Sunday, July 18, 2010

Day 131 - July 17, 2010

life guard tower 26 - Ocean Park, Santa Monica CA
trash collected for 20 minutes
13.2 pounds
528.9 total
13.2 pounds sent me around the park on my bike just after dark, which is not recommended, to blow off some steam. Then into my living room for a variety of sit-ups, crunches, push-ups and other energy releasing activities that made my dog further question my odd behavior.

One good thing about tonight's collection was a girl of about 12 came over to thank me saying that she hopes that she could do something like this in the future. Pretty cool. I told her to grab an extra bag when she went to the beach next time, thanked her, and gave her a big smile.

When I got back to the parking lot I wanted to stop strangers standing by their car smoking cigarettes to ask them if they could guess how many pounds of trash I'd found in 20 minutes. 13 pounds! I wanted to yell at them while probably adding an animated, "Can you believe that?"

I refrained.
Since the poundage and pictures speak for themselves here, I am going to infuse the rest of this post with some positivity. (Especially in light of the fact that the "oil cap" is "leaking" sigh :< )

1. One of my favorite blogs, Kiss My County, has come out with a post about Rachel Carson. The post asks us to think about whether or not the famed female environmental/writer/scientist would have been part of the newly formed BOEMRE (Bureau of Ocean Management, Regulation and Enforcement) or whether she would have turned in her Wildlife Fish and Game governmental uniform for a Greenpeace membership if she were alive today. Interesting to think about.....
2. My friend Keely works for Roots and Shoots in San Fransisco. Roots and Shoots is the environmental youth organization founded by Jane Goodall. Keely sent out an email last week to announce to her friends and family that,

"This week Jane Goodall celebrated 50 years of research that started in Gombe in Tanzania. This CNN video talks about Roots & Shoots and makes me really happy! I am very proud to be a part of her work." (check out the video - link highlighted in the sentance above)


I want to walk to entire coast of California in a couple of years. Check out the people who make it possible to find a trail from tip to tail. www.coastwalk.org Their website is the hub for all things Hiking Coastal California.

I'd like to collect trash for 20 minutes a day while walking, keep it, and assemble a trashy sculpture at the end so that people can see a fraction of what lines our coasts, and what one person can do about it. Want to help?
The Smithsonian's Ocean Portal - is a wealth of resources on all things "Blue Planet." From music videos to sections just "for Educators." You will find amazing information here about the oceans. Brought to you by the National Museum of Natural History, the Ocean Portal is amazing!

Lastly - Danielle of It Starts With Me blog, sent me this link to the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center 30 minutes from her house. They recieve no state or federal funding!

Who doesn't feel better by helping a sea turtle? Knowing that people are dedicating themselves to this work makes my day. It can even help me smile on a day when I collect 13 pounds of mostly plastic garbage off my local beach in 20 minutes, and learn that BP's "oil cap" is leaking.......