Saturday, February 25, 2012

Community Count Day 205 - Feb. 23, 2012


Community Count Day 205 
lifeguard tower 26 - Ocean Park, Santa Monica CA
trash collected for 20 min.
2 pounds
925.9 pounds total 

The Daily Ocean combined total pounds of trash collected  - 1,884 pounds
Want to get involved? Here's how. 



On your mark, get set....go get some trash! All five girls in the local girl scout troop that met me at the beach for a cleanup raced off when I started the timer on my watch. I took this to be a good sign, and I was right. They were engaged, inquisitive and focused for 20 whole mintues, scouring the beach. 


"Is that a jellyfish?" asked one of them. I explained that it was plastic. We discussed one of the reasons to use less plastic packaging in your day-to-day life is because if the wrappers end up in a storm drain and then washed to the ocean, marine aminals eat this refuse and get sick. Jellyfish being the favorite food of sea turtles means plastic is particularly a problem for them. 



My contribution to the collection. The scouts were so fast, bending down to grab up every piece of trash we came upon, but the group passed by this shovel. I believe it may be because a sand toy doesn't register as trash in their minds. Why would someone leave behind a perfectly good digger? They must be coming back for it? Maybe they're just up the beach? It has to be someone's? I've learned that this isn't always true. On closer inspection, when I saw the crack in the pink plastic, I knew it had been apandoned, and I added it to my bag. 



A jolly rancher wrapper - yet another puzzling leftover to find on the beach. 
Top three most frequently found varieties of trash taken off the sand are:
1. cigarette butts
2. candy wrappers
3. fast food wrappers

A big thank you to all the girl scouts for coming out and for my friend Bailey who is one of their troop leaders for arranging the cleanup with me. I hope to see you out here again soon and thanks!!


Speaking of cigareete butts, my incredible friend Danielle who writes the blog, "It Starts With Me," collected her 40,000 cigarette butt the other day. 

40,000!!!!


She adds her collections to my Community Count and has contributed
 over 200 pounds and 120 days to the tally.

Danielle, thanks for the continued inspiration and friendship.