My Morning Filter

I had a serene walk this morning along the Santa Monica shoreline - a time to chill out ahead of a crazy weekend and unpredictable next week. The little white shore birds, called plovers I think, always impress me. They scurry in and out with the water line - chasing the receding wave, then probing the uncovered sand for food. But then they are uniquely able to sense the oncoming wave; keeping the water line directly at their heals - they scurry to dry. I wish at times I could keep oncoming tides at my heals - able to sense the wave before it takes me under.



Next week I will be in Virgina - I want to engage Altria and Philip Morris in the work we are doing with the BaitTanks. As I work with great cities and passionate environmentalists, it becomes more apparent that we need everyone at the table if we are going knock out butt litter. Those on the front lines of cigarette butt litter agree that the resources and involvement of cigarette companies are essential. And I am confident the BaitTanks give them a vehicle to address this major issue in a long-term, substantive way.



A lot of cigarette butt litter finds it way to beaches via the ocean (via storm drains - via your hand!). Here is what they look like without their outer wrap - its just the filter. This filter rests here on the morning shoreline next to a ladybug; buts its toxins have already wreaked havoc on wildlife habitat and water quality...Together we can stop this - together we can keep the number one polluted item at our heals, before it takes us under.

Results...and now Monterey!

Very positive results have emerged from the BaitTank installations in Capitola and Santa Cruz. Save Our Shores (www.saveourshores.org) has conducted before-and-after studies and shown that the BaitTank has helped decrease cigarette butt litter by nearly 60%!

In addition, both city crews have mentioned that their "sweeping" workload has decreased - as well remarked that both smoker and non-smoker have been witnessed reading the BaitTank messaging aloud!

I would like to thank the awesome staff at Save Our Shores for their hard work in taking concrete action to solving this immense problem.

Our partnership continues to grow; this past week Laura Kasa and I met with the City of Monterey to tackle their cigarette butt issues. Here is a photo with Laura, the ED of Save Our Shores, on the Monterey Wharf where a pilot BaitTank was installed two weeks ago. The Wharf loves it and has already seen its impact in decreasing the amount of butts on the wood planks and in the water.



More BaitTanks coming to the City of Monterey and the County of Monterey very soon...