Day 340 - Oct. 8, 2012

lifeguard tower 26 - Ocean Park, Santa Monica CA

trash collected for 20 min. 

1.3 pounds

1,277.3 pounds total 

Community Count Day 253 - Megan van Dyke - my Mom!

trash collected for 20 min. 

1 pound

1,066.6 pounds total 

THE DAILY OCEAN COMBINED TOTAL - 2,343.9 POUNDS

I've been speaking a lot lately. This week was a visit to Guidance in Venice, CA. Guidance is a web design, marketing and commercial strategy company that has a Green Committee who bring speakers in once a year on a variety of environmental topics. I was thrilled to represent the ocean portion of the panel along with experts on solar from Grid Alternatives and Martifer, and Friends of Ballona Creek. One of the messages I conveyed during my talk was that I've learned to take the items off the sand that I find on my beach cleanups and then take them out of my own life. 

TAKE IT OFF THE SAND AND THEN TAKE IT OUT OF YOUR LIFE

Glass and aluminum containers are truly recyclable and will degrade back into their original material. Plastic never biodegrades and persists in some form forever in our environment. 

What a packed week it has been with my Mom visiting! 

Thanks for coming out onto the beach with me! 

Day 339 - Oct. 4, 2012

 

lifeguard tower 26 - Ocean Park, Santa Monica CA

trash collected for 20 min.

.5 pounds

1,276 pounds total 

22 cigarette butts

Community Count Day 252 (left to right) Mark, Danielle, Aaron, Garen

1.8 pounds

1,065.6 pounds total

You too can add to The Daily Ocean by doing a Community Count Beach Cleanup anywhere in the world!

HERE'S HOW

A beach cleanup with friends and my husband is such a treat. Danielle and Aaron were visiting from North Carolina this past weekend. Danielle writes the blog, IT STARTS WITH ME where she collects trash for 20 min. at a time on her local beach too. It all started when she came out to CA over two years ago and went on a Daily Ocean cleanup with me. After returning home, she felt discouraged about the number of cigarette butts on her home beaches and asked me if she could start OUR DAILY OCEAN, a portion of her blog where she weighs all the trash she finds but counts out the cigarette butts.

She's collected over 50,000 cigarette butts off her beach, 20 min. at a time. 

We found the rest of the usual suspects as well. 

This styrofoam cup looked covered in beak marks and beak bites where some hungry gull had mistaken it for a meal. 

It's tough staying committed and optimistic, but when you don't have to do it alone, it makes it so much easier. Danielle brought me a bracelet with a favorite quote of mine inscribed - 

"INDIVIDUALLY WE ARE ONE DROP, TOGETHER WE ARE THE OCEAN."

 - Ryunosuke Satoro

Kim Beller made the copper cuff - find her on Etsy at bigstronggirldesigns.etsy.com 

Day 338 - oct. 2, 2012

lifeguard tower 26 - Ocean Park, Santa Monica CA

trash collected for 20 min. 

5 pounds

1,275.5 pounds total 

2 cigarette butts

My friend Danielle who writes the blog, IT STARTS WITH ME, and I are in the October issue of DIVE magazine. DIVE magazine is now FREE online. You can download it onto any device - laptop, desktop, tablet, or smart phone. They featured our beach cleanup collaboration. Danielle focuses on cigarette butts, although she collects all liter. When out on our respective beaches (California and North Carolina) we collect how many butts we've found in 20 min. and each keep a tally on our sites. 

Here's the latest: (found on the right side column of this blog)

76 - 20 min. beach cleanups - Santa Monica - 478 cigarette butts

36 - 20 min. beach cleanups - Wrightsville Beach, N.C. - 8,587 cigarette butts

On Tues. I spoke to a class of thirty 13, and 14 year old students at SMASH (Santa Monica Alternative School House) which is down the street from me, in between where we live and the beach. It was satisfying to share my photographs and story with people who have grown up at the beach I do my cleanups at. They asked smart questions, and inspired me with their genuine interest. I really love talking to students, which makes phase two of THE DAILY OCEAN - OFF THE SAND AND ON THE ROAD speaking tour even more exciting. I'll be hitting the road in 2013. More information coming soon along with a whole new DAILY OCEAN website and re-design. Exciting times!

When I first envisioned THE DAILY OCEAN, I named it as such because I was going to collect trash off my beach daily! Then it struck me that this was a near impossible goal. What if I got sick, wanted to go to a wedding, or on vacation? I decided to ease back on myself and go as often as I could, but the name THE DAILY OCEAN stuck. Now I take it to mean that every day I am out there, I find trash, plastics and other liter out there daily. This is the modern detritus strewn across the sand DAILY whether I'm there to pick it up or not. And by not going every day, but most days, I hope you relate to my efforts, follow in my footsteps, and do what you can with the time you are given. 

Day 337 - Sept. 29, 2012

lifeguard tower 26 - Ocean Park, CA

trash collected for 20 min.

2.2 pounds

1,270.5 pounds total 

6 cigarettes 

I've got only a few photos to share with you because some sand jammed up my camera lens tonight. But this gives me just enough space to retell part of a conversation I had over the weekend with my friend Alyssa. 

A certain eastern city that shall go unnamed so as not to take away from their liter improvement efforts, spent millions of dollars on liter removal. In one massive effort they were going to clean up their city! 

The very next day the mayor saw a citizen throw trash along the street. He screamed at the person to pick it up, shaming him and in my opinion ruining a chance to get through any message of real value to the cleanup effort and to this man's frame of mind.

The mayor told this story as part of a keynote. What kind of message is he carrying to his city? 

Someone littered right after the cleanup because the cleanup was a band aid. The issue of littering is steeped in human psychology, sociology and of course environmental science. 

People's habits don't transform overnight. In some rare cases they might have an ah-ha moment and shift. But what's become clear to me as I approach the end of my physical beach cleanup goal is the message I want to carry afterwards to people across the country and maybe even the world. 

I want folks to change because they've been invited to with inspiration and education and an open heart. I get down about how much single-use plastic trash and other garbage I find, but I never get down on people for it. OK, sometimes. But mostly I see the connection between how we treat our bodies reflects how we treat the outside world. How we value ourselves is how we value the environment. 

The way to a healthier world, and a healthier ocean is through loving people, offering a spark, waiting patiently although with urgent, persistent effort for the ones who want to join me. 

When I speak at Santa Monica Alternative School House tomorrow to a class of thirty thirteen, and fourteen year olds this is the invitation I will deliver.

Day 336 - Sept. 26, 2012

lifeguard tower 26 - Ocean Park, Santa Monica CA

trash collected for 20 min. 

2.5 pounds 

1,268.3 pounds total 

11 cigarettes

A high school student in Maui follows The Daily Ocean. She calls herself the Blue Menpachi. Cool name! She's got a blog, and does a video blog on Youtube. Here's her stunning video of the 100 pounds of trash she got during her Maui International Coastal Cleanup Day. 

"I had only three trash bags with me yesterday and I thought it was funny cause I wanted to continue cleaning but I ran out of trash bags. However, I was able to find two more plastic bags 

of sorts that was on the coastline. So it was kind of funny because 

I guess the ocean really does provide whatever you need." - the Blue Menpachi

The Blue Menpachi found a perfectly good lawn chair, a metal drawer, wood and lots of cigarette butts among the liter. She showed us how plastic gets fragile and breaks apart when 

left out in the sun and surf. This is called photodegrading. 

I appreciate her attitude while showing us the trash she found. She lets her findings do the "talking." One cardinal rule in writing fiction is the principle of show don't tell. Her efforts show us what's out there and show us how much she cares which inspires me. 

People care about the ocean. If you care, you are not alone. Together we can really make a difference. 

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. 

Day 334 - Sept. 21, 2012

lifeguard tower 26 - Ocean Park, Santa Monica CA
trash collected for 20 min. 
1.5 pounds
1,262.8 pounds total 

1 cigarette butt

I weighed frequently found trash items for a previous post and came upon the list again this week.

1.5 pounds of trash is great! Yes and no because of the weight of the litter I find. 

For example - 

A Werther's Original Candy Wrapper weighs .02 ounces

It would take 1,200 wrappers to = 1.5 pounds of trash

A plastic single-use bag weighs .25 ounces 

(yes, they are often heavier on the beach given the water and sand)

It would still take around 96 bags to = 1.5 pounds 

And remember, all the trash I report about here is found in only 20 min. 

ONE FISH 

TWO FISH

RED FISH 

BLUE FISH

PLASTIC FISH?

Thanks to my friend Mark for keeping me company on yet another cleanup. 

Day 333 - Sept. 20, 2012

lifeguard tower 26 - Ocean Park, Santa Monica CA

trash collected for 20 min. 

1.5 pounds 

1,261.3 pounds total 

6 cigarettes

There's a cool new site that shares old and new remedies for preventing chronic illness called - 

THE HEALIST - WELLNESS REMIXED

There's a direct connection between a healthy body and a healthy ocean.

Check out their site for interesting video and inspiring content to take better care of your body. 

Health starts with us and spreads to the whole planet. 

I'm almost in countdown mode with 32 beach cleanups to go, but this is not an end to The Daily Ocean. I'm looking at a computer monitor for many more minutes a day than normal in preparation for the next phase. It's bitter-sweet getting closer to my 365th beach cleanup goal. But once I'm done, I'm eager to get off the sand and come meet you during my -

OFF THE SAND AND ON THE ROAD 

speaking tour for schools and businesses. 

Let me know if you'd like me to come to your school, town or business. 

This plastic wrapper held some kind of fast food. 

If we all packed a quick snack from home in a reusable container or grabbed a piece of fruit, we'd buy less products that leave a plastic trace for years and years to come. 

Even if we did this once a week, there'd still be a positive impact for you and the environment. 

Once a week? Really? Come on...

Yes, really!

You may find my point idealistic or even a little silly, but for example - in Santa Monica there are about  90,000 people living here next to the ocean. 

If we all bought one less plastic wrapped snack product a week -

THAT'S OVER 90,000 PIECES OF PLASTIC WRAPPERS THAT COULD POTENTIALLY ENTER THE OCEAN.

Like my friend Danielle often reminds us with her blog IT STARTS WITH ME. 

"Everything we do or don't do has an impact on the world, it starts with me and ripples to you."

Day 332 - Sept. 19, 2012

lifeguard tower 26 - Ocean Park, Santa Monica CA

trash collected for 20 min. 

5 pounds

1,259.8 pounds total 

21 cigarette butts

This week I upgraded my operating system on my Mac Desktop. It can't even open Safari on a predictable basis now. I'm so very close to finishing my beach cleanup goal and my trusty computer where I store all my images is acting very strange. I'm backing it all up, but can't sit down to post without major glitches. Why oh why did I want to get iCloud? Everything was running so smoothly just a few days ago. Being the reluctant techie that I am, I didn't read reviews of OS X before downloading that baby onto all my machines are really messing it all up. Sigh. 

An inside look at the trails of maintaining an almost daily blog.

I'm reading NO IMPACT MAN as research for turning The Daily Ocean into a book as well. During his early weeks of his make-no-environmental-impact experiment while living in the middle of NYC with a wife and toddler, he approached a press office at a big environmental organization.

"I told her I was trying to figure out how to live a no-impact life in New York City and that all the information seemed confusing. "Yeah," she said, "we're good at scaring people, but we haven't gotten good yet at telling them what to do." She promised to email me some guidance but never did."

I hope that when you visit The Daily Ocean you get the solutions I offer as well.
Here's one off the top of my head.

1. See too many pictures of the same item on different cleanups again and again? Try using less of this item in your own life. For example - too many water bottles lying in the sand? Go ahead and switch to a reusable one. You'll save money, and drink healthier water. What's good for your wallet is good for the ocean.

Before you get all yeah-yeah-yeah what's that going to do to stop the giant trash vortex in the ocean from growing? 

Change happens through different kinds of applied effort. We need non-profits, legislative lobbying for stronger environmental protection, but we also need you. We need you and me to encourage each other to create healthier lifestyles so that our oceans can get healthier with us. It's a win-win all the way around. We can do it together. Person to person with kindness and inspiration I know we can create a healthier environment for our families, pets, and in turn for our big blue planet. 

Day 331 - Sept. 17, 2012

lifeguard tower 26 - Ocean Park, Santa Monica CA

trash collected for 20 min.

3 pounds 

1,254.8 pounds total

I've said this recently, but it's important to repeat. One of the ways I think that beach cleanups make an impact is the experiential learning taking place as you do it. There's a kinesthetic connection between picking up empty plastic water bottles off the sand and reaching for one the next time you are in the store. It had this effect on me. I am sure I still drank plenty of bottled water when I started this project. I am sure I stopped because I saw too many empty containers, learned more about the quality of water in them, and some of the myths surrounding plastic recycling.

How do I take that message to more people? Just last Monday someone told me that because of all the plastic water bottle photos on The Daily Ocean she thought twice when reaching to purchase some and didn't. That's music to my ears. Delivering a message in a way people can hear it. 

Would telling people to stop buying bottled water work? Making them feel bad? No. I call this "Green Shame" when someone feels guilty for a way they perceive to be environmentally unfriendly. I love the ocean. I have loved the beach my whole life. I didn't switch from drinking bottled water until I found too many empties on the beach. Is it possible that there are other ocean lovers out there that given a message they can hear would switch in their own time, and do so from inspiration rather than from being told to? I think so. 

Heal the Bay's Coastal Cleanup Day last Sat. spanned 56 miles of coastline and extracted 38,598 pounds of trash from California. If you enjoyed coming out on Sat. join Heal the Bay every third Sat. for their monthly cleanups. 

Heal the Bay says that cigarette butts, plastic bottles and caps, snack-food packaging, plastic bags and Styrofoam fragments were some of the most common items found. I covered almost every item on their list just in this one post. I'd agree that these items are pervasive in all my cleanups. 

If you bought less of any of these convenience items you'd save money, and get healthier. 
What's healthy for your body and wallet is healthy for the ocean. 

Day 330 - Sept. 15, 2012

lifeguard tower 26 - Ocean Park, Santa Monica CA

trash collected for 20 min. 

9 pounds (a wet sneaker and plastic bottle full of sand contributed to this)

1,251.8 pounds total

3 cigarette butts

The night after Coastal Cleanup Day and I collected nine pounds of trash in 20 minutes. I share this not to discourage those who came out but to illuminate a need for continuous action. 

Here are three things you can do to address all the trash flowing into the ocean:

1. TAKE IT OFF THE BEACH AND OUT OF YOUR OWN LIFE

Do more beach cleanups! Come out with me! I go out 3 - 4 times a week. Here's how to join me. Or do one on your own and email me about it. Surfrider and Heal the Bay also do monthly cleanups. Physically picking up the same items over and over made me reach for them less often in my own life.

2. BUY AND USE A REUSABLE WATER BOTTLE - If you did only one thing to help the ocean, this is it. You'll save money. You'll drink healthier water. (Brita Filters are great if you are worried about the quality of your tap water)

WHAT'S GOOD FOR YOUR BODY IS GOOD FOR THE ENVIRONMENT

3. PASS IT ON!
Think of a creative way to spread the message for cleaner oceans to your friends and family. You have permission to act on your own. Not everyone will end up starting a blog, or non-profit, but you probably have a camera in your phone, you have access to free social media (blogspot blogs like this one are free) and you have great ideas. Take 20 minutes and brainstorm how you could use your creativity, passion and determination to inspire people. I started The Daily Ocean with one beach cleanup. What could you do? Start your own Daily Ocean blog. Ideas are free. I share mine. Leave me a comment and tell me yours. 

ACTION FEELS SO MUCH BETTER THAN INACTION.