Environmental News

by Richard Arterbury

​Ocean Blue is requesting that supermarkets to create a plastic-free aisle.

 "You can now buy Organic meat, Organic chicken, gluten-free, fat-free but you can't buy plastic-free" anything.

How is something so organic we feel it’s a must to wrap and destroy the organic product with oil filmed clear plastic containers or plastic film wrap?

Our nonprofit is encouraging supermarkets use wax free and just stop with the all your plastic.

While plastic is a relatively cheap material to produce, Ocean Blue is finding this is not cheap in the long run for anyone. It’s costing Ocean Blue thousands of dollars to pick up plastic on beaches and in our rivers. The wild thing is the stores are paying our nonprofit to pick up any of the trash they are promoting.
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We ask for supermarkets that introduce at least one plastic-free aisle.
Every day eight million metric tonnes of plastic is dumped into oceans and it is estimated by 2050 there will be more plastic by weight in the sea than fish.​

Some scientists believe plastics are having an impact on people's health as they become exposed to chemicals such as phthalate and BPA - an industrial chemical used to make plastics - which may cause cancer, metabolic and cognitive behavior disorders.
The main goal is aimed at reducing the amount of plastic waste that ends up in the world's seas. Reach in your back pocket and feel free to pay for the plastic pollution your store is producing and look at the marine wildlife animals you are harming! One Ocean One World but thousands of stores with thousands of plastic items sold every ​​

How you can support beach cleanups and save the ocean. Read more about Ocean Plastic Facts:

by Richard Arterbury

So many news papers talking about this said plastic pollution in our Ocean. Ocean Blue feels this is a huge setback and is killing wildlife, however it's time to act by removing the plastic.  

As most Scientist face funding being the only thing holding one back from saving the environment, Ocean Blue Project and our team face the same setbacks, however we have found a easy solution all while watching the waves roll in on Manzaninta Beach. 

For over five years our coastal volunteer cleanup team has been using our hands and screens to remove plastic from beaches. We first discovered the more hands AKA volunteers joined our beach cleanups the more plastic was removed.

​After a year of collecting plastic fragments and micro fragments ranging in all shapes and colors and our team often finds fragments with other languaes like from japan or china, which only shows how connected our Beach is to the other side of the Ocean. ​

This is a simple solution. We need more hands removing the plastic and tools provided by other nonprofits that work when removing plastic from beaches. 

Ocean Blue has submitted a Initiative called: Bag Fee Initiative for Employment and Beach Cleanup State Fund 

                What is this Initiative all about? 

Ocean Blue has a vision for creating jobs in Oregon. The job would not only help with the unemployment rate for our State, we could create jobs that would allow family's to be able to bring their children to work and make a impact for the environment all at the same time. 

If we place a fee on bags in Oregon and allocate the income into a State Fund nonprofits would then submit grants and begin this massive job creation that will enhance beaches, and ultimately save the ocean. 

What do we do with all the plastic?

Great question however Ocean Blue is already shipping beach plastic to partners that are using the collected beach plastic to make shampoo bottles, Ashtrays, and other products that is lower the demand for virgin plastic and saving our landfills. 

Support the Employment Bag Fee that will not only create jobs for Oregonians but help save our Ocean. All signatures have to be in person! 
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​Oregon initiative for dedication of revenue from disposable plastic bag sold in the State of Oregon.

Bag fee of .5 cents per plastic bag would create thousands of local beach cleanup jobs for single mothers, fathers, and all Oregonians.

Oregon Bag Fee Initiative for Employment of the Beach Cleanup Fund.
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A "yes" vote supports redirecting money collected from the sale of carry-out bags by grocery or other retail stores to a special fund administered by the Oregon Coast State Parks Beach Cleanup Fund that anyone can submit grants to.


A "no" vote opposes this measure redirecting money collected from the sale of carry-out bags by grocery or other retail stores to a special fund administered by the Oregon Coast State Parks Beach Cleanup Fund to create jobs.

The Environmental Protection Agency has given notice to scientists protecting dynamic strategies that were dedicated to help save the climate downfalls. The Fact is all has stopped and will not be renewed to have roles in advising the agency, but rather will continue the scientific shake up resulting in resignations by many researchers over how the administration is politicizing this EPA agency. Read More:

Photo by, ​ (Andrew Harnik/AP)

Visit Our Website to find out more information how you can help protect the Environment with Nonprofits!

While Some Are Saying, Trump Inspires Scientist to Run for Congress to Fight Climate Change by CHELSEA BAILEY

To read more about the ocean visit us at www.oceanblueproject.org

Author Richard Arterbury

The threats by plastic floating in our ocean and the treats our animals are faced by our ocean pollution may seem overwhelming. In the face of Ocean pollution, climate change, overfishing, and other daunting problems, what you can do on your own may seem like a drop in the bucket. But if we begin working together now, we can make a huge difference.
Here are some ways to get started:
A beach clean-up in Manzanita brings families together to care for their coastline. Photo by That Oregon Life



Make An Ocean Donation: Make the Oregon Beach Connection
The first step in making a difference is learning about the ocean and how your actions have an impact. Keep reading to learn everyday things you can do to help protect and restore the seas. And don’t forget to share what you’ve learned with friends and family.

                                                  How you can help Ocean Blue’s beach Projects?

Think Clean Water
All water on Earth we all share and taking part in cleanups is the best way to learn about the Ocean Biodiversity and how removing plastic saves marine wildlife. Even if you don’t live near the coast, water that goes down your drain or runs downhill from your yard into street drains connected to urban streams, that will most likely end up in on its way into the ocean.

Rivers in the Midwest
The Mississippi is the second largest drainage systems of over 41% of the continental US Population in the North America and only second to the Hudson Bay of North America. Mississippi headwaters is 493 miles long and is the source to Saint Anthony Falls in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Willamette River Oregon
The Willamette River stretches nearly 300 miles from its headwaters at Waldo Lake near Eugene to the confluence with the Columbia River in North Portland. Many Cities in Oregon like Corvallis use this water source to obtain drinking water. The Willamette River is also known to have mercury setbacks and it can be harmful to eat large consumption of fish depending on where the location you are fishing. Read More about Mercury in Rivers ~•    In the yard: Plant natives for wildlife, butterflies, and compost your food and leaves. Use a rain barrel to lower using city chemical water and use as little fertilizer as possible. Fertilizers (including manure) add nutrients like phosphorus to the soil and water that can be carried downstream when it rains. Excess nutrients can cause harmful algae blooms that disrupt the ocean’s natural balance. Grow native plants that need just water over demanding fertilizers to bloom or grown in abundance.

                                 Susan R. Eaton Ocean Underwater Explorer saving the Artic
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One hundred years ago, explorers found it financially challenging to equip and mount polar expeditions—sadly, this is still the economic reality today.Then as now, it takes a community to send a team of explorers to the Arctic.
The women of The 2014-2018 Sedna Epic Expedition arrive in Iqaluit, Nunavut, in 12 weeks, and I’d like to thank my #GoFundMe donors for supporting my efforts to raise $12,000 of my all-in dive and snorkel expedition costs of $18,000. To date, Susan Eaton has reached 38 percent of her overall fundraising goal of $12,000. And, she is humbled by the support…

This photo was taken on Nye Beach, in Newport, Oregon and is an example of plastic beads that’s been blanketed on the Oregon Beaches.

Remember that trash placing things in a trash can doesn’t make it disappear and the out of sight out of mind theory is today proven wrong by the plastic floating in the Ocean. Litter blows in the wind out of trucks, and is moving water—whether waves on the beach, the stream running through your neighborhood, or rainwater flowing toward the storm drain—can carry loose trash to the ocean. Garbage, especially plastic, is a major hazard for marine animals. Sea birds, turtles, seals, and other animals can mistake floating plastic for food or become tangled in it and die. Help prevent this by curbing your family’s throwaway habits.

Composting Matters
Food waste that is composted not only makes healthy soil but lowers emissions from food scraps heading to landfills, or left on the beach. Food left on the beach will end up in the Ocean.

•    Ditch the disposable lifestyle: Make a point to use reusable bags beverage cups, and food containers. When you must use disposable items, reuse or recycle them whenever possible. Say no to plastic coffee cup lids and plastic water bottles.

Plastic Water Bottles
Over 17 Millon Barrels of Oil are sold to produce the plastic water bottles consumed in the United States.
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•    Garbage Ocean Blue patrol: Never litter (inland, on the beach, or from a boat), and participate in beach or waterway clean ups to help stop the flow of trash into the ocean.

        Products upcycled from products that would have been placed in the landfill ~ Credit: Looptworks.com

Be Fish Friendly
When it comes to many of our once-favorite seafood, there aren’t plenty more fish in the sea. In fact, scientists estimate that up to 90 percent of large predatory fish (those that eat other animals—and usually end up on our dinner plates) have disappeared since humans began heavy fishing. Marine animals are also caught and sold for aquariums and as souvenirs. You can avoid trouble by only buying products that you know were sustainably harvested. (Sustainable means that the species can maintain a healthy population and the natural balance is not disrupted by harvesting.

•    Watch what you eat: Demand sustainable seafood at the supermarket and in your favorite restaurants. Always know what to order by downloading a sustainable seafood guide. And when fishing for your own seafood, make sure you follow all local catch limits.

•    Choose pets carefully: If you have a salt-water aquarium, make sure you ask where and how the animals you buy were collected. Look for the Marine Aquarium Council’s Certification in pet stores to find animals that were carefully harvested and well cared for. And never release an unwanted pet into the ocean or any waterway. Organisms that don’t belong can crowd out the locals and disrupt the ecosystem.

•    Select sea-friendly souvenirs: Steer clear of jewelry, and products made from marine animals or animal parts, including shells and—especially—coral.

Change how we burn: When we burn fossil fuels (like oil, gas, or coal) to power our homes, businesses, and cars, we are adding the gas carbon dioxide to the air. The blanket of carbon dioxide we’ve been building for over a hundred years acts like a greenhouse, trapping more of the sun’s heat.
More heat means a warmer ocean, which is taking its toll on marine life. It also causes the ocean to become more acidic, which makes it hard for organisms like corals and clams to build their skeletons and shells. You can help slow global warming and ocean acidification by reducing your “carbon footprint”

Having fun on a river is priceless, but leaving litter behind is destroying our waterways.
Credit: Ocean Blue Project.org
Recreate Responsibly

A trip to the beach or out on the water to snorkel or fish is a great way to learn more about the ocean and celebrate all it does for us. But when you visit, make sure you are not causing harm. Remember that every terrain is important to marine life—and to us!•    On the sand: When walking on sand dunes, be careful of any grasses and plants growing there. Living plants help hold sand in place. Dead plants and seaweed provide fertilizer. Both should be left alone.
•    In the shallows: On rocky shores, the shallow “tidepools” that are exposed when the tide is out, can be a great place to look for interesting marine life. But be careful not to trample on these fragile critters and their homes. Look, but don’t touch.
•    Near the reef: When snorkeling or diving, never touch the reef! Corals and other animals are fragile and easily killed by a grasping hand or careless flipper. Also never feed or handle marine animals.
•    In open water: When boating, be very careful where you anchor. Anchors can scar reefs and rip out seagrass beds, which provide food and shelter for many species. Where permanent anchoring buoys are provided, use them.

                                   5 Ways To Give Back To The Environment: And Feel Good While Doing It       

Let’s face it; we have all done it at one point or another. We walk down the street, see a piece of trash and shamelessly walk by it, not giving it a second thought.

We go on with our day buying a couple coffees or water bottles, throwing them out and never understanding where these items end up

Why don’t we seem to care more about this? Perhaps it is due to the fact that we don’t actually see it. Out of sight, Out of mind right

What if we looked at litter it in a different way? What if I told you that the piece of plastic you saw on the street and decided not to pick up made its way to the ocean was eaten by a fish that we then catch and sell back to you to serve as your dinner. Sadly this is becoming more and more of a reality
So while there are many things that are out of our control these days, there are simple things that we can do every day without changing our routine in order to create a better environment for all

1. Stop Using Single Serve Cups: If you got just one cup of coffee every day of the work year last you that means you contributed 261 non-recyclable cups to the landfill. After 30 years when that first cup breaks down you will have filled it up with over $7,500 cups
2. Stop buying plastic bottles: Over 50 Billion water bottles are sold each year in the USA alone and it is estimated 80% gets thrown in the trash and not recycled. This does not take into account a number of soda bottles, juice etc
3. Bring reusable bags to the grocery stores: More and more establishments are banning the use of plastic bags at Grocery Stores and hopefully, we can see a worldwide ban on them
4. Help an Environmental Non-Profit organization: Organizations such as The Ocean Blue Project are constantly organizing cleanups, tree planting, and restoration projects. Taking some time out once a week, once a month or even once a year to give back is easily achievable and helps the community that you live in or somewhere you are visiting
5. Pick Up Loose Garbage: By no means am I telling you to pick up a half-eaten burger off the side of the road but if you see a plastic water bottle or bag don’t just walk by it as eventually, these can end up in our streams and oceans

All of these are simple items that perhaps you think are small but they do in fact have a major impact And remember, these little things that we do for our community are creating a better place for everyone around it and also sets a positive example for others to follow. You can read more from Liz Ewing here: 

Upcoming Event: Ocean Blue will be hosting A day to Celebration called Oregon Ocean Day set for this June 11th on Manzanita, and Newport, Oregon.

Every year during Ocean Blue host over 120 Coastal, River, and Tree Planting Projects annually, and we host two open to the public celebrations by inviting everyone to help clean up and take part.

                            How your business, school, or club can give back to the Ocean?

The two main events are the “Annual Coastal Cleanup and Awareness Day” & “Oregon Ocean Day”, which hundreds of thousands of volunteers comb lakes, rivers, and beaches around the world for making Oregon Pristine. Over the course of nearly six years, more than 8,000 volunteers have collected Tens of Thousands of pounds of trash.
The World Ocean needs help more than once a year, and you can take a lead role on the front line of one of the world’s most preventable problems by doing your own beach or waterway cleanup. Next time you’re headed out to the beach or a nearby State park, take along an empty bottle or non-plastic bag and an Ocean Blue Project Data collection Form to collect and document the debris you find.

Feeling more ambitious? Recruit friends, school groups, church groups, and family to join you in a larger cleanup. Explain to them how one river leads to another and —all waterways run downhill to the ocean. But if we take action and work together, we can improve the ocean’s health. “Make A Wish Save A Fish” Donation is how Ocean Blue Project is expanding our impact and saving wildlife animals, one clean up at a time.

Volunteer ~ Sign Up Link:

                                 Donate to the Ocean Blue Cause to Save Marine Wildlife Animals  



Tags: Human impacts, Volunteers, Donations, Pacific Ocean, Make A Wish Save A Fish, Beach Cleanups, We Clean Beaches