Beaches

Those who go down to the sea in ships – or go to see them in port – may soon be not be able to breathe easier as they thought they would or at least in Jacksonville. Scientists have made the first measurements of ship emissions involving particles less than a millionth of a meter in size. They say it’s an important step in establishing and monitoring the effectiveness of air-pollution regulations for ships.

Until now, researchers in port cities have had a hard time figuring out what proportion of fine sulfate particles come from ships burning high-sulfur bunker oil, compared to the diesel trucks or trains that serve the cities. These fine particles are less than 1-millionth of a meter across. Once inhaled, these particles stay put, researchers say, constituting a potential public-health hazard.

As the chairwoman for First Coast Surfrider I am often contacted by other local groups to partner with or help kick start their own beach cleanup program. So, I decided to create a quick reference guide for how to run your own beach cleanup.

What’ll need before you begin:

• A LOCATION
  This will often be the reason for your cleanup. You noticed a polluted access, street, park or beach that needs your help!
• VOLUNTEERS
  You can hold a beach cleanup with just you and yourself, but having a few good men (women, children, dogs, aliens or anything else that can lend a hand) helps.
• DATE & TIME
  When do you plan on holding the cleanup? Consider local weather patterns and any outside factors that could negatively or positively impact your efforts. Will there be a lot of traffic (foot or car) at a certain hour? Will that traffic hinder or help the cleanup? If it’s a beach cleanup, the best time is when the tide is going out. This exposes new trash and gives you plenty of ground coverage.

Essential Cleanup Supplies:

• BAGS - Even buckets and boxes… go greener!
• GLOVES - Latex and non-latex in small, medium, large and x-large sizes.
• FIRST AID KITS - Include band aids, gauze, alcohol swabs, neosporin, pain reliever, etc.
• WATER - It’s important to stay hydrated!
• SIGN-IN SHEET - Keep count of your volunteers for safety and future reference; document their name, time in/out, email address. Also document the pounds of trash collected, a large bag half full is approximately 20lbs.
• VOLUNTEER HOUR FORMS - Volunteers need to document their community service hours; include volunteer name, date, location, time in/out, organization name and your signature.

Optional Cleanup Supplies:

• HAZARDOUS MATERIALS CONTAINER
• GRABBER - For those hard to reach places or dangerous items.
• DIRECTIONS TO NEAREST HOSPITALS - Extreme precaution, but you never know…
• INFO ABOUT YOUR ORGANIZATION - Crowded areas will attract attention, seize the opportunity to spread awareness about your group.
• CALENDAR OF EVENTS - Besides group info, give the volunteers and anyone with questions a copy of your upcoming events, so they can mark their calendars.

Additional Beach Cleanup Resources:

International Coastal Cleanup

The beaches community played host to over 8,000 Marathon runners from all over the world this past Sunday. The 2008 Breast Cancer Marathon (26.2 with Donna) was the inaugural marathon in support of breast cancer research at the Mayo clinic and women living with breast cancer.

The community showed the world what is was made of as volunteers and supporters of all ages littered every mile of the course encouraging the runners each step of the way. As one of the photographers for Jacksonville.com, I was proud and privileged to witness such hospitality and genuine support from the community in which I also reside. The 20 mile mark was supported by young girls and teenagers standing side by side with older volunteers cheering, encouraging, handing out water and Powerade but also providing support and laughter to each and every runner that past.