Come out to Phil Foster Park on Saturday, September 15
for a morning cleanup onshore and underwater!

 

 

 

Check-in Times:
Scuba Divers 6:30am
Beach Cleaners 8:00am

*Meet by the playground at the picnic table.
*Gloves, garbage bags, and FREE t-shirts will be provided.

All of the rubbish collected will be documented on data sheets and sent off to the Ocean Conservancy to help their research on marine debris.

Volunteer Coordinator:  Shana Phelan, Pura Vida Divers 
Managed by the Palm Beach County Diving Association

To register please contact Pura Vida Divers.

 

 

 

 

Wondering why we’re spending our Saturday picking up trash?

 

In south Florida, our coastal ecosystems and reefs lie adjacent to the 4 most densely populated counties in the state. Recreational use by divers, fishers, and boaters in these counties has tripled over the last 40 years. As a result, our precious marine resources are inundated with waste and constantly abused.

 

Marine debris is anything manmade that makes its way to the coastal and ocean environments where it becomes an immediate threat to wildlife. Approximately 80% of this marine debris originates on land as a result of mismanaged or ineffective waste disposal. Debris is often washed downstream by rivers, carelessly left behind on beaches, and abandoned by fishers, divers, and boaters.

 

Why is marine debris so terrible?

Foreign debris in the marine ecosystem can entangle both flora and fauna causing injury and even death. In addition to entanglement, many sea creatures mistake pieces of plastic and other floating trash for food. Scientists have discovered seabirds whose stomachs are completely full of bottle caps, sea turtles with clogged intestines from attempting to eat a jelly-fish-looking plastic bag, and many other devastating situations.

 

HOW YOU CAN HELP:


Pledge to keep our Oceans Trash Free!


 

Thanks to the Ocean Conservancy website, here is a list of a few things you can do every day to help reduce marine debris:

 

 

Reduce your carbon “finprint.” Our ocean is on the front lines of climate change — absorbing half the carbon dioxide we’ve pumped into the atmosphere. Use mass transit, carpool, and find other ways to reduce your carbon footprint.
 

Take only pictures. Choose vacation spots working to protect endangered sea animals. When snorkeling or diving, take pictures and tell stories but never stand on coral reefs or touch the marine life.
 

Be a green boater. Protect the boating experience along with the ocean. A little spill makes a big difference; be especially careful with oil, gasoline, solvents, and sewage. Bring your trash back to shore. Join Ocean Conservancy’s green boating program Good Mate.
 

Ask for sustainable seafood. Let chefs, wait-staff, and the folks behind your fish counter know that sustainable seafood is important to you.
 

Sign up for Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Cleanup. Volunteers remove trash from beaches and shorelines, and data collected by these citizen-scientists help inform solutions that keep trash out of our ocean in the first place.
 

Reduce. Since packaging materials account for much of the trash we generate, they provide a good opportunity for reducing waste consider items with less, reusable, or recyclable packaging.
 

Reuse. More than 60 percent of the litter collected during the 2009 International Coastal Cleanup consisted of disposable items. Choose reusable shopping bags, coffee mugs, and food containers.
 

Recycle. If you can’t reuse it, recycle it. Check online with your local government to see what you can and can’t give back, and recycle everything possible.
 

Prevent contaminated runoff. No matter where you live, the ocean is downstream. Don’t use chemical fertilizers and pesticides on your lawn. On the driveway, avoid harmful cleaning products, and take proper care of spilled oil.
 

Vote Blue. Urge your elected representatives to support ocean-friendly policies that protect our ocean. Stay informed through e-alerts from Ocean Conservancy and share your passion at facebook.com/oceanconservancy and twitter.com/OurOcean