Tips for Making Our Beaches Cleaner

Yesterday's (Sunday 8 July 2012) For Better of Worse cartoon (by Lynn Johnston) was about littering, with the kids finding bottles, cigarette butts, bottle caps and other garbage on the beach while Ellie remembers hunting for shells and pretty stones.



Littering can be a problem, and often is around here after a week of the national celebrations of Canada's Day on July 1st and the United States of America's Independence Day on July 4th. Fireworks galore! But these fireworks are often set off by visitors upon the beaches, or launched out over the water, only to drift, or be left upon, the beaches.

Just like Micheal and Elizabeth in the cartoon, it is often the kids who find these "treasures." In light of that, and for those of you cruising on the West Coast of the USA/Canada (be it from Alaska to California) who might run across some left over debris from the Tsunami in Japan, here are a few guidelines to help you in making our beaches great places to visit!

Safety should always be of foremost concern:

• Wear a glove on the hand picking up trash
• Wear closed-toe shoes (no flip-flops or bare feet)
• Wear clothing appropriate to coast weather
• Don't touch or pick up dead animals or attempt to move injured animals; contact necessary authorities
• Never pick up syringes, needles, or any hazardous objects; mark the area and notify cleanup organizer
• Always stay in teams of at least two
• Be cautious and aware of sensitive habitat areas (i.e., sand dunes)
• All children under 14 should be supervised by an adult at all times
• Do not lift anything too heavy; when in doubt, don't
• Do not go near any possibly hazardous items (e.g., propane tanks, oil or chemical drums, etc.)*

Have a glorious summer.

Blessed Be

Joel


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*(From the Pacific Northwest Annual Conference Response Team brochure: "Beach B.U.M.S.")