Too Much Trash in Our Oceans

International Surfing Day is on June 20th 2009. The day was created by Surfing Magazine to promote and celebrate surfing. The day is not only about surfing , it is also about the ocean and protecting it for our recreation both in the water and on the beaches.

On International Surfing Day, Go Green Mug will be at Huntington Beach, CA to take part in the fun and help with the beach cleanup. We would love to see you there too. Check out http://www.surfingmagazine.com/isd/ to find International Surfing Day activities in your area.

The recent crash of the Air France flight was a terrible disaster and the search for the remains of the plane highlighted another disaster, this one environmental. In the early stages of the search for the plane, the searchers thought they had found some of the debris from the crash, but on further investigation it turned out that this was not part of the missing aircraft but other, all too common, ocean trash.

The ocean is unfortunately full of trash, from large items such as couches and refrigerators to the tiny pieces of plastic that we have discussed before in the blog http://gogreenmug.blogspot.com/2009/01/coffee-shop-discounts.html. This trash circles around in the ocean currents and destroys marine life.

How can so much trash end up in our oceans that it becomes difficult to identify parts of a plane from other debris that just happens to be there? The fault of course lies with all of us, particularly in the USA. We know we can do more about our consumption of single use plastics or paper or polystyrene.
We know we do not need to buy bottled water.
We can bring our own canvas bags when we go grocery shopping and reject the plastic bags.
We can drive more fuel efficient vehicles or drive less and use public transport or bikes.
We can use reusable travel mugs at coffee shops and eliminate our use of paper cups.
And we can help at beach and/or river clean ups and prevent the trash from running into the oceans.

http://www.gogreenmug.com/ is still selling personalized travel mugs at only $14.99 with shipping. If you are not using a travel mug when you visit a coffee shop, then get one now.

Is Your Sunscreen Killing Coral Reefs?

Summer is approaching quickly now and we are all starting to enjoy the outdoors far more. More hiking, gardening and for some of us surfing and snorkeling. If we are going to spend time outdoors in the sun we all know that sunscreen is a must, but a study in January 2008 suggests that sunscreen may be killing off coral in the ocean.

The study found that four common sunscreen ingredients; octinoxate, oxybenzone, 4-methylbenzylidene camphor and the preservative butylparaben, can awaken viruses in an algae called Zooxanthellae that live inside many coral species. The sunscreen ingredients cause the viruses to replicate, eventually killing off the algae and spilling over to infect nearby coral.

The Zooxanthellae provide the coral with food through photosynthesis and also contribute to the bright and vibrant colors. Without them the coral loses its color and eventually becomes a white coral skeleton and dies.

I found out quickly that my favored sunscreen contained these four ingredients and I often find myself in the ocean and love snorkeling and viewing the corals. I searched and found very few alternatives. So although this story (about the coral) is more than a year old, I wondered what we could do about it, without an easy sunscreen alternative. Once again human consumption is causing possible harm to our planet, but this time we can't simply decide not to use sunscreen. Skin cancer is one of the most prevalent cancers with more than 1 million people diagnosed in America each year. Protecting yourself from the sun can significantly decrease your risk of skin cancer.

Before we all give up on our ocean recreation to save the coral reefs, I did find some information in my searches.

1. Look at the ingredients before you buy sunscreen. Look out for any of the 4 chemicals that awaken the dormant viruses: octinoxate, oxybenzone, 4-methylbenzylidene camphor and butylparaben and do not buy these sunscreens.


2. Natural sunscreens that have no synthetic ingredients are not known to harm the coral. They may also be better for your skin as studies have shown these synthetic nanoparticles may cause skin irritation and even illness.


3. Look for sunscreens using natural UVA and UVB blocking zinc oxide and or titanium dioxide.


4. Make sure your sunscreen contains both UVA and UVB protection. I won't get into the details but you need both.

I have a trip to Hawaii coming up, so I am off to find my natural sunscreen
Have a great week and Mothers Day and reduce your waste.
The GoGreenMug mothers day 20% off coupon is still available until May17. Coupon Code: grnmom2day

10 Ways to Keep our Oceans Clean

Last week we mentioned that we would be taking part in the Rockwater race on March 21, 2009. This is an annual race from mountain to ocean to raise awareness about the watershed organized by Surfrider Newport Beach Chapter. We want to thank Surfrider Newport Beach, particularly Robert and Robyn, for organizing this event and for much of the information given below.

A watershed is any river, gully, canyon or pathway that drains to the ocean. Watersheds are everywhere and anything on land can find its way to the ocean via a watershed. This means that if you throw something on the ground it may eventually end up in the ocean. Drop a cigarette butt or plastic fork, and it will end up in the ocean, on our beaches, or in the stomach of a fish, sea bird or other marine animal.

It's up to you to make the right choices and protect our watersheds, oceans, beaches and marine life. Here are 10 ways you can help:

1. Always pick up your pet's waste.
2. Rake up and discard yard clippings. Do not let them get washed away with the next rains.
3. Always dispose of your cigarette butts properly.
4. Do not use a hose to water down your driveway. This wastes a lot of water and also drains the oil and other pollutants from our cars into the watershed. Use a broom instead.
5. Plant native and if necessary drought resistant plants.
6. Always dispose of motor oil properly at an approved collection and recycling facility.
7. Join in at beach clean ups or pick up trash whenever you can and dispose of it properly.
8. Excess fertilizer is often washed away into the watershed with watering or rain. Reduce the amount of fertilizer you use.
9. Reduce the amount of single-use plastic. Use reusable shopping bags for your groceries. Do not buy bottled water.
10. Get a personalized travel mug and remember to bring it with you whenever you visit a coffee shop. Do not use a disposable coffee cup, plastic coffee cup lid or cardboard sleeve. This is all waste!

Now that you know what to do to protect the watershed, here are some pics of the Rockwater 2009 race and our GoGreenMug team. The race is a 28.8 mile run/walk/bike/skateboard down the Santa Ana River from the trail head at the border of Orange County and Riverside to the Ocean in Huntington Beach. Our team consisted of Sam, Scott, Jay, Sally, Jennie, Melanie, Sarah, Sean, Dennis, and Dudley; we covered the full 28.8 miles in a little more than 4 hours 10 minutes. Congratulations to the team and to the other teams who competed.

To see more pics of the race click here.

Next year we will be back to race again. Why don't you plan to put a team together to challenge us?

Have a great week and reduce the waste.