Quick Eco Fact - If every one of us in the USA recycled a Sunday Newspaper over 550,000 trees would be saved every week!
In fact - In 2000, the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE) said that pulp, paper, and paperboard mills account for 12 percent of total manufacturing energy use in the U.S.
I continue to say that print media is dead (perhaps dying is a better assessment) and can't remember the last time I picked up a newspaper other than being bored in the airport and perusing the bookstore. Otherwise I prefer to get my info online...
By the way, a quick plug for the MakuEcoshop, we have lots of cool recycled items like Bucky and Fred that come shipped in recycled packaging!
Bike Chain Bowl Recycled Revivial’s artists created this gorgeous bowl from the most unlikely medium, recycled bike chain. With a great weight and classic shape they are perfect on an entry table for your keys etc. the end of the day. 10" diameter x 2" deep
Hybrid Wall Clock Recycled Revival made this wall clock from a recycled bicycle sprocket and recycled computer hard drive. A great gift for computer or bike lovers, or both! AA battery included. 7″ × 7″
Bicycle Chain Frames he ultimate gift for the cycle lover! Recycled Revivals classic frames have been praised by critics from coast to coast. Made from recycled bicycle chain with an easel back/stand. Stands or hangs vertically or horizontally.
I found this little gem - "Fish for Thought" on the LeucadiaProject.com. Ed and David are a couple of locals guys that surf the same spots as I do. Ed's zest for surf culture is second to none and David is an incredible photographer.
So check it out, Local North County artist Rodney McCoubrey takes trash found in and around our local beaches and re-purposes it to some pretty cool artwork. Combined with an Eco-Educational aspect with some of the local kids in Del Mar and you have a pretty rad little project going!
The event was yesterday and hopefully the dreary weather did not put a damper on things. (Yes you read right, I said "Dreary" weather.... This time of year we get a little May Gray and June Gloom...)
FISH for THOUGHT
MILE of ART on the beach in Del Mar
TEACHES KIDS, COMMUNITY, ABOUT RECYCLING
Featuring Rodney McCoubrey
Elementary students' artwork display from recycled materials (trash to treasure)
with local artist Rodney 'Rodrigo' McCoubrey this Saturday, May 30th. on the beach in Del Mar
A mile of marine-themed artwork—colorful concoctions of scrap wood, old toothbrushes, aluminum soda tabs, popped balloons and the like, mounted on recycled sticks--winding "Christo style" along the scenic Del Mar coastline. Trash to treasure - a message of HOPE and RECYCLING.
Mini-masterpieces, the kids call Fish Sticks, will be proudly created and displayed to tell the tale ending ocean pollution.
This simple recycling/art project by 400 Del Mar Elementary School children has taken on a life of its own in their hearts and minds, while heightening ocean pollution awareness. Fish For Thought will culminate this Saturday, May 30th, from Power House Park North to Dog Beach in Del Mar in an all-community beach cleanup and coastline art installation along Del Mar beach.
Local recycled-trash artist Rodrigo (aka Rodney McCoubrey) will help them create their own one-of-a-kind recycled wooden fish, embellished with recycled trash collected from the beach and home. www.FishForThought.org
Filmmakers will be onhand to document this grass roots effort and are fundraising to complete an educational documentary. Del Mar hopes to highlight this pilot program as an example of what a community can do to reverse the negative impact trash makes on our beaches and ocean - a small community with a big message.
Local Chief Lifeguard Pat Vergne says, “Our community is using art to raise awareness about trash and the negative effect it has on the health of our marine life and our coastal community. We are thrilled to be supporting the Fish Sticks exhibition and the 5th annual Keep Del Mar Clean community beach clean up as we kick off our city’s new recycling program.”
Additional partners in the project include the City of Del Mar and environmental group “Keep Del Mar Clean.”
Beach clean up will take place from 9:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. at Power House Park in Del Mar.
Fish Sticks will be on display 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. , Power House Park north to Dog Beach in Del Mar, this Saturday May 30th.
So check out this rad 12 year old grom that is wise beyond his years. Jonathan Lee is a wrecking crew of Eco Friendly passion and resource that is looking to knock out Dr.Pollution!
From JUNK to PLASTIKI, the voyages of these courageous captains in an effort to raise awareness on plastic in our oceans is nothing short of spectacular!
Coming up this Tuesday is Earth Day 2008. What better way to make a Green Statement and commitment to the Environment that starting on Earth Day. Just make 1 commitment to the eco system and stick to it for the entire year and use it as a growing point to continue adding on for years to come.
Be it driving less / riding your bike to work one day a week, recycling (more), making an effort to pick up trash that somebody else has so rudely dispersed on the street. Or investing in green home products such as Maku Furniture
Even the little things can make a big difference if we all do it!
Being tied closely to the ocean, I see macro and micro changes in our eco system all the time. Both good and bad.
Fortunately here in North County San Diego the kelp beds have made a comeback! They were all but gone a few years ago and then an agressive kelp reforestation program brought it back. Not only does the kelp offer a home to many species of oceanic life but it also creates some nice glassy surfing conditions inside the kelp when the wind is blowing on the outside.
What does kelp in North County San Diego and Salmon have to do with each other. Well, much like the kelp forests a few years ago the west coast salmon have now all but disappeared. As recently as 2002, 750,000 adult salmon were counted in the run up the Sacramento river. It is estimated that less than 90,000 Chinook ran last fall and that number is projected to plummet to as little as 58,000 this fall. Less than 10% of the salmon that ran in 2002 an over 90% decrease!!
While certainly I feel that some of this can be attributed to climate change and perhaps cyclical nature, there is no doubt in my mind that most of the decline in the west coast salmon run is attributed to man. More runoff / pollution / sediment build up in the Sacramento river basin from increased building, farming, and pretty much people not caring about our impact on our eco system.
There are solutions to these problems, I always talk about the easy ones such as recycling. It's not that hard to put your plastics, papers, bottles and cans in a separate container for the garbage man to pick up. Remember the North pacific gyre and the blob of plastic the size of Texas floating in the ocean...?
Eating organic foods that don't use synthetic pesticides which runoff into the river and oceans creating algae / plankton blooms and sucking the oxygen out of the water.
Conserving energy and turning off lights or electronics when you are not in the room.
When are we as an entire society going to start seeing the impacts firsthand and change the way we live to help mother earth heal from all this damage? It appears that we are willing to pay $4 for a gallon of gas and looks like we will be paying $30+ for a pound of wild Salmon in the near future. At some point society has to take a stands and say enough is enough look at what we are doing to our environment. I think that time is nearing.
Act locally and think globally. I know that's kind of a played out saying but it's true and we can each make a difference together if we take a stand and do what is right.
it is estimated that between Thanksgiving and the New Year an extra million tons of waste are generated nationwide each week. In fact, 38,000 miles of ribbon alone is thrown out each year--enough to tie a bow around the Earth!
As we all prepare form xmas day here are a few tips to lower your impact on the earth
Use old newspaper to wrap gifts. Not only is it a unique look, you can recycle it!
Switch over to rechargeable batteries for all those new toys. Here is some great info on rechargeable batteries. (from the state of CA no less!)
According to the National Christmas Tree Association's website, "There are approximately 30-35 million Real Christmas Trees sold in the U.S. every year." The website also notes that real trees are a renewable, recyclable resource. Try and replant or better yet recycle your tree for mulch that reduces the need to water all the time, it's a double winner!
If you are lucky enough to get a cool new 46" Plasma flat screen from Santa this year but aren't sure what to do with your old TV, PDA, IPOD, or computer check out these guys Erecycle.org
Happy Holidays and wishes for a happy, healthy, prosperous and green 2008!
So I talked about this trash blob in the December Newsletter to our awesome retail partners and to update everybody on what's new with Maku.
While eating breakfast this morning, I happened to flip past the "Fair and Balanced" news channel as they were doing a story on this issue which you can check out here. It's good to see the mainstream media starting to take notice to things like this!! And here is a report that the ever progressive (insert sarcasm here) CBS news did on this issue almost 4 years ago. You can also check out up to date info on this by clicking on Capitan Charles Moore's website The Algalita Foundation
Long story short, there is this blob of viscous trash floating in the North Pacific gyre where all the currents meet and the trash collects. It's twice the size of Texas and floating just beneath the surface. Made mostly of decaying plastics, it's pretty knarly. The thing is plastic does not Bio-degrade, it Photo Degrades meaning it just breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces yet never totally diminishes. Despite this area being a veritable oceanic desert the few Fish, sharks, birds, whales, and dolphins basically all parts of the food chain in this area of the North Pacific have been affected by this mess. Birds mistaking the small pieces of plastic as bait fish, bigger fish eating smaller fish, sharks eating bigger fish you get the picture and it's ugly! How long until this affects the dinner that end up on your table? Truth be told it probably already is...
The solution to keep this blob from growing is simple RECYCLE. The solution of how to clean up this blob is not so simple.
