

life guard tower 26 - Ocean Park, Santa Monica CA

trash collected for 20 minutes

4 pounds

425.3 pounds total

You can imagine my surprise when I turned on YAHOO this morning and saw FOX NEWS talking about the perils of trashing our ocean floor.

There was a study from Monterey to Long Beach of the ocean floor and what kinds of trash lay strewn across it. Well, as you can imagine, the findings weren't good.

From kitchen sinks, to unexploded military bombs the place is well, trashed. They went on to suggest how to prevent this from continuing to happen since recovering these items might prove more toxic to marine life than leaving them alone. I think we know the answer, but it was oh so fun to hear a FOX news anchor tell us.

But don't take my word for it, WATCH THIS.

Team Marine has done it again!

Watch their YouTube Video on their recycling program for Life Straws.

My friend at KISS MY COUNTRY blog has done it again! Read her engaging interview about Loggerhead Turtles being rescued by the 100's off the beach in JUNO BEACH Fl.

Loggerhead Marinelife Center Interview

More about the screening of TAPPED at Santa Monica High School next Wed. the 24th of March at 4:00 pm. Bring your friends, bring 10, 20, 30 people, we can fit them all and everyone will still be FREE!!!

Why should you come? Read a message from the Director Stephanie Soechtig below:

WHY SHOULD YOU HELP US?

Because we are taking on some of the media’s biggest advertisers (Nestle, Coke, and Pepsi) we cannot rely on traditional outlets to get the word out. One of our favorite talk shows couldn’t discuss Tapped on her show because Pepsi is her largest advertiser. So the time has come for us to call on our supporters to help us spread the word about the dangers we are facing and to protect our rights to access clean drinking water!!

Together, we can make a difference!

As those of you who have seen Tapped already know, bottled water is really a microcosm for some much larger issues facing our country: the world water crisis, the free-reign given to chemical corporations to use cancer causing agents in our products, the social injustice that effect minority communities across America, andplastic pollution.

It’s time to take action! www.tappedthemovie.com

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

Day 104 - March 13th

Did you miss the screening at SMC? Want to come to this one?

It's FREE, bring 10, hell bring 50 people. We've got Barnum Hall at Santa Monica High and it seats a huge amount of folks. Around 500 I believe. We want you there.

FaceBook it, Tweet it, Blog it, and don't forget to come!!!

life guard tower 26 - Ocean Park, Santa Monica CA

trash collected for 20 minutes

2 pounds

415.6 pounds total

Plastic, plastic everywhere.

This week I can't help but think about the Sushi sting that took place in my backyard. Right on the heels of the Oscars, the team of people who made The Cove have uncovered that The Hump restaurant, less than 2 miles from my house, has been selling illegal whale meet. Sei Whale to be exact was served up on the menu, and guess what THEY ARE ENDANGERED.

Carl Safina weighs in on the killing of dolphins for food in this article.

The main problem with killing marine mammals — a much bigger problem than whether a small amount of killing is sustainable — is that it is cruel. Every real advance in human thought has had to do with expanding our circle of compassion. Cruelty to animals seems to parallel cruelty to people. So, I think the international condemnation of the dolphin killing is fair enough. There is no denying the fact that it is brutal business.

I'm going to end with this link to some stunning pictures of dolphins at play in the waves.