World Oceans Day is June 8. This is such an important day to rejoice that we have an ocean and to take some time to read and learn what is going on with our oceans and water supplies. It is not just about plastic pollution and saving whales. It is about learning how the ocean effects each person on this earth. It is about learning how each of us can help save marine animals from otters to seagulls, can help reduce plastic waste and learn to respect what nature has given us.
Over the last several years, whilst doing beach clean ups, it has come home to me, about how wasteful our society is. How little regard people have not just for the beach, for others property, for their property and for nature. Like most people, we hate rules, but it seems that the adage ‘Rules Are Meant To Be Broken’ is in full force, between individuals and corporations.
I wonder what have we come to? A Nation of greedy corporations polluting the earth and a nation of individuals looking for the NBT (Next Big Thing) like Palm Oil, killing off Orangutan’s, buying cheap items and leaving them behind, the destruction of property, illegal dumping… we have become a society of ‘It’s All About Me’ .
Every bottle cap left behind, every zip lock with carrots, every glass bottle, every mattress, every beach toy is a potential killer and polluter. It saddens me that we have become a nation (and it is not just the United States) of apathy about the earth. How we expect others to ‘TAKE CARE’ of it.
With all of that said, I thought I would post some of my beach trash finds, that demonstrate how little things mean to us.
Starting off with the Barbies. When I was a child, a Barbie was a precious item. You didn’t lose them, you took care of them. If you think about it, these five Barbies found this year are a small percentage of 58 Million Barbies sold every year in 150+ countries, but this is a lot of Barbies in a mile stretch of beach in 5 months. I wonder what this would do to a whale stomach? Add in the 6 removable parts, the clothing and the hair. Not good.
Chairs, fortunately I was able to rescue and resell all of these very usable chairs. This doesn’t even count the hundreds of beach and camping chairs that are left on the beach. The vintage bamboo chair with ottoman, that unfortunately was ruined by trying to burn it in the fire-pit. Chairs can last a lifetime if taken care of. Why would someone just leave a chair to land up in a landfill instead of donating it?
Cell Phones and other electronic devices. Over the last year, have beach cleaned around 30 electronic devices, ranging from cell phones, to ear buds, to mini-speakers. Fortunately I have only found 2 these year and was about to return both of them. Electronic devices lead toxic chemicals. Will they eat it? Who knows, here is a video of a Beluga Whale returning a cell phone that was dropped in the water. Most of these devices will sink to the bottom of the sea and leak.
Tools: Over the years, have found trowels, shovels, hammers, screwdrivers and nails. We can’t picture a marine animal eating these, but just laying in the sand with sharp edges can hurt humans and just add more waste to the ocean as a dumping ground. The important point again is the disposable lifestyle that wealthier nations have embraced.
The first trowel found in a beach clean in 2019. On target to find 5 to 6 more gardening devices.
Actually loved finding this combination of lever and screw-taker-outer. Don’t know the name of this tool, but they are really handy for taking out nails.
A full on shovel found in January at the tide line.
These older Jack Nicholas Golf Clubs were still usable. They were not left on the beach, but in a picnic area. Another example of not caring for our things.
This bassinet was found in a parking lot in May. Unfortunately it is a perfect example of disposable items that no charity or consignment store will take. It made it to the trash.
On the other hand, this high chair was left on the beach. How could you forget this?
These are only a few of the larger Beach Clean Up Finds from June of 2018 to June of 2019. The hundreds of clothes, shoes and towels. The thousands of beach toys, the hundreds of disposable boogie boards, canopies, umbrellas, beach chairs, plastic bags, reusable bottles… the list goes on and on.
Happy World Ocean’s Day.. please be good to our earth and importantly our waters.