Environmental News

Five easy tips for keep your favorite reusable drinking container germ free.
by Richard Arterbury

Congratulations you've got switched to exploitation your own reusable bottle and by doing one thing nice for the surroundings, saving the ocean, lowering land fill demands, and lowering carbon emissions everyday along with your reusable cups. What are the most effective cups and the way can we keep them clean and freed from bacteria? 

The main goal is to lower single use plastic but fashionable brands that are nowadays producing reusable cups is forgetting the most reason most are seeking a reusable and place plastic lids on unblemished steal cups. Plastic used around hot steaming drinks like low isn't a intelligent style over being spill proof.

Recently photos are being shared around social media with mildew on plastic lids created by Yeti products. Plastic is porous permitting liquids to soak up into areas which will be tough to scrub. With plastic lids the particulars rely on that plastic, that liquid, cold, or hot drinks being employed in however how briskly molds that can grow. samples of porous and nonporous plastics. Read More: 

All reusable drinking containers left unwashed or sterilized will become a piece of ground for unhealthy bacterium. whether or not it's plastic or metal, with a screw top or squeeze prime, any bottles that goes days between cleanings will become choked with germs.

Every sip we take tend to spread germs from our mouth however, with damp or wet hidden from the daylight fungi can begin to grow. however do not abandon your bottle simply however, cleansing your reusable instrumentation is {simple} and with few steps. Steel is extremely safe and far stronger material that's naturally anti-bacterial. More washing ideas:

​Plastic will crack and simply be porous which might be onerous if not not possible actually clean. Our mouth is not the cleanest tool within the shed therefore once drinking from a bottle we tend to leave particles of microorganism which will get into your bottle aka backwash. Nearly 99 per cent of the bacteria found on the bottle was classed as harmful and there were traces of antibiotic-immune bacteria. 

The germs or microorganism in our mouth won't damage us however because the microorganism grows outside of out body can make us sick. Example say you touch one thing then open your bottle prime then take a drink, depending on if you had touched one thing gross or water in a river, we may have attracted new germs which will currently be growing on our unwashed bottle. One article stated a reusable bottle could have more germs then a dog dish! 

You'll need to check your plastic lid for mildew if you're employing a Yeti reusable cup just like the photograph below. Original post: 

1. Fill up a bucket or clean sink with hot soapy water and soak everything for at least five minutes. 
2. Use a brush to get into the Cretaceous and into the screw top lids of things. 
3. Use vinegar and backing soda for a deep clean with fizzle action. If you have a super dirty issue use hydrogen peroxide to help remove pathogens.  
4. Air Dry upside down and use small fan if air flow is a issue. To lower electricity you can air dry outside on a sunny warm day. 
5. Choose wide mouth lids that allow for easy cleaning and pick up a long brush that   can reach the bottom of your container. 

by Richard Arterbury

 Saving The Ocean is simple, however it does take a lifestyle change that can take a few months to get used to the new habits. 

1. Add a save the ocean box in your car or truck w/ reusable coffee mugs, bamboo  forks, spoons, stainless straws, and to go containers. by doing this you can lower lager amounts of single use plastic from your everyday life and help save the ocean. 

2. Find a local nonprofit doing something good like planting trees, river cleanups, or beach cleanups and spend time volunteering with the group. If you are super busy working or with family no worries you can always support by liking their Facebook page or sharing events to help add awareness. Make a donation supporting projects like tree planting or beach clean up projects! 

3. Avoid buying plastic products as much as possible and buy in bulk by filing reusable glass jars to lower paper boxes etc. Climate change is a real thing and carbon emission being lowered is key to a healthy ocean and for humans working together can help be sure to save the ocean. Take a look at 10 easy steps by National Geographic. 

by Richard Arterbury

​The five major ocean wide gyres are the North Atlantic, South Atlantic North Pacific South Pacific and Indian Ocean ocean gyres. Links to: world map with oceans

The currents we see at the beach are called coastal currents that can affect land and wave formations. To understand coastal currents or ocean currents its best to start with understanding waves and how wind can play a large roll in creating energy just by blowing across the surface of the water. Learn more at How Stuff Works: Ocean Currents travel around 5.6 miles per hour in warmer waters and in the North Pacific moves much slower in colder waters at 0.03 to 0.06 miles per hour. Read research about organic chemical composition of the ocean surface: W.D. Garrett

by Richard Arterbury

Plastic floating on the west coast beaches is nothing new but during winter months with king tides of Oregon and western winds the ocean currents float plastic onto beaches with about every ocean wave. The solution to cleaning up the ocean starts will the discovery of what microplasics looks like and how to pick it up on a beach. Ocean Blue opens the weekends to community Oregon Beach Cleanup Events for anyone who would like to dig in the sand. Some children enjoy using Oregon micro systems like hand strainers, to just picking up small colorful micro pieces of plastic. The main goal is to remove as much as possible before the plastic degrades even smaller and washes back to sea.

​After using marine sand sifters for several years our researchers have discovered just using water in a large tank allows plastic to float and the sand to sink. We are developing a mobile marine sand sifter as a sand cleaning machine to help remove tons of plastic off west coast beaches. 

Ocean Blue is working with nature and uses water and when we add a shovel of sand to the bucket of water the sand sinks and plastic floats allowing our team to scoop the unwanted plastic off the surface of the water and leave the sand right on the beach. 

Litter starts in our city streets and washing down drains getting into urban streams, rivers, and onto beaches. Oregon Micro Systems are bioretension filters collect pollution before the water flows to our local rivers allowing for clean adventures Oregon for both rivers flowing to our open ocean waters. 

by Karisa Boyce

People of Portland are either indifferent  or completely enraged that city officials have done nothing about the derelict boats abandoned in the Columbia and Willamette Rivers of Portland, Oregon. Vessels left to the nature of the elements are leaching toxins and dirtying our rivers that flow to our one world Ocean!

Not only do these neglected vessels decrease the economic value and aesthetic beauty of our state, they add to the danger faced by imperiled salmon species. After being born, salmon make their way up streams and rivers to get to the ocean.They pass through the Columbia River as a highway to their destination - the Pacific Ocean.

Stand firm with Ocean Blue Project and tell the City of Portland, the State of Oregon, and the State of Washington that the negligence of derelict boats on our beautiful rivers is no longer acceptable. "Waterways and Fall Chinook Columbia river are being affected by sunken boats leaching toxins in both the Willamette River and Columbia River Basin. Read more: 


Sign the petition!

As citizens and community members reliant upon clean water and healthy oceans for all, we believe that abandoned boats on the Willamette and Columbia Rivers are unleashing devastation on the wellbeing and prosperity of individuals and wildlife of the Pacific Northwest. We demand that these boats be removed from our major rivers immediately.

by Richard Arterbury

The New Year arrives and 2018 was an incredible year lowering a lot of single use straws in such a lot of cities because of supporters such as you, our communities, alternative nonprofits, and similar temperament ocean lovers. Let's keep in touch this year and work together to make our beaches, rivers, and ocean a better place for our children. 

by Richard Arterbury

Did you recognize that over 5.6 trillion smoke butts are cluttered on city streets, lawns, parks, and our ocean beaches. Butt why would anyone litter 2 billion butts daily has our noncommercial questing the facts and making an attempt to seek out solutions to assist lower the over numbers. Ocean Blue collects beach rubbish on each east and west coastal facet beaches and stub pollution is highest on our list of things collected annually.

Often our environmental noncommercial board of members feel smoking ought to be illegal on beaches and social control placed to lower the littering happening. 5 years later once cleanup up beaches our coastal environmental analysis team witnessed the larger amounts of plastic filter stub pollution is flowing from street drains in cities and down the pipes to our creeks flowing right onto our native beaches then our ocean.

​Cigarette butt filter litter could be a major drawback beginning on town streets by bars, parking areas, thrown out windows whereas driving, and almost about anyplace smoking is going down daily. The cigarette filter is formed of plastic that breaks down in our watersheds and on the far side. Ocean Blue saves cigarette butts and small plastic in hope to form reusable product with partners over adding this assortment of litter in our landfills wasting one thing which will should reused.

1. Enforce litter laws which will not solely lower however|butt|stub} filter litter pollution however conjointly produce additional meaningful enforcement duties that feel smart for not solely our tax payers bucks but our native offices. 

2. Education for each smokers and nonsmokers concerning the requirement to properly get rid of butt Filter litter. 

3. Education for native business that have smoking sections on web site. native bossiness conjointly ought to learn wherever the local road drains are settled and if they flow to the native rivers or not. Once street drains are settled the smoking space ought to be not anyplace shut the drain and may be monitored by each the property homeowners to stay the smoking areas clean in the slightest degree times. 

4. Pocket Ashtrays and receptacles to permit smokers to possess the chance is essential and if smokers have arduous time finding a location to position the litter the butt finishes up on the bottom and fewer within the smokers pocket thanks to the smell being to rank that even others would smell a second hand butt Filter in anyone's pocket. 

5. Develop high Butt untidy locations and work with native non-profit-making teams to stay the areas clean. looks the additional litter in one location others keep adding to {the area|the world|the realm} and once areas are visibly clean litter habits happen less.

Filters used with Cigarette Butts are made of plastic. The Cigarette Butt Filters can last over 18 months to 10 years to degrade. Butt pollution contains cellulose acetate fibers in cigarette filters just adding the almost 38% of our overall plastic pollution problems not being solved. Various sources have stated facts of butt degrading but we are not finding tiny micro fibers of plastic left in our soil or in our water. Read More: 

by Richard Arterbury

Visiting California many of us think of warm beaches, surf boards, and movie stars but let it be known California has so many hidden treasures other cities would dream of. For example take a look at The Last Bookstore founded by Josh Spencer back in 2005, and this book store was operating out of a loft in downtown California, which many of you locals may have visited this prior to the change overs that took place shortly after the vision Josh Spencer transpired. 

This bookstore has a diverse selection of titles that spans two floors with the labyrinth of wonder; tunnels and passageways made of colorful books, and interspersed with art of tales for the wondering minds. Shortly after Josh Spencer founded The Last Bookstore in 2005, moved into a small retail shop on fourth and main street in Los Angeles. Uprooting one last time in 2011 into a much larger space within the Spring Arts Tower at 5th and Spring Street a 20,000 square foot space offering more than any other book store in the United States. 

The Spring Arts Tower is considered a historic building, opening first in 1914. At the time of construction the Los Angeles Times Reported that the building cost more than one million dollars. The planning was performed by Architects Parkinson and Bergstorm. Read more about fun places to visit in Los Angels.

​Tunnels have always been fascinating other known tunnels are Josh Angel Tunnel and Shanghai Tunnels of Portland the underground yikes the Las Vegas drainage systems reviewed to shine the light las vegas. 

Love your California state Beaches? American state Beaches need both you and me? produce a Beach Cleanup with Ocean Blue and defend our American state Beaches one beach clean at a time.

by Richard Arterbury

by Richard Arterbury

The Pacific North West is home of four National Parks and over 255 State Parks with fifty eight providing encampment. American state State parks is one among the foremost well-liked within the United States of America. Oregon one of a kind state that has everything from the High afters, Lava Tubes, to breath taking coastal views. many of us return to the American state Coast throughout whale season and through the summer months once the rain is way less. The State parks will have over forty six million daytime guests inserting American state four within the Nation for Daytime guests. With 2.5 million calculable campers this places American state eighth within the Nation for Campers. Video below could be a stream in river Nation Forest tiny low section we tend to visited feat the Mountains at some point.

It's never really talked about what number hours is spent to get the perfect photo or video to share with the globe in hope to bring awareness and to inspire others to like our wild rivers, ocean beaches, and also the nice geographic region.

by Richard Arterbury

Join a beach cleanup with Ocean Blue. Have a group of friends, office staff, or company wanting to give back in your local community? Learn how you can create a cleanup event with Ocean Blue. Create Your Cleanup! Visit our face book to help fundraiser for beach cleanups in your area. Visit the Chapters web page. 

by Richard Arterbury

The current Government Shutdown Is Affecting Wildlife Animals like birds, insects, lizards, and today we are seeing old growth Joshua Trees being destroyed in Joshua Tree National Park. This tree has so many benefits for both wildlife and humans. Reading a few blogs on tweeter reveal that others don't blame the shutdown, instead blaming people with black hearts.

​A Joshua Tree is a very large yucca that grows in areas of elevations at 1,300 to 5,900 feet. These trees are well adapted to the Mohave High Desert. Dead leaves from the tree fall to the base of the trunk to help protect this part of the tree from the sun.

​The channeled leaves collect and help in dew placement during rainfall, directing water to the tree roots. In the day time at Joshua Tree National Park you will see ground squirrels, blizzards, and birds and after dark you can see snakes, big horn sheep, kangaroo rats, coyotes, mule Deer, black tailed jack rabbits, lynx, and so many more that depend on the habitat of our Joshua Trees. Over 25 birds species nest in Joshua Trees. The yucca moth is the local pollinator of the Joshua Trees. At the end of the Ice Age over 11,700 years ago, Ground Sloths would carry seeds around and become the main dispersers of the Joshua Tree Seeds. Nowadays, wind and mammals help disperse the seeds. 

 Read more information on this topic. 

Take your stand and let's not allow our National Parks to be destroyed. Please leave your comments and how would you like to see Ocean Blue protecting our native trees in the Untied States?

Joshua trees bring immense value to wildlife of the Mojave Desert. While there have been various reports of concern against the individuals who have destroyed trees in Joshua Tree National Park, Ocean Blue is also holding the current administration responsible for the tragic events. 

"Donald Trump is directly destroying wildlife habitat, our waterways, and our National Monuments in the United States, and the people have not rioted one time to stop it." Richard Arterbury, founder and director of Ocean Blue says. He adds that, "until we the people realize that we have the power, such tragedies will continue to happen in the United States."

by Karisa Boyce

Mt. Lowe Brewing is riding the Ocean Blue Wave in California
 
Brewers for Beaches are riding the Ocean Blue Wave up and down the West Coast! Come support clean waterways and one world ocean by buying a pint at Arcadia’s first microbrewery on February 10th. A portion of the day’s sales will be donated to Ocean Blue Project to enable help to shoreline cleanups.
 
Buy a pint and 10% of your money goes directly to beach cleanups in California! Bingo starts at 2pm to 4pm, it’s free to play and you win cool prizes. Brewery is pet and family friendly. Food truck, fun, and Door Prizes! Buy Your Pint anytime from open til close to make a donation to California Beaches. Be sure to follow us on facebook and join a beach cleanup this summer. Volunteer Beach Cleanups California will be posted soon. You can find more about beach cleanup events and where your donations are going at our Events Site: 

Beaches are full of plastic that not only floats onto our beaches and by humans. Ocean Blue's main goal is to remove as much micro plastic from California Beaches as possible with volunteers from the community. Animals are being harmed by floating marine litter everything removed saves at least one fish. 

by Richard Arterbury

The State of Oregon has thirteen cities that have banned the use of plastic bags in grocery stores. Ocean Blue feels nonprofits placing logos on plastic bags is sending mixed messages to volunteers and our youth of the communities, and we should tell all nonprofits not to purchase plastic bags with donations from our communities. If you know of a nonprofit that uses plastic bags for logo placement please request they stop supporting plastic bags in our state.  Thirteen doesn't sound like a larger number however the Oregon cities that have banned plastic bags are the larger areas where tons of plastic bags were being used. Links below from Bag Laws of Oregon. 

Ocean Blue has noticed where plastic bags are banned we don't have to pick them up in our local rivers or in our community and where plastic bags are supported we find them blowing in trees, waterways, and by roadways. If you support Oregon Plastic Bag Ban give this post a like and share the Ocean Blue Environmental News! 

by Richard Arterbury

Ocean Blue host weekly cleanups during the Spring, Summer, and Fall months. Winter Oregon Beach Cleanups are hit and miss. The king tides can consume the beaches in Oregon during the winter months, however the West winds push ocean current debris onto beaches leaving all kinds of non biodegradable plastic fragments and micro plastic mixed with woody debris. 

For Beach Cleanups 

• Warm Clothing & Rain Gear
• Closed Toe Shoes
• Bring drinking water and refillable container  
• Change of cloths maybe a good idea
• snacks
• smiles

All Volunteers are welcome to join but must sign a volunteer waiver online or at the sign in table at prior to clean up event. ( often times we are signing city or state waivor forms and it's important ) 

If you have a group larger than 20 volunteers please email Karisa@oceanblueproject.org to organize things for the event. 

Volunteers under 18 MUST have a parent or guardian present at the beginning of the cleanup to sign a liability waiver before the minor can participate. You can download the waiver again, at this link: or you can sign up with your parent or guardian prior to the beach cleanup event. We supply gloves, reusable buckets, and burlap bags. Remember to bring a reusable drinking container to help cut down on excess waste! 

​Be sure to follow our Facebook page for a list of all beach cleanup updates, photos, and debris removed photos. Share your ideas with Ocean Blue. 

February 10th 12pm to 10pm Brewers for Beaches at Mt. Lowe Brewing. Map below:

February 10th 12pm to 10pm Brewers for Beaches at Mt. Lowe Brewing 

April 26, 2019 West Palm Beach Florida with Boxed Water

by Richard Arterbury

After almost two weeks since a partial shutdown of the federal government. President Trump is still not willing to compromise on his demand to build a wall along the nation's border between Mexico and the United States. "The United States needs a physical barrier. " Trump stated. As a child I remember removing the wall of Europe and how happy everyone was but doesn't seem this wall has many stopping this or even believing this is actually is taking place. 

So how does this shutdown affect Oklahoma's 5 Indian Nation's? Choctaw and Chickasaw living on the reservation are staying strong during the shutdown. Larger tribes are more resilient over smaller tribes with less funding from within. Often times many tribal members do not reside on a reservation like my self and we depend on services through Indian Health Services. The Indian Health Service, a federal agency within the Department of Health and Human Services, depends on federal dollars to help tribal hospitals.

​The services my family depends on is located in Salem Oregon. I have a family of three and we visit Chemawa Health Center for our general doctor, eye, and dental. I will admit the services are often the best over using local medical centers. 

As I spend everyday working to cleanup the environment our government the one that is set up to protect our nation is today trashing our nation with excess litter of our President having a shit fit over building a wall to not allow what once our nation stood for and that is freedom for all. A proposed bill H.R. 7362 is in process in hope to provide a stable source of funding for the Indian Health Service. 

Shutdown or not Ocean Blue will keep moving forward protecting the environment and oftentimes when I read the news it only reminds me why I work so hard from a nonprofit perspective to protect " what we love the most, our one world Ocean "