Blue Rock Beach Society

Hundreds of marine life die daily because of the high carbon footprints that we leave on this earth. This has got to STOP. Plastic has caught the world in it’s synthetic wraps, and it’s diminishing the ocean’s potential to become something beautiful.

Plastic is killing the turtles of the sea, who graze the grass-beds that allow fish to stay healthy and fed. Turtles that deliver nutrients to ALL marine life. Not only is plastic killing off the turtles, but plastic is being ingested by the fish WE EAT. We are ingesting plastic on a daily basis! Plastic is also making the ocean a lot more acidic, as the ocean absorbs more carbon from the earth’s atmosphere. “The oceans make the planet’s climate livable, absorbing 90 percent of the additional heat trapped by our ever-thickening atmospheric blanket of carbon pollution” states Michael Conathan, previous Director of Ocean Policy at the Center for American Progress. Although the oceans keep our world alive, they are slowly falling apart and something has to be done. The ocean is one of the most active and joyous places to be, but it is also one of the most struggling places, desperate for help.

Plastic cup, gum wrapper, straw cover, random plastic strips – all covering the sand of Santa Monica.

To be a part of the solution we need to take advantage of our right to an education and do our research. We need to stop littering with disregard of the consequences. To take it a step forward, we need to start picking up after other people when we see trash buried in the sand. Not even looking for anything, I came across about thirteen plastic cups just stuck in the ground while I was walking the coast with my friend. There should be no hesitation to pick it up and find the nearest recycling bin, or at least a trash can to delay it from reaching the ocean. We should be volunteering at every beach cleanup event we can make it to, because although it doesn’t seem like it, every piece of plastic picked up is another fish or future generation saved. We have to support paper straw companies, or if you’re not a fan of them, look into Biofase, a company creating straws out of avocado seeds that completely biodegrade in only 240 days. We need to donate our money to these great projects from organizations such as Ocean Conservancy. If your wallet is feeling a little light, set up a Surfrider fundraising page by clicking “here” and get your friends to donate to the cause. If you’re up for it, donate to our Surfrider fundraising page by clicking “here“.

We are NOT killers, and we should NOT become bystanders! If you start doing all of these things, then there may be hope for our world. After all, there is no Planet B. We need to make sure our oceans can break free from this plastic mask, because so long as it’s buried under toxins – we’re suffocating as well. The ocean has done so much for us – even right now it’s supplying us with oxygen – it’s time we wake up and giveback. Stay #ecoupdated. Follow us on Instagram @brbeachsociety and look for our subscribe button on our home page to get email notifications on when a new post is coming out or event is being put up on the calendar!

6 AM and awake. Took a shower, slapped on a wetsuit, and started heading for the beach, cranking up KROQ tunes in the background and awaiting icy bliss. Got in breakfast at the local Starbucks and crossed the street with board in hand ready to join the lineup. Catching waves and watching the horizon. The ocean has played a critical role in all of our lives – personally, scientifically, and historically.

Continents were moved and shaped, empires were conquered, and cultures were formed – all under the influence of the ocean. The Greeks told stories of Ocean Gods, myths of Atlantis spread, Columbus sailed the great blue to the Americas, and Polynesians were the first surfers over 3000 years ago. More recently, The Beach Boys came into existence, revolutionizing rock and roll, and millions of people spend their leisure time spiking volleyballs to the sand or catching a thrill with some boogie boarding. Even more presently – in fact, to the second – the ocean is producing half of the oxygen we consume. Oceans are a major aspect of our food chain and keep the world vivacious and healthy. In the time you’ve spent reading these past two paragraphs, at least twelve people have updated their tinder bios to add how they “enjoy long walks across the beach”.

We have a moral obligation to help the ocean, as it has done so much for us. But if you can’t see the ocean for what it is, you should understand that the ocean has been here forever. It has watched human history unravel throughout the ages, and if not for morality, then join the solution out of sentimentality.

Organizations such as Heal the Bay and Surfrider host beach cleanup events every third Saturday of the month. Surfrider offers people an online platform to create and grow fundraising pages, raising money to prevent lethal plastic from reaching the innocent fish of the sea. Click Here to view our fundraising page, and expect a how-to post on making your own page along with accomplishing various other eco-helpful tasks coming up in the near future. Ocean Conservancy also dedicates itself to “protecting the ocean from today’s greatest global challenges”. Shop 4Ocean’s stylish collection of bracelets, each purchase will remove one pound of trash from the ocean and coastlines. Look into these many opportunities for you to do the right thing and continue to read articles and check for upcoming events on this blog to become a part of the solution. We need people like you, reading this article right now, to make a difference when others can’t. The ocean has been with us forever. With your help, it can stay that way.

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