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Happy Summer! It's officially beach, pool, and lake season and I could not be more excited! One of my favorite things to talk about this time of the year is ways to be more Eco Friendly when you are doing all things summer!
My family and I went to the beach this past week and it was an amazing get away to one of our favorite places, Amelia Island, Florida! If you like to go to the beach where it seems more old school than flashy, busy, and 2+ hour wait times for dinner, then I highly recommend Amelia Island and Fernandina Beach! To me, this part of Florida, just above Jacksonville and just about an hour south of St. Simmons Island, GA, is a little piece of perfection, hidden along the Emerald Coast with plenty to do but not so commercialized and busy!
One must do is Putt-Putt, which opened in 1959 and is the oldest running Putt-Putt course in the US!
One of my all time favorite movies is the 1959 classic, Gidget, starring Sandra Dee and James Darren. Anyone who has watched this probably still has a crush on Moondoggie, but the point of this little piece about me is that Fernandina Beach reminds me so much of what Southern California must have been like in the late 50s and early 60s when things were not so busy and commercial that it is nostalgia and memories of my favorite movie that make me love this place so much and since I do, it's important to me that the beach stay clean and safe!
As you travel this summer, think about ways you can help protect our water ways and reduce the pollution that enters by accident. Below is a realization at the amount of items collected out of the ocean in 2021. What makes this so bad is that this is not all of it. There's more hurting our ocean life every single day.
So, first of all, what can you do when you go to the beach or lake to reduce the amount of plastic?
Take a trash bag. If you see above, you will notice that plastic bags are on the top 10 list of items found in the ocean. Instead of plastic, consider a lightweight vinyl bag that can be rinsed out and reused like the one I have in my picture. Another option is to take a heavy duty shopping basket that can be reused. Hilton Head Island public beaches have these for beach goers to use and it was awesome.
Drop the plastic straws. Let me say that again.... DROP.THE.PLASTIC.STRAWS and grab reusable silicone or metal.
Switch out those plastic baggies for reusable silicone ones. These are a great option! https://www.netzerocompany.com/products/4-pack-silicone-sealer-bags-set?srsltid=AWLEVJxstK2m4iC8KUzIFJU5nBJ9grQMWRSPu82PAUe1Q-VxYxjd3wLpgUs
Take a reusable water bottle with an attached cap versus using so many water bottles. Those little caps are another one of the biggies on the list!
Swap out the products you can with composting items. Examples are utensils, cups, plates, and even trash bags.
STOP SMOKING! It's dangerous, it's expensive, and it ages you and your vocal cords like an old handbag, so do yourself a favor and put it down!
Below is another example of how long it takes items to decompose.
As you get ready for your vacations, take the time to plan ahead and purchase items that will not only save you money in the end but also that will help our beaches stay clean and our sea life stay healthy. Also, please take the time to pick up waste on the beach versus leaving it there for others to clean and/or for it to hit the Ocean and pollute our waters.
Have a wonderful, safe, and Eco friendly summer and remember to reduce, reuse, and recycle!
Happy Monday!
Allison
Mrs. Georgia Petite
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