CLEAN OCEAN ACTION BEACH SWEEP
- Victoria Den Bleyker
- Oct 27, 2015
- 2 min read
Hey Everyone! It's Victoria, and I have big news! On October 24th, I, along many others participated in the October Clean Ocean Action Beach Sweeps. I was the assistant to the manager of the event, and it was a blast. We learned many things about the pollution on beaches;
A. Cigarettes are the main offender, seagulls eat them, and unfortunately die.
B. The beach is quite a hotspot for drinking (seriously people, save it for the bar!)
C. It's bottle cap central up there. Some people had the nerve to put a cap back on an empty bottle and toss it to the ground. Either make the short journey to a recycling bin, or buy a reusable bottle! It's not that complex an idea.
D. Beach toys and shovels everywhere. Now, I'm all for beach fun, but maybe make a list of your bucket/shovel inventory, and do beach wildlife a favor.
E. And finally, this one isn't about pollution, but I have to tell you guys about the power of the people at beach sweeps. Our human hands can pick up things that machines can't even sense. The sense of community and working toward a greater goal is extremely evident amongst beach sweepers. If you don't want to spend a Saturday picking up trash, let me tell you, that's definitely not what it's all about. You can help save the beaches and wildlife using your strengths and abilities. You have amazing penmanship? Be the pollution recorder, who tallies the different types (e.g. cigarettes or beach toys) of pollution you come across. Super strong? Be the arms of the group, and hold the trash bags. Tiny hands? Get those seagull killing death sticks (sorry, too dramatic?) out of the nooks and corners. Amazing attention to detail? Be the trash scout, and look ahead for any unique pollution (like a bunch of water bottles under a rock, or half of a fence). There are endless ways to contribute. This doesn't just apply to beaches, you can go to lake, park, or riverbank cleanups.
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