Sunday I went to an interesting talk on homeopathic medicine at the local coop food store, Other Avenues, so I got to the beach, empty bread bags ready to go, around 2:30. A beautiful warm weekend day so I expected a lot of people to be there but I was astounded by what I saw. It looked more like a popular East Coast seashore (my frame of reference) than like Ocean Beach. People everywhere: sunning themselves on the dunes, on the beach, playing baseball and frisbee, children making creative sandcastles and tentatively playing with the waves, dogs, couples strolling along the water...
Honestly, so many people were there that if it weren't for my trash project I probably would have turned around and gone somewhere else. The beach didn't even have as much trash as some days. The crowds made it hard in some cases to decide what was indeed abandoned. Are the children who made the sandcastle coming back for the can they were using? I hope so. I did completely fill both bags I came with, so I'm content with what I did.
I wonder who else is doing the indie trash pick-up thing. Besides the beach being pretty clean, I noticed bags in the trash cans near the street that I had nothing to do with. I'm speculating that at least some of them are from trashpickers like me.
With all the frolicking people there were no wading birds. In spite of the people it made the beach feel lonely, not like the same beach. I worried about the birds; I hope they were able to find another good place to get nourished. I particularly worried about the plovers. I know that people on the upper beach and in the dune areas are more likely to disturb them. I also know that the people sunning themselves, drumming, and enjoying the day weren't aware of this.
I know this, but I did have the feeling yesterday that the beach wasn't being perceived for what it is, an ecosystem to use the scientific term, a home for an interconnection of non-humans, to describe it another way, but instead as a another stage for the human drama.
I know I promised an update on my trash elimination program. Next post I will. Let's just say that I am making progress, particularly in the area of plastics. Next time. I also didn't forget about my promise to start talking about individual species on the beach, starting with sand dollars. Soon.
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The sand dollars! It always surprised me how many I could see when the waves go out.
ReplyDeleteAs for bags, after reading the book "No Impact Man", I was like, "I'm never using a plastic bag again!" And I've stuck to that for the most part--I have to be on my guard or the items I buy will be stealthily bagged before I can say anything :-P
Randomly enough, that book made me realize that living out your values is worthwhile, even if you may not see the impact right away. So I'm trying to lead a more sustainable life also, rather than just giving up because "what's the use"?, etc.
Anyway, if you ever want help with the project (photos?), let me know!
(Oh, and while I'm here, thanks for the compost help. I ended up getting one from Home Depot that wasn't too pricey. I like that it spins around, so I won't be throwing out my back in the future ;-)
--Emily