Bluesday Tip #7: Don't Be A Party Pooper

 
Today is Bluesday!

Bluesday is the first Tuesday of the month. Each Bluesday, I share a tip for How To Be Blue. Being blue is about caring for the ocean -- what we put into it, and what we take out of it.

This month's Bluesday tip: Don't Be A Party Pooper.

Many of us have a dog. Many of us love dogs. But few (if any) of us love to pick up after our dog. 
 
Dog waste left behind will end up polluting the ocean, especially when left on a beach. And people do it all the time. The proof is in the ocean pollutants. 
 
Well, that just stinks.
 
Recent scientific studies of ocean water along beaches closed to swimming because of unhealthy levels of certain bacteria in the water found that most of the bacteria originated from dog poop. In fact, dogs are third in line behind birds and people as a source of ocean water pollution. 
 
In most cases, this problem is easily avoided. You - the dog owner - need to pick up the poop. I know a lot of us already pick it up, so please take this post as a pat on the back for all the good work. It's a thankless job, but an important one. 
 
To those of you part-time-scoopers and non-scoopers, don't be a party pooper by leaving dog waste on the beach. It will eventually end up in the ocean. Scoop the poop. Even if you live inland, waste finds its way to water sewers and into the ocean. 
 
A very helpful article in USA Today provides a thorough overview of the health risks of pet waste in the ocean. Pet waste threatens the health of our oceans, which threatens our very own health as people.   

Please click HERE to read the USA Today article.

Don't pollute the ocean with your dog's daily doo. You'll ruin the party for people and ocean creatures.

Use the opportunity to recycle a plastic bag to pick up the poop!

Don't be a party pooper. Be blue!

May you turn a deeper shade of blue with each passing month.

Bluesday Tip #6: If It's Yellow, Let It Mellow

Today is Bluesday!

Bluesday is the first Tuesday of the month. Each Bluesday, I share a tip for How To Be Blue. Being blue is about caring for the ocean -- what we put into it, and what we take out of it.

This month's Bluesday tip: If It’s Yellow, Let It Mellow.

You may have heard this one before. It tends to provoke strong reactions for and against. The whole saying is well known among treehuggers and conservationists: “If it’s yellow, let it mellow; if it’s brown, flush it down.”

And – yes – it refers to selective toilet flushing.

I know, I know, I probably just lost some of you right there.

Gross!

I’m hoping a few of you are still reading – out of sheer curiosity if nothing more.

No matter your reaction to the idea of thinking before you flush, it really is an effective and simple water conservation method once you get into the habit of it. And you don’t have to do it all the time – like, for example, it probably goes without saying that this method should not be used in public restrooms.

But, in the privacy of your own home, this water-saving technique works.

Basically, it means what it says. Look at the color before you flush. If it’s yellow, leave it there until the next time the toilet is used. Don’t waste a flush. It will add up to a lot of water saved in the long run.

I recommend yellow-mellow toilets in your private, master bathroom only. Keep on flushing any other toilets used by guests or by other household members who aren’t cool with this whole idea.

And while we’re on the topic of colors… although I still think that blue is a better color for the conservation movement than green - because our planet is mostly blue ocean, and we can’t live without the ocean – in this case, yellow and being blue do make green.

So, let the yellow mellow and be blue!

Water conservation is one of the best ways to help protect the ocean. So, even if your roommate or boyfriend or spouse or partner or anyone else sharing your bathroom resists the idea of selective flushing, be bold and caring enough not to waste a flush on just pee.

It’s just pee.

The ocean and its millions of beautiful creatures will thank you.

May you turn a deeper shade of blue with each passing month!

Bluesday Tip #5: Learn from Aquariums, but there's a Catch

Today is Bluesday!

Bluesday is the first Tuesday of the month. Each Bluesday, I share a tip for How To Be Blue. Being blue is about caring for the ocean -- what we put into it, and what we take out of it.

This month's Bluesday tip: Learn from Aquariums, but there’s a catch.

Summer is upon us in the United States. We are wading through the warm (often very hot) months of June, July, and August, spending more time outside than inside, and making frequent trips to the nearest body of water -- pool, lake, river, ocean – for an escape from the heat.

With kids out of school and vacations on the horizon, now is the time not only to enjoy the ocean, but to appreciate it. One of the best ways to appreciate and care for the ocean is to learn about it and the variety of fascinating creatures that call it home.

There are many sources for ocean education, the most obvious being a trip to the beach to explore the environment first hand. To hear the heartbeat of ocean waves and to find a coiled shell in the sand usually inspires love for the ocean; however, the acts alone of standing on the beach, collecting shells, or swimming in the ocean do not guarantee newfound knowledge. Just as one needs labels to learn about paintings in a museum or a map to find historic landmarks in a city, one needs a guide of some sort to fully appreciate and learn about the ocean environment and marine creatures.

For example, on almost every trip I make to the South Carolina coast I come across a bunch of perplexed tourists standing over a beached Cannonball Jellyfish (scientific name: Stomolophus meleagris). They prod at it with dried marsh reeds, afraid to touch it because it’s a jellyfish, and jellyfish sting. Right?

Well, most of the time, yes, jellyfish sting. But the cannonball jellyfish sting is so weak that humans rarely feel a thing – believe me, I’ve picked up more than my fair share of cannonball jellies to demonstrate their harmless nature to newbie beachgoers (it is important to note that cannonball jelly toxin does irritate human eyes – so don’t touch your eyes after touching this jellyfish). In Japan, cannonball jellyfish are considered a delicacy.

Funny fact: A school of jellyfish is called a smack.

And all of this discussion about jellyfish brings me back to my main point – learn about the ocean and its creatures. You just did! You now know more about cannonball jellyfish than most people on the beach this summer.

And I know just where to learn even more…

Aquariums!

Before (or during) your trip to the beach this summer, visit an aquarium for a full ocean education. Like museum labels and city maps, aquariums are excellent sources of information. Aquariums allow a rare, up-close view of live marine creatures – those you may see on the beach and many you have never seen (and may never see) in the wild. Show your children the wonders of the underwater world and inspire their lifelong love of the ocean.

But, there’s a catch.

While established large-scale city and state aquariums are excellent sources for learning about the ocean world, individual aquariums kept in offices, restaurants, public places, and private homes often do more harm than good. Tropical fish sold for small aquariums are usually caught in the wild using unsustainable and destructive methods.

To avoid the catch of an aquarium that harms the ocean, make sure to follow these general rules (and suggest to owners of individual aquariums at local businesses that they do the same):

Don’t buy live saltwater fish caught in the wild for your aquarium. The fishing methods used for the live fish trade include such things as cyaniding and dynamiting, which destroy the marine environment. Every year in the U.S. alone, hundreds of thousands of young and rare tropical reef fish die in small aquariums.

Buy only Marine Aquarium Council (www.aquariumcouncil.org) certified fish to be sure that your fish are sustainably caught or reared in captivity. Encourage local businesses to buy MAC certified fish for their aquariums.

Never return aquarium fish to the ocean or any body of water because doing so could introduce non-native species that may disrupt the delicate balance of marine ecosystems.

To be blue this month, learn more about the ocean and its creatures by visiting beaches and aquariums, but beware of the aquarium catch.

The more we learn about the ocean, the more we will care about protecting it. We will discover that, like the cannonball jellyfish, the ocean is full of contradictions and exceptions to common sense rules…

When caught in a riptide, don’t try to swim toward the shore (and directly against the pull of the tide), but rather swim parallel to the shore and eventually out of the tide.

The best way to care for the ocean is to learn about it and teach others. Some knowledge may help us identify marine creatures on the beach (cannonball jellyfish), while some knowledge may save a life (surviving a riptide).

May you turn a deeper shade of blue with each passing month!

World Oceans Day 2010

Welcome!

My new blog design is ready just in time for World Oceans Day 2010.

Yay!

Today -- June 8th -- is World Oceans Day!

Although celebrated unofficially for more than a decade, World Oceans Day was officially designated to be June 8th by the United Nations in 2009.

This year, World Oceans Day events are focused on the diversity of life in the oceans. And this focus could not come at a better time. We’ve all seen the heartbreaking pictures from the Gulf of Mexico of birds, sea turtles, and even dolphins covered in oil and struggling to survive through one of the worst oil spill disasters in history.

For those of us who don’t live close enough to volunteer to help, we’re left wondering what we can do. In honor of World Oceans Day and the diversity of life in the oceans, here are few ways that we can help protect the wildlife endangered by the oil spill:

The National Wildlife Federation is assisting with the clean up and rescue of animals stranded in oil. Visit the NWF website here. But, most importantly, to help with their rescue effort, please text "WILDLIFE" to 20222 to donate $10.

Buy Dawn. One bottle purchased = $1.00 donated to save wildlife. Click here for details.

Wear blue and tell two. Wear blue in support of the oceans and marine creatures and tell two people about World Oceans Day and how to donate to the wildlife rescue effort in the Gulf.

Be Blue. Read my Bluesday tips (on the menu tab at the top of this page) to learn about tips for how to protect the oceans and sea creatures now and in the future.

World Oceans Day is a reminder that the ocean is not only our life support system, but a thing of great beauty, teeming with amazing creatures. The ocean is resilient, but we are testing it almost to its limits. The oil spill underway in the Gulf of Mexico is a startling and sad example of just that.

Wear blue today. Be blue today. For the ocean and its diversity of life, celebrate World Oceans Day 2010 by doing your part to help with the rescue of wildlife in the Gulf of Mexico.

Thank you for checking out my new blog design!!

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Bluesday Tip #4: Stash the Trash

Today is Bluesday!

On the first Tuesday of each month, I share a tip for How To Be Blue. Being blue is about caring for the ocean - what we put into it, and what we take out of it.

This month's Bluesday tip: Stash the Trash.

Memorial Day weekend was the unofficial start of summer in the United States (thank you to the brave men and women who serve and protect our country and our freedom).

Summertime brings with it a huge influx of travelers to the beach. Some of us may have spent this past holiday weekend at the beach. Many of us will vacation on the coast during the course of the summer and throughout the year. Many of us live at or near a beach.

Regardless of when we go to the beach, one thing is bound to happen to almost all of us…trash.

Whether a sandwich wrapper or a cigarette butt, a plastic straw or a beer bottle, we will generate some sort of trash while we’re at the beach. And if we leave that trash on the beach, it will end up in the ocean. So what matters most is what we do with the trash.

That’s where this month’s Bluesday tip comes in handy.

Just stash the trash.

This should be an easy one for all of us. Simply stuff the trash in a bag or a cup or a shoe or a chair until it’s time to leave the beach. Then dispose of the trash in the nearest trash can or recycling bin.

That’s it.

But I challenge all of us to take it one step further…

Pick up trash we find on the beach even when it isn’t our trash.

Gasp!

Why should we do that?

Well, here’s the thing, garbage on the beach usually ends up as garbage in the ocean. The tide moves in, sucks up the trash, and rolls back out with it. Ocean currents then move much of the trash to a number of areas where the currents meet. The collections of trash in the crossroads of currents are called marine trash islands.

The most well known marine trash island is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (aka the Eastern Garbage Patch) located between Hawaii and California. The exact size of the patch is not known, but is estimated to be somewhere between the size of Texas and the size of the continental United States (yikes!). It is constantly growing. The Atlantic Ocean has a marine trash island as well in its Sargasso Sea.

Ninety percent of the trash found in the garbage patches is plastic, of which eighty percent comes from land sources (like – you guessed it - beaches). Trash such as water bottles, straws, cups, bottle caps, plastic bags, fish netting, and six-pack rings are a few of the types of items found floating in marine trash islands.

Giant garbage patches pose many dangers for ocean wildlife. Whales, seabirds, sea turtles, and other animals can easily become tangled in nylon nets and six-pack rings or choke on balloons, straws, and sandwich wrap. Fish, seabirds, jellyfish, and oceanic filter feeders mistake brightly colored plastic pellets for fish eggs and krill. The plastic pellets become toxic in large quantities and can lead to genetic defects that ripple through the food chain.

[Bonus Tip: Before throwing a six-pack ring in the trash (or recycling) bin, cut apart each of the rings to prevent strangulation of sea birds and turtles should the rings end up in the ocean.]

We enjoy spending time at the beach, so we must care about the only thing that makes a beach a beach – the ocean. If we care about the ocean, then we care about what we put into the ocean that might harm it or the sea creatures that call it home.

Even if you’re not a beach person, the ocean plays a much larger role in your inland life than you may realize.

No ocean, no humans. So we should all care about the ocean.

Besides, I don’t hear about anyone running off to vacation at marine trash islands. Who likes to hang out on a heap of trash?

And none of us want to contribute to the growth of marine trash islands. We really don’t.

That’s why we should do something.

Trash is trash is trash. Once it’s on the beach – no matter who put it there - it’s on its way to the marine trash islands. We can show how much we care about the ocean by picking up any trash we see on the beach – our own trash and that of the billions of people who don’t know about this month’s Bluesday tip because they don’t read my blog (*smile*).

Be a blue beachgoer. Stash the Trash.

The ocean and marine creatures will thank you!

May you turn a deeper shade of blue with each passing month.

Bluesday Tip #3: Bag Plastic Bags

Today is Bluesday! On the first Tuesday of each month, I share a tip for How To Be Blue. Being blue is about caring for the ocean - what we put into it, and what we take out of it.

This month's Bluesday tip: Bag Plastic Bags.

If you’re like me, you may not have noticed how many plastic bags you use in a given day - one for your deli lunch, one for toothpaste and hand soap at the drug store, several more for groceries, maybe another one at the mall. I started to pay attention and realized that I ended up with a plastic bag in my hands after almost any routine purchase.

Everything seems to get stuffed into plastic bags.

Worst of all, plastic bags have an extremely short useful life – the few minutes it takes to carry items from the store to the car to the house.

And then what?

We (cringe) throw the plastic bag away…

And where exactly is away?

Well, away may start out as the trash can or landfill, but often away ends up to be the beach or the ocean.

Each year, thousands of seabirds and marine mammals die from ingestion of or entanglement in plastics such as single-use plastic bags. Sea turtles often mistake plastic bags for food (jellyfish), a mistake that can be fatal.

The problem with plastic is that it doesn’t biodegrade, it photodegrades. It breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces with exposure to the sun’s UV light. As a result, virtually every piece of plastic that has ever been produced still exists in some shape or form. Millions of plastic bags are sitting in landfills and garbage cans, or caught in drains or around animals’ bodies.

The good news is that there are so many ways to reduce plastic bag use!

Buy a reusable fabric bag. Bags made from canvas or cotton can be used repeatedly and are usually washable. Most grocery stores offer such bags for sale in their stores right near the check out. Try reusable bags for all purchases, not just groceries. (The most difficult thing about reusable bags is to remember to bring them with you!)

Ask for paper, not plastic. Although it is best to use a fabric bag, paper is recyclable and decomposes faster.

Reuse plastic bags that you already have. Be creative! Plastic bags can be used to stuff a giant pet pillow, to line paint trays or baseboards for painting, or they can be stored in the car for wet clothes and shoes. The possibilities are endless. Search the internet for helpful ideas.

Encourage your local stores to charge for plastic bags (IKEA started charging for plastic bags in mid-March). Most people would rather carry their own purchases by hand than pay for a bag.

Stuff the stuff. If you must use plastic bags, be sure to completely fill up each bag to reduce the total number used. Don’t bag items like laundry detergent and drink cartons that have their own handles.

Find biodegradable plastic bags (try pet stores, pet shelters, environmental agencies, and chambers of commerce). Some bags decompose in around 15 days.

It takes time to change any habit. I’ve been trying to Bag Plastic Bags for months now. Some days, I walk out of the grocery store with two fabric bags full of food, feeling good, definitely being blue. Other days, I forget my fabric bag at a store that doesn’t offer paper with too many items to carry in my hands. And I end up with a plastic bag. But I try to keep it for later use instead of throwing it to the dreaded away.

Being blue takes time.

Just do the best you can to Bag Plastic Bags. The ocean creatures will thank you!

May you turn a deeper shade of blue with each passing month.

P.S. An interesting website for more information: http://www.riseaboveplastics.org/

Bluesday Tip #2: Drink It, Don't Sink It

Today is Bluesday (the first Tuesday of the month). Each Bluesday I share a tip for How To Be Blue. Being blue is about caring for the ocean - what we put into it, and what we take out of it. This month's Bluesday tip is "Drink It, Don't Sink It."

Each time I brush my teeth, I turn on the water in the sink…and leave it on. I rinse my brush and then stand there, brushing and brushing while the water is gushing and gushing. This is a waste of water. I don’t remember when this bad habit began, but I’m more aware of it now than ever. It’s a hard habit to break.

One of the best ways to keep the ocean clean and to be blue is to conserve water. One of the easiest ways to conserve water is to turn off the water while you brush your teeth. We can all learn to do it. Here’s how:

Step 1:

Put a cup beside the sink for convenience.

Step 2:

Before you start to brush, fill the cup with water and rinse your toothbrush.

Step 3:

Turn off the water (obviously, this is the most important step).

Step 4:

Brush teeth, drink water to rinse, and clean toothbrush with water leftover in cup.

Step 5:

Feel good about fresh breath, clean teeth, and being blue!


Conserve water by reforming your water use habits.

Drink it, don’t sink it. The ocean will thank you!

May you turn a deeper shade of blue with each passing month.

Bluesday Tip #1: Sending out an SOS

Today is Bluesday (the first Tuesday of the month). Each Bluesday I share a tip for How To Be Blue. This month’s Bluesday tip is “Source Of Seafood” or, as I like to put it, “SOS” (just like the well known distress signal). The ocean is sending out an SOS! Pay attention to the source of the seafood in the market or on the menu. Choose accordingly. The source of seafood we consume affects not only the sustainability of the ocean fisheries, but our own health.

For my vegetarian and vegan friends (and anyone who doesn’t like seafood), this one will be easy. For the rest of us, it’s difficult to figure out the source of seafood. What is best for the ocean and for us? I certainly struggle with this and often forget to bring along a list when I shop or dine.

To that end, the following information is reprinted from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch website. For more detailed information and to print your own Seafood Watch Pocket Guide for any area of the U.S., please click here:

The Monterey Bay Aquarium has identified seafood that is "Super Green" (again, I think it should be called Super “Blue”) meaning that it is good for human health and does not harm the oceans. The Super Green list highlights products that are currently on the Seafood Watch "Best Choices" list, are low in environmental contaminants, and are good sources of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids.

The Best of the Best: January 2010

Albacore Tuna (troll- or pole-caught, from U.S. or British Columbia)
Freshwater Coho Salmon (farmed in tank systems, from the U.S.)
Mussels (farmed)
Oysters (farmed)
Pacific Sardines (wild-caught)
Pink Shrimp (wild-caught, from Oregon)
Rainbow Trout (farmed)
Salmon (wild-caught, from Alaska)
Spot Prawns (wild-caught, from British Columbia)

Other Healthy “Best Choices”

Arctic Char (farmed)
Bay Scallops (farmed)
Crayfish (farmed, from the U.S.)
Dungeness Crag (wild-caught, from California, Oregon or Washington)
Longfin Squid (wild-caught, from the U.S. Atlantic)
Pacific Cod (longline-caught, from Alaska)

Print this list and take it along whenever you plan to buy or eat seafood, or print a Pocket Guide from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch website.

The ocean is sending out an SOS! This month’s Bluesday tip is to pay attention and respond to the SOS - Source Of Seafood.

Eat wisely.

May you turn a deeper shade of blue with each passing month!

Bluesday

We've all heard about going green, but (in my humble opinion) I think the environmental movement is the wrong color. Our lives - and the 'green' parts of earth where we live - depend on the ocean. The great blue ocean deserves our highest protection and respect. Our push to make choices that are better for the environment should be a blue movement focused on caring for the ocean - what we put into it, and what we take out of it.

Allow me to introduce Bluesday.

Bluesday on my blog is the first Tuesday of each month. On Bluesday, I will post a tip about How To Be Blue. Why only one tip per month? I want to keep it simple, make it easy to remember and possible to do. Experts say it takes thirty days to create a habit, so I'm allowing thirty days for each tip to become your new habit.

Look for the first tip on Bluesday, March 2, 2010.

My inspiration for Bluesday comes from my lifelong fascination with the ocean and marine biology. I am also inspired by Sylvia Earle, a pioneering oceanographer and National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence. Sylvia Earle has been at the frontier of deep ocean exploration for four decades. She has led more than 50 undersea expeditions and has been an equally tireless advocate for the ocean and the creatures who live in it.

Sylvia was one of three winners of the 2009 TED Prize for her wish to protect the ocean:

“I wish you would use all means at your disposal — films! expeditions! the web! more! — to ignite public support for a global network of marine protected areas, hope spots large enough to save and restore the ocean, the blue heart of the planet.”

Sylvia appeared on The Colbert Report to discuss her new book The World is Blue: How Our Fate and the Ocean’s Are One. To watch Stephen Colbert's funny and informative chat with Sylvia Earle, click here

May you turn a deeper shade of blue with each passing month!