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“We are our own dragons as well as our own heroes, and we have to rescue ourselves from ourselves.” —Tom Robbins 🐉 Finding this toy in the sand reminded me of the fire-breathing plastic dragon that is wreaking havoc on the planet, but it also reminded me of all the heroes who are slaying metaphorical monsters in the fight to rescue us from the powerful “big plastic” dragon. 🐉 Feeling grateful for all the dragonslayers out there. Your heroic efforts, no matter how big or small, are making a difference! 🐉 #dragon #plasticdragon #dragonslayer #dragonslayers #heroes #litterati #2minutebeachclean #take3forthesea #justgrabbits #shoresweep #plasticpollution #plasticpollutes #marinedebrisStraws upon Request success in California! 🥤 Governor Brown signed off on AB 1884, and starting on January 1, plastic straws will be provided only upon request at full-service restaurants. This is a great first step, but it doesn’t go far enough, because too many types of food and beverage purveyors are exempt. For example, restaurants where you order at the counter and those with self-serve beverage dispensers are excluded. 🥤 My hunch is that most of the straws I find on the beach are not from dine-in restaurants. In fact, I bet that most of them originated at fast food and take-out places. 🥤 Please don’t get me wrong! I am thrilled about AB 1884. It will reduce the number of single-use plastic straws distributed daily in California, and it will help raise awareness, but will it significantly reduce the number of straws that enter the environment and end up in the ocean? 🥤 Several California cities have already passed all-encompassing ordinances or have banned plastic straws, stirrers, utensils, and polystyrene take-out containers completely. As I celebrate AB 1884, my resolve becomes even stronger, and I will continue to advocate for strong local single-use plastic ordinances in @cityofoceanside and throughout North County San Diego. 🥤 #litterati #2minutebeachclean #take3forthesea #justgrabbits #shoresweep #plasticstraws ##plasticstrawssuck #stopsucking #ab1884 #plasticpollutes #plasticpollution #marinedebris #celebrate #2minbcphotochallenge5“A Gordian knot” ... According to Greek mythology, Gordius was a peasant who became king and tied his ox-cart to a pole with a complicated knot. An oracle prophesied that the person who could untie it would become the ruler of Asia. Many tried and failed, but Alexander the Great eventually untied the knot by simply cutting through it with his sword. ... Today, the term Gordian knot refers to an extremely complex problem, and the expression “cutting the Gordian knot” means to solve a difficult problem in a decisive manner. ... Plastic pollution is a Gordian knot that doesn’t have a quick or easy solution, but if we each take simple steps to reduce our dependence on single-use plastics, we can all play a part in unraveling it. ... However, cutting through that intractable Gordian knot is going to require that “big plastic” is held to account. @breakfreefromplastic has created a way to help us do just that by identifying the corporations most responsible. Go to the link in my bio to find out how to conduct a brand audit when organizing a beach or neighborhood clean-up. ... #2minbcphotochallenge5 #getknotted #2minutebeachclean #litterati #take3forthesea #justgrabbits #shoresweep #plasticpollution #plasticpollutes #marinedebris #breakfreefromplastic“All that glitters is not gold.” #balloonsblow #2minbcphotochallenge5 #texture #litterati #2minutebeachclean #take3forthesea #justgrabbits #shoresweep #allthatglittersMarine debris mystery #3. What are the blue diamonds? I used to find them all the time, but they stopped appearing months ago, so I was surprised to find 11 of them in a small section of beach today. @mariaharmstrongart, Did you find any? @ittybittyplasticcommittee, Weren’t we just discussing these? #whatisthis #2minbcphotochallenge5 #litterati #2minutebeachclean #take3forthesea #justgrabbits #shoresweep #plasticpollution #plasticpollutes #marinedebris #mystery #artivism #patternPesky plastic litterbugs—scientific name: plasticada pacificus detritus. #litterbugs #litterbugsme #litterati #onlyloserslitter #2minutebeachclean #take3forthesea #justgrabbits #shoresweep #plasticpollution #plasticpollutes #marinedebrisWhen I found this small plastic orca, I couldn’t help but be reminded of Tahlequah, the killer whale whose calf died shortly after its birth. Tahlequah’s grief appeared to be immense as she carried her dead calf with the help of her pod for a heart-wrenching 17 days. 🐋 What’s equally heartbreaking is the fact that Tahlequah is part of a dwindling community of 75 orcas in the Pacific Northwest that was listed as endangered in 2005. 🐋 Southern Resident killer whales eat mostly salmon, and since the salmon population has been in decline, the whales have been struggling to survive. The orcas are also harmed by noise pollution caused by large ships. The invasive sounds make it hard for them to communicate with each other, and the noise inhibits their ability to use echolocation to locate fish. In addition, chemical contamination and plastic pollution threaten all orcas, including Southern Residents. 🐋 Over the past two decades, only 1/4 of Southern Resident calves have lived, and the pod hasn’t “successfully reproduced since 2015, a direct result of the stresses they experience from myriad human causes.” However, much can be done to help Southern Residents thrive, and to that end, the Center for Biological Diversity recently filed a lawsuit against the National Marine Fisheries Service and the Secretary of Commerce over habitat protection. In 2015, the Fisheries Service announced that it intended to expand protected areas, but the Trump administration has failed to act. 🐋 Attorney Catherine Kilduff stated, “Federal law requires protection of endangered species’ habitat. Our basic humanity should lead us to help prevent these beloved orcas from dying out right in front of our eyes. So now we’re turning to the courts to compel the Trump administration to do the right thing.” 🐋 Please go to the link in my bio to sign the Center for Biological Diversity’s petition demanding fast action in protecting the waters in which these amazing creatures live. 🐋 #southernresidents #orcas #endangered #petition #nationalmarinefisheriesservice #centerforbiologicaldiversity #litterati #2minutebeachclean #take3forthesea #justgrabbits #shoresweep #plastictoy #plasticpollution@harmlessharvest: I found one of your bottle caps washed up on the beach today and had to laugh at the irony. How can you make the argument that any product bottled in plastic is harmless? 🤢 On the Harmless Harvest website, you state that your company “envisions a world where nutritious, clean, organic and healthy food and beverages are the standard rather than the exception; where all people involved in creating the product are treated with fairness; and the planet is treated harmlessly.” 🤢 Anyone who knows anything about plastic pollution knows that your products are harming the environment by contributing to the plastic pollution problem, and your attempt to promote your beverages as environmentally responsible is greenwashing. 🤢 I’m not sure what you mean when you say, “we ensure a cleaner planet with 24% less plastic used.” 24% less plastic than what? Besides 24% less plastic is still 76% more plastic than you should be using! 🤢 And please don’t try to explain that your solution is to use more recycled plastic in the future. Recycled plastic is plastic, and when it ends up in the ocean, like this bottle cap did, it causes the exact same harm to ocean ecosystems and marine animals as any other plastic product. 🤢 You should be ashamed. 🤢 #harmlessharvest #bottlecap #boycotharmlessharvest #greenwashing #greenwash #refusesingleuse #plasticpollutes #plasticpollution #marinedebris #litterati #2minutebeachclean #take3forthesea #justgrabbits #shoresweepRecent Comments
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Monthly Archives: February 2015
Wayfinding
I frequently confuse left and right when I give driving directions to others. When my husband is behind the wheel, I tell him to turn left when I want him to turn right, and if I ask him to turn … Continue reading
Posted in Living, Mentor Text, Teaching, Writing
Tagged #geography, #maps, #teaching, #write2connect, #writing, Education
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The Power of Place
I spent the weekend at UC Davis exploring the connected learning approach to education with colleagues and friends from the San Diego Area Writing Project and the California Writing Project. Spending time at my alma mater and in my hometown … Continue reading
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