EDIT: Beach Clean-Up Rescheduled to August 3, 2019
If you’ve been to the beach recently, you’ve probably seen trash in the sand. Whether it’s discarded cigarette butts, abandoned beach toys, or random items that floated in with the tide, plastics on the beach is now a common sight.
We are polluting our waters and beaches, and the impacts on our marine and upland wildlife are devastating. Animals such as sea turtles, shorebirds, and fish often times mistake plastic or garbage to be food. When wildlife ingest plastics, it takes up room in their stomachs and limits their ability to consume real, nourishing food. Entanglement also threatens wildlife. According to Ocean Conservancy, fishing gear is the most dangerous ocean trash for wildlife.
The sanctity of Florida’s precious natural resources is at stake. We must think globally and act locally. Besides enacting meaningful legislation and demanding local lawmakers take action against plastic waste in our communities, individuals can educate their peers or volunteer for clean up events.
The Florida Conservation Voters Education Fund in Co-sponsorship with Our Better Places and The Virginia Key Outdoor Center will host a Beach Clean Up on Saturday, Aug. 3 starting at 9 a.m. Concerned members of the Miami community will join together at the Virginia Key Outdoor Center with the goal of picking up over 1,000 pounds of trash. The Outdoor Center will provide free rentals, and participants will receive goody bags as a thank you gift. Register now: https://fareharbor.com/vkoc/items/127773/
Change starts with us, and when we empower individuals to unite and fight beach waste, we can make an impact in our communities.