Through support from Piers Island Association and grant funding from CRD, we were able to put together and film this presentation about how every consumer has the power to #ditchtheplastic 
I was able to buy the products that I'd found and use them as draw prizes for our audience, which was present with masks (only 6 people) or there via Zoom.  I apologize in advance for my Ums, which were many...but I hope you come away with inspiration to try and change the way you buy.  I had to  remind myself today...when buying green relish - choose the glass, not the plastic!  

Thank you for watching, please hunt out these fantastic refill stations in your area and spread the word to "ditch the plastic".  

I put out a challenge to island neighbours to walk the shoreline and collect all the junk they could find.  Several took up the charge and made a difference in their area.  There was a surfeit of styrofoam of all types along the shore.  Much of it was broken up in to smaller pieces that could be mistaken as food by fish.   The photos above were shared by friends and neighbours who participated and recorded their finds to share with others.  

The next question was what to do with it?  In our area, Island Return It will take styrofoam if it is dry (not water logged).  There are a multitude of different types of "foam" and not all is recyclable, so you need to bone up on your recyclable materials.  I wanted to know the end result of styrofoam recycling and found some interesting Youtube stories on the process which can be large scale, or very small.  It was good to know that it is very successfully recycled - but then it's back again in another form! 

We need to protect our oceans and every bit of garbage we pull off the beach helps.  Most garbage ends up ashore, however briefly, within one week of entering the waters.  If we continually monitor our beaches and collect the garbage, we will save it from enlarging the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and save a few fish along the way.  We are all connected. 

I encourage anyone who has waterfront property to take a stroll every few days on the high tide line - you will be amazed what you collect.  If you are not on the waterfront, then visit your favorite beach and take a stroll.  The walks will benefit us all and recycling the found materials will help the oceans and all marine life.   

#beachwalks #hightide #collecting #recycling #styrofoam #singleuseplastic