The learning walk that I planned to take at the beach turned into a bottle walk — many single-use plastic bottles littered the shoreline all along my way. I gathered up at least sixteen bottles in less than an hour and photographed each one where I found it in order to document it for #Litterati, a crowdsourced Instagram project designed to help reduce littering. As I walked, I continued to contemplate how the Litterati concept could be used to build awareness around social justice and education. The students that I work with (and all students) need a crowdsourced movement to fight for them. Kim Douillard has also written about taking this type of action. Will you join us and help create a way to crowdsource our cause?
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Help Owlette from PJ Masks “save the day” by volunteering at the Surfrider beach cleanup today, and maybe you will find a toy treasure. We will be just north of the pier until 11:00am. The next one is scheduled for Saturday, October 4th. Everyone is also invited to the next @onlyloserslitter cleanup in Vista on September 15th. And don’t forget Coastal Cleanup Day coming up on September 21! #litterati #surfrider #onlyloserslitter #2minutebeachclean #take3forthesea #shoresweep #pjmasks #savetheday #owletteBut a mermaid has no tears, and therefore she suffers so much more. —Hans Christian Andersen, The Little Mermaid 🧜♀️ #litterati #2minutebeachclean #take3forthesea #shoresweep #plasticpollutes #plasticpollution #marinedebrismermaid #mermaid #thelittlemermaid #plasticmermaid #marinedebrisWhen I recently started finding these caps on the beach, I thought that they were from USB drives. However, a recent headline about the life-threatening consequences of vaping made me realize that they are caps for Juul e-cigarette products. . In addition to adding to the plastic pollution problem, e-cigarette companies like Juul are marketing to youth. Nicotine use by teens had been on the decline until the recent increase in vaping, which can lead to addiction, behavioral changes, and health problems. In fact, on August 27, the FDA released a statement about their current investigation of 215 cases of severe respiratory distress and pulmonary illness attributed to e-cigarette use. . To stop this epidemic, regulations need to be put into place, and San Francisco, home of the Juul Labs company, has done just that. It is now illegal “to sell nicotine vaporizer products in stores or for online retailers to ship the goods to San Francisco addresses.” In Beverly Hills, the City Council approved an ordinance that will “prohibit the sale of nicotine-products, including cigarettes, chewing tobacco and e-cigarettes” beginning on Jan. 1, 2021. . Local ordinances are helpful, but in order to fully protect our children and our environment, California’s SB424 needs to be passed. If enacted, it will “ban filtered cigarettes, disposable plastic holders and mouthpieces, and single-use electronic cigarettes. It also calls for manufacturers to take back any non-recyclable parts of reusable e-cigarettes.” . If you are a California resident and want to support SB424, please visit the link in my bio for Surfrider’s quick and easy way to send a message to your elected official. . #ecigarretes #vaping #epidemic #stopvaping #litterati #2minutebeachclean #take3forthesea #shoresweep #plasticpollutes #plasticpollution #marinedebrisHappy International Dog Day! . Pic 1- Plastic Pooch . Pic 2- My sweet dog Seussi . #internationaldogday #plasticpooch #litterati #take3forthesea #2minutebeachclean #shoresweep #plasticpollutes #plasticpollution #marinedebrisSharks have been around for 400,000,000 years and have survived several mass extinction events of the past, and now, we must ensure that they live beyond the Anthropocene (human-influenced era). . Sharks are facing many threats, including overfishing, poaching, shark finning, and accidental by-catch. They are also being impacted by plastic pollution and biomagnification, the process by which toxins become increasingly concentrated as they move up the food chain. Microplastics “attract and absorb persistent organic pollutants (POPs) such as PCBs and DDT,” and those chemicals can be absorbed into the tissue of animals that consume them. Consequently, microplastics can end up being most toxic to predators at the top of the food chain, including sharks—and humans. . There are simple things everyone can do to help protect sharks, including avoiding products that include shark oil and/or cartilage, reducing overall consumption of fish, and refusing single-use plastic items and unnecessary plastic packaging. . #sharksighting #plasticshark #sharks #shark #sharkweek #shoresweep #litterati #take3forthesea #2minutebeachclean #plasticpollutes #plasticpollution #plasticchemicals #marinedebris #microplastics #biomagnification@popeyeslouisianakitchen Please stop using expanded polystyrene foam (commonly referred to by the brand name Styrofoam). I found this cup while cleaning the beach, and it made me wonder why any company would still be using this material. . You must know that EPS is a petroleum-based product that pollutes the natural environment. It does not biodegrade. It breaks down into tiny toxic bits that are nearly impossible to clean up. It also contributes to the climate crisis because green house gasses are emitted at every stage. In addition, a report done by the EPA in 1986 listed “the polystyrene manufacturing process as the fifth largest creator of hazardous waste. Fifty-seven chemical byproducts are released during the manufacturing process of polystyrene, polluting the air, land, water and communities that live near the facilities.” . Polystyrene also harms human health when chemicals leach into our food. Styrene (a component of polystyrene) is classified as a probable human carcinogen, and it has been detected in “100% of human tissue and breast milk samples.” . I searched the Popeye’s website and couldn’t find one mention of any efforts to reduce your environmental impact while Kentucky Fried Chicken has a page that includes extensive information about their sustainability programs. KFC’s explicit and actionable goals are outlined in their 2017 Global Citizenship & Sustainability Report. You might want to take a look at their plan as you develop sustainability goals for Popeyes. If nothing else, I urge you to consider the negative impact you are having on our planet and on human health by continuing to use EPS for your beverage and food containers. You must already have alternatives in place for areas where EPS has been banned. But why wait for bans to take effect? Please stop using “Styrofoam” at all of your locations now. . #fightthefoam #banstyrofoam #litterati #2minutebeachclean #take3forthesea #shoresweep #plasticpollutes #plasticpollution #marinedebris #surfriderfoundation #bedisposablefree #refusesingleuseFight the foam! . Image 1) unmodified polystyrene (Styrofoam) collected during a beach cleanup . Image 2) Melting ice field in Southern Patagonia taken by NASA . Video 3) Polystyrene bits washed out through the watershed after a May rain in San Diego . Expanded Polystyrene (commonly referred to by the brand name Styrofoam) is a petroleum-based product that is contributing to the climate crisis. Green house gasses are emitted at every stage—from fracking to manufacturing and from transportation to disposal and degradation, polystyrene harms the environment. . In addition, styrene (a component of polystyrene), which can leach into our food, “is classified as a carcinogen to humans,” and in a study done by the EPA way back in 1986, “styrene was detected in 100% of human tissue and breast milk samples.” . For the environment and for our health, we are fighting for polystyrene bans and a reduction in single-use plastics throughout North County San Diego. . Watch “This is what billions of tons of melting Arctic ice looks like,” for more about the recent heat wave that has had an alarming impact on Greenland’s ice sheets. . #fightthefoam #climatecrisis #meltingicesheets #styrofoam #polystyrene #plasticpollutes #marinedebris #litterati #2minutebeachclean #take3forthesea #surfrider #shoresweep #bedisposablefree @surfridersandiegoSummer is bucket handle season! Cheap beach toys that break easily become plastic pollution when left behind in the sand. A better choice would be a sturdy metal bucket from the hardware store that will last for years. #summertrash #plasticbuckethandles #2minbcphotochallenge9 #2minutebeachclean #take3forthesea #shoresweep #plasticpollutes #plasticpollution #marinedebrisRecent Comments
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