Week 5 - John walks without me....

Yes, John walked without me on June 4th.  I was nervous as heck!!!!  The reason..... because last year when I decided to sleep in and asked John to walk without me, he found tracks (wihtout me!!!!! ).   I said that would never happen again unless I felt like I was on my death bed!


Well, this time I was out of town (more on that below), so I had no choice in the matter.  And even though he did not find tracks, John did pick up the equivalent of two bags of trash.  He did kindly save the trash for me so I could wash, sort, save and toss.  (I'm not sure why he didn't do it himself? )  :-D


Here is some of what John found:


1 styrofoam plate
1 styrofoam cup 
1 cig butt (I'm sure there was more)
1 cig package
5 shoes (1 pair of men flip flops, 2 left flip (1 red & 1 blue,  1 kids sandal)
3 plastic cups (2 are reusable/ probably rental property kitchenware)
1 "compostable" corn cup (more on that below)
3 plastic bottles
2 ziplock bags


13 straws (6 of these were still in paper and the paper said they were eco-friendly and 100% compostable---more on this below as well)


5 bottle caps
2 toys
8 disposable tiny plastic coffee creamer packages
2 aluminum cans

John and I decided to enjoy some boating and skurfing this afternoon (June 10).  When we got to the dock, I immediately noticed a plastic bag in the water.  John fetched the surf board and I jumped on, paddled over and removed the bag!  Just another opportunity to "keep it clean".

About Those Straws and "Compostable" Plant Products:


I really do appreciate companies trying to be more environmentally friendly and using compostable products.  However, if those products are on the ground, they are still litter and litter is unsightly, illegal, and sometimes dangerous.  Also, products that claim to be "compostable" are not compostable in the ocean.  Did you know that items compost best in soil, with the aid of worms, and at the right warm temperature?   If these items end up in the ocean, they will not compost because the ocean does not offer the right conditions for items to compost. 


What is the lesson to be learned?  Reduce all disposable, single use items so that they never end up in the landfill, in a compost bin or in the Ocean.  


If you look at the picture of these straws, you will notice that they were never used because they are still in their paper, but they ended up littered on the beach!  What a waste!!!!

And remember, that just because the items are compostable does not necessarily  make them safe for wildlife (or human)  consumption.  


Powered by the Wind:
The reason I was out of town is because I was attending The Bluemind Conference with two of my friends, Danielle and Bonnie.


The conference was held at Jennette's Pier in Nags Head.  Did you know the pier is powered by windmills?  How cool is that?  Check out the pics below.