On Wednesday, May 23rd, Los Angeles became the largest U.S. city to pass a plastic bag ban with a 13 to 1 vote by the Los Angeles City Council. As a Los Angeles resident and ocean enthusiast, I was thrilled! When plastic shopping bags were first introduced in 1977, no one had an inkling of… [read more]
Quotes from the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books
My weekend was awesome because I was at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books both days! It’s a great way to revel in the written word, hear authors speak about their work and learn new things. To change things up a bit, I went to a variety of panels this year on all different… [read more]
A letter to truck drivers
Dear Truck Drivers, Yesterday during my evening commute, I watched another plastic bag fly out of the back of a truck and into the sky. Do you have any idea how are many things in the back of your truck fall off or soar away when you’re driving 70 miles per hour? So far this… [read more]
Use extreme caution when buying shell jewelry
At first, the title of this post was going to be “Don’t buy shell jewelry,” but that seemed a bit too dramatic, so I settled on “Use extreme caution when buying shell jewelry.” What’s the big deal you ask? Here’s the situation: A lot of shells are homes for animals, even tiny, tiny shells often… [read more]
Algalita: studying an ocean of plastic
Last week I was going to write about Algalita Marine Research Foundation and the plastic ocean, but alas, life had other plans for me. I was on my way to Cabrillo Marine Aquarium to attend a presentation by Captain Charles Moore and encountered a truck tire on the freeway. By the time I saw the… [read more]
Help ban balloon trash in Georgia!
It’s been awhile since my last balloon rant, almost a year and a half! Of course I’ve seen balloon trash since the last post. In fact, the balloons in the photo were spotted during a blue whale watching trip last summer. And thanks to the internet, it’s time to revive the rant…I mean it’s time… [read more]
Help Hermosa Beach ban Styrofoam!
The environmentally conscious people of Hermosa Beach are working to ban polystyrene plastic #6 and expanded polystyrene foam, more commonly known as Styrofoam, take-out containers in their fine city, but they need help! This past May, the Hermosa Beach Green Task Force proposed banning all to-go containers made out of polystyrene, but the City Council… [read more]
1 out of 6 women has too much mercury
It turns out that the mercury statistic in my post regarding Ted Danson’s talk at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books was wrong. The correct statistic is: 1 out of every 6 women of child bearing age has too much mercury in her system to have a child without the risk of neurological problems.… [read more]
Talk on the Deepwater Horizon Gulf oil spill
If you wish to understand more about what really happened during the Gulf oil spill, then I know just the lecture for you! On Friday, February 25th, at 7:30 p.m. Dr. Sean Anderson of California State University Channel Islands, will present his work on the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Anderson and his research team are… [read more]
Thanks to the Los Angeles Times Altered Oceans Series
In honor of Thanksgiving, I wanted to take a moment to thank the Los Angeles Times for publishing the Pulitzer prize-winning Altered Oceans Series, the articles that changed my life. On July 30, 2006, the first in the series ran titled “A Primeval Tide of Toxins” and I was riveted. It was the reading equivalent… [read more]