Inspired

Danielle Richardet inspires, and this short film about her work motivates.

There are many debates around smoking bans, cigarette taxes, personal freedoms vs over regulation; however, I don't think anyone can argue about the problem of cigarette butt pollution - Danielle puts it best in the film: "...there is absolutely no reason that anybody should be able to get this many [cigarette butts] off the beach."

I cannot agree more - and would be amazed if someone stands up to argue her point. Yet, cigarette butts devastate water quality, contaminate marine life, and foul up our communities like no other across the globe!

How can we turn a single action into a collective gain for water, wildlife, and us...?

Indeed, Danielle shows us how...

recent writeup in Voice of Santa Monica

A big thank you to Natasha from the Voice of Santa Monica for taking the time to learn and write about the new BaitTanks installed on the Santa Monica Pier.

See her article here: Baiting the Butt

If you have not done so yet, become a 'friend' of the BaitTank
on facebook - I promise good things in 2011!

cheers,
Mark

BaitTanks hit Santa Monica Pier

I just returned from the Santa Monica Pier on this clear and cold morning. The pier was empty - it was closed off in preparations for the upcoming Rose Bowl pep rallies. So, I was able to take in the whole pier with the majestic winter sea in the background and check out the BaitTanks. Eric, the pier maintenance manager, showed me around and told me the receptacles are already getting use!



The City of Santa Monica recently banned smoking on the entire pier for several reasons. The main reason is fire prevention. In 2010, there were a couple crazy fires that were started when tossed cigarette butts got lodged in between the pier planks. In order to communicate the new smoking ban AND offer their visitors a safe place to deposit their butts, the Santa Monica Pier Restoration Corporation turned to the BaitTank.



You will notice slightly different messaging on these BaitTanks. On the front, we communicate the dangers of cigarette butts to a wooden pier, and on the side we have the established "Fish-Saved Meter" to communicate the dangers of cigarette butts to marine life. Thanks to all those who helped with the messaging, especially the City of Santa Monica Economic Development Department and Heal the Bay. Thank you also to Neal Shapiro of the Santa Monica Office of Sustainability and Environment.



I am thrilled to have BaitTanks in my hometown, on the world famous Santa Monica Pier, where millions of visitors from all over the world will use them and learn from them.





Happy New Year!
Mark

post rain butt surfing

pardon me losing my breath as I chase this butt down toward the ocean :) 2011 will bring a stricter exercise routine!

A Butt-iful Day

We are on day three of storms in the Los Angeles area - and while the rain is nice, the waterways, ocean, and beach get left with our crap...check out these videos:












While these videos are alarming and disheartening, we have solutions!!
-- We can refuse single-use plastics
-- We can work with companies on product stewardship and extended producer responsibility (Jon and I do this at Greenopolis)
-- We can install BaitTanks to attract cigarette butt litter (they have reduced butt litter by 60% in Capitola and Santa Cruz)

Here is a Camel cigarette butt, produced by RJ Reynolds - Steve Strawsburg, their head of CSR, has admitted to me that butt litter is a problem and I look forward to working with him on solutions.



Thanks to Jon and Dixie for joining me -- together we can all get this gone...

Virgina and North Carolina

Last week I was in Virginia and North Carolina; the focus of the trip was to establish contacts within the tobacco industry, mainly Altria - the leading tobacco company. I was unable to get to the front desk of Altria (see video below) - but I was able to make contact with the person who handles their Corporate Responsibility. I look forward to our future discussions and concrete actions to prevent cigarette litter.



The week was also a great time to visit family in Charlottesville and new friends in Wilmington, NC - the Richardet Family. Danielle and her husband Aaron welcomed me to their beautiful home, with their fun-loving kids. Danielle just won the BRITA FilterForGood contest! She energized her local community (as well as the digital Facebook community) around her 20 minute beach cleanups - which have turned into cigarette butt cleanups; check out her blog here

Danielle took me to gorgeous Wrightsville Beach - surfers were in the water and cigarette butts dominated the sand. I could not believe the amount of butts on the high tide line - considerably more than in Southern California. The two of us picked up 407 butts in 20 minutes!



I met Danielle through Sara Bayles from The Daily Ocean. Sara and I have become good friends as we both live in Santa Monica and love 20 minutes cleanups at Pier 26 (although Sara has completed hundreds more cleanups than me).

Sara and her husband Garen are scheduled to hit the seas to explore plastic pollution firsthand via a 5Gyres expedition. They could use our help with fundraising - so lend them your support in cash here

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.