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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Poetry Snack

Why is fate denied?
Out of fear or out of pride?
If the latter, let it be.
If the former, set it free.

sMall Things

My two-year-old daughter is teaching me that small things matter most.

Children are so much better than adults at appreciating the simple pleasures of everyday life – things like bright yellow leaves, ants crawling on the sidewalk, the sound of thunder, an airplane in the sky – things we take for granted because we’ve experienced them hundreds of times before. Children marvel at the small things we adults walk past without even noticing.

Only a few days ago, I took my daughter to run errands at the mall.

And I dread running errands, especially at the mall.

When I do have to go to the mall, I like to make a short list of what I need, get in, and get out.

But that isn’t how it works with a toddler in tow.

So I entered the mall prepared with snacks and drinks and interesting toys to use as bait to lure my daughter back into her stroller when she tired of walking.

And then a surprising thing happened.

I didn’t need the stuff I brought along (well, except my credit card, of course). To my daughter, the mall was a fascinating world of amazing new discoveries around every corner. The mall was a playground full of small things I never noticed before I saw them through her young eyes…

Shoes! She pointed and squealed with joy - pretty flowers on fancy flip flops, shiny heels and flats – rows and rows of shoes at her eye level.

Fountain! She stood mesmerized by circles of spouting water that rose and fell in dancing patterns like a miniature version of the famous Bellagio fountains. I gave her pennies to throw in and make wishes.

Escalator! She threw a fit (in Nordstrom – oops!) because she wanted to ride on the escalator like Corduroy the overall-clad bear who went looking for his missing button.

Really? A tantrum over an escalator?

But those small mall things I always overlooked – shoe departments, fountains, and escalators – made the mall a place of wonder for my sweet daughter.

And the funny thing is that I truly enjoyed our trip to the mall that day because I wasn’t thinking about the errands I had to run or how to hurry through my list of things to do. I was thinking about the small things that made my daughter smile.

I’m learning from her that small things really do matter most.

Even at the mall.

I think I’ll look forward to our next trip there together.

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.

The Late Bird May Get A Better Deal On The Worm

That’s right.

The early bird may get the worm, but -- by being too early -- the early bird may miss out on a better, later deal.

We’ve all heard about the early bird. We’re bombarded with early bird specials and encouraged to be an early bird to get discounts on major purchases, to save money on travel plans, or even to find more success in life.

But today I stumbled upon an exception to this general rule.

And it might just open up a whole new can of worms for all of us birds.

See, I’m attending a conference this summer in DC. Two months ago, when I decided to go to the conference, I researched hotel options for the best rates and deals.

I was trying to be a good little early bird, even though I’m not.

The hotel where I wanted to stay cost a hundred dollars more per night than the Westin a few blocks over. So I was planning to make my reservations at the Westin instead. But, just today, I happened to search hotels again and discovered that the hotel where I originally wanted to stay has now dropped its nightly rate to a few dollars below the Westin’s rate.

Had I booked my hotel reservations two months ago, I would have missed the best deal on the hotel I really wanted. If I’d been the early bird, sure I’d get the worm – the hotel – but I would have paid a hundred dollars more per night for the same worm. By being the late bird, I not only get the worm I want, but I get a better deal on it!

I’m the late bird most of the time so today’s discovery is thrilling to me.

It appears, at least in this instance, the late bird gets a better deal on the worm.

I really hope this becomes the rule instead of the exception!

Hugs,
Late Bird

P.S. When did you get a better deal by being the late bird?

Baby Bear Day

Today is Saturday.

Saturday is my favorite day of the week.

But, besides that, today is one of those days when everything seems to be just right, which reminds me of The Story of the Three Bears, where Goldilocks describes each of the Baby Bear’s things as being just right.

Today is a Baby Bear Day.

Taylor woke up around 8:30 this morning. Not too early, not too late, but just right.

We took a walk to Starbucks in the mid-morning sun. Not too hot, not too cold, but just right.

We went to see Taylor’s cousins play Little League Baseball. Not too long, not too short, but just right.

Taylor swam at the tennis club baby pool. Not too dirty, not too clean, but just right.

And so the day has gone.

My new favorite day of the week is any day that is a Baby Bear Day.

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/