Let’s Better Our California Beaches

It’s where I go to find balance, to be centered… to focus.

It’s always been the place where I feel most at peace. There is a connectedness that my soul has with the ocean that can’t be duplicated. Are you one of those people too? The smell of the air, the repetitive sound of the crashing waves, the way the light reflects off of the ocean’s ever-changing surface, and how the horizon line so gently punctuates the curvature of the earth. It all makes for sensory perfection.

Whether you are someone who lives at the shore or someone who just enjoys a sunset over the ocean on vacation, keeping our oceans clean is up to us. The greatest threats dangering our coastal communities and waters are plastic pollution, storm and urban runoff, and the stressful effects of climate change. In Southern California, some beaches have been closed due to the unsafe and dirty conditions of the water. The largest source of pollution to the coastal waters is urban runoff, which can contain bacteria, trash, and chemical toxins, causing harm to people, animals, and marine life. Litter, automotive fluids, pet waste, and other pollutants  flow into storm drains and find their way to the ocean, usually unfiltered. So, today I just wanted to plant a seed in our minds… a friendly little reminder, if you will: Let’s do our part, even if that part seems insignificant, to keep our oceans clean. Dispose of trash correctly, pick up loose garbage, and please don’t litter. It doesn’t matter if you are twenty yards from the ocean or twenty miles – my dad always said, “a drain always flows somewhere.”

For a truly inspirational story about a 17 year old making a difference to help save aquatic life, click here. For more information about volunteering to help save California beaches, check out environmental nonprofit, Heal the Bay, located in Santa Monica.

+ Have your local beaches been negatively affected? What are you doing to help save our oceans?

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