Earth Day

In honor of Earth Day, a little rant about something near and dear to me...

I love the ocean. I can't live without it. I am a beach comber that always picks up trash before leaving the shell-covered shore. Because of pictures like this, I think you should, also.

(This jar of tiny pieces of plastic was collected this past weekend

from one beach in Hawaii, in one visit, by a handful of volunteers.)

(Source.)

Several major news stations have published articles over the past few weeks about a plastic garbage buildup accumulating in the Atlantic Ocean. Have you heard of the "Great Pacific garbage patch"? It's a huge floating island of plastic products the size of Texas floating in the Pacific Ocean. Apparently many studies have found that the buildup in the Atlantic Ocean has increased in size and is comparable to the Great Pacific's patch! How could we let this happen.

Low-density plastics that end up in the ocean are adding up at a rapid pace. The ocean's drifts and wind patterns allow the recyclables to accumulate in the Atlantic north of the Caribbean Sea. Think of all of the sea life impacted by this? Those poor fish, birds, and mammals. I can't imagine having my home slowly destroyed by someone else’s trash.

Our oceans, and the beaches of Ocean City, are too valuable to destroy it. Please do your best to keep it safe and clean. Recycle. Pick up after yourself and tell others to do the same. I am a member of our local chapter of the Surfrider Foundation. This foundation keeps beach lovers updated on news and ways to protect our oceans.

The local Ocean City chapter of the Surfrider foundation also provides beach-goers with those nice big blue trashcan that have the words, “Leave only your footprints”, spray painted on them. Please use these trashcans! I love our ocean and I'm sure you do, too. Who doesn't? Let’s take care of our planet!

Through OceanCity.com, I helped create a fun little program called Green Drinks. A way to bring eco-loving people together to talk about going green and the ecosystems in our area. Here's a little video I made last Earth Day... starring many of my friends! Green Drinks is such a fun way to socialize with people who have Earthy interests.

Happy Earth Day! Get outside and do something... Enjoy!