plastic ocean project
Earth and Surf Fest is Gearing Up for Good Time
Get ready for ONE awesome day of FUN for the entire family at the Tenth Annual Earth and Surf Fest on Saturday, July 9th in North Topsail Beach.
This rad waste-free eco awareness event showcases many of the splendors that there is to enjoy in our coastal community environment.
Things get kicked off at 7am with registration for the Fun, Sun, and 5K Run on the beach, a one mile fun run, and the On Shore Surf Shop surf contest.
A free beach yoga session is offered by Keep Onslow Beautiful Committee member and certified yoga instructor, Christina Lewis, at 10am. Bring a mat or towel and get ready to sweat and breathe in the sweet salty ocean air. Don’t forget your refillable/reusable water bottle. Refilling stations will be located at the event.
Live music begins in the morning and continues throughout the day. We will also have a live broadcast with fav local DJ, Vaughn, from the morning show at Modern Rock 98.7/.
Local musician, artist, and long time beach sweeper, Justina will get things started with an acoustic solo act at the bathhouse stage area. Headliners are local surf music jam rockers, Arise Awake who will get us through the mid day.
Later that afternoon, you get the chance to show your talents with a 2 hour open mic gig hosted by Wes Rider. Be sure to bring a guitar, drums, or whatever you need to showcase your talents. Open mic jam session begins at 3pm and there will be a sign up form available at the bathhouse stage area starting at 2:30pm.
A traditional beach cleanup will be held throughout the day with the crew at the Plastic Ocean Project. Prizes will be given, you can learn how to participate in a fun citizen science program, and you also have the chance to earn SAT credit hours (for high school volunteers).
This is a waste-free event so place make sure to carpool, bring your own reusable water bottle, and use the recycle and compost bins properly. Pack in and pack out any waste you bring that is not compostable or recyclable, please. There will be a healthy and waste-free food truck on site for all your munching needs throughout the day.
Healthy and eco friendly vendors and environmental education booths include: Keep Onslow Beautiful, Plastic Ocean Project, Spring Locker, White Oak New River Association, NC Coastal Federation, Onslow Co Museum, NC CMAST and NC Youth Ocean Conservation Summit, Arbonne, Your Bottle Means Jobs, Sonoco Recycling, Loggerhead Designs, Oceana, Going Green, Beauty Counter, On Shore Surf Shop,Forkful Food Truck, Sparkling ICE, and more…
Thank you so much to our sponsors: KIXX Outfitters, On Shore Surf Shop, Only in Onslow, Sonoco Recycling, Spring Locker, Sparkling ICE, Keep Onslow Beautiful, Onslow County Solid Waste Department, Onslow County Parks and Recreation, Nixon, Dragon, Loggerhead Designs, Hyperflex Wetsuits, …lost, Global Surf Industries, Savage Surfboards, Sanuk, Prolite, Go Pro, Clean Energy Events, and Sun Bum.
Be sure to check out http://www.earthandsurffest.com for registration, location with a map, and event info.
Permuda Paddle Cleanup Coming Up
Mark Your Calendars Paddlers (SUP, Kayak, Canoe)!
A Paddle Trash Fishing Tournament will be held Saturday, May 14th in a collaborative effort to keep our local waterways clean.
Calling all Paddle Boarders, Kayakers, and Canoers! The National Esturarine Research Reserve, Keep Onslow Beautful, Plastic Ocean Project, On Shore Surf Shop, and the local paddling community are gearing up for a Paddle Trash Fishing Tournament on Permuda Island during the Great American Cleanup and Coastal Cleanup this spring.
Paddlers will meet up at Onslow Beach Access #2 (2950 Island Drive, North Topsail Beach 28460) at 8:30am on Saturday, May 14th for a safety briefing and cleanup event review. We will paddle over at 9am to fish for trash on Permuda Island.
Boats will be on hand to remove debris and for safety. If you do not have a kayak or paddle board, On Shore Surf Shop will be offering huge discounts on rentals for this cleanup. Prizes will go to the most trash cleaned up and most unique find.
Don’t forget to bring your lifejacket, reusable/refillable water bottle, and a hat or sunscreen if you need it. We will provide a water refilling cooler, bags, gloves, and other materials needed for the cleanup.
For more information about this cleanup or how you can coordinate your own waterway or beach cleanup, please email KeepOnslowBeautiful@onslowcountync.gov or call 910.937.1442.
Bon Voyage
As you know, I will be heading out later this week to start my eXXpedition journey. I wanted to share what my experience will be similar to before I go since you will not hear a lot from me until I return.
Our crew will only be able to send about a blog per day with a limit on size, which mean little to no photos until we reach land. With that said, I want to share the film available on http://www.exxpedition.com from last year’s Atlantic trip so that you get a feel for the journey ahead.
Here it is: https://vimeo.com/130924498 or find it here: http://exxpedition.com/film/
In addition to the film, you can also read blogs from the eXXpedition Ascension crew that have been posted since they set sail from off the coast of Africa several weeks ago. Those blog posts are here: www.exxpedtion.com
To track Sea Dragon with hourly position updates – see this link: http://tracking.redportglobal.com/anonymous/panexplore
For other info about the project, see www.exxpedition.com.
You can also follow blogs from eXXpedition by following the Plastic Ocean Project blog site.
I want to wish everyone a happy, safe, and healthy holiday season!
Bon Voyage,
L
Happy Birthday National Ocean Policy
Happy Birthday to the National Ocean Policy (NOP)
Learn more here: Healthy Oceans Coalition / NOP Background
Want to do more for our marine environment locally? Please consider volunteering for the Plastic Ocean Project, Keep Onslow Beautiful, Project AWARE, or a local Surfrider Foundation chapter and also be sure to register for and attend the North Carolina Marine Debris Symposium
Don’t have time to officially volunteer for an org, but still want to be an environmental hero – clean your beach whenever you are there, pick up debris in a parking lot on your way to and from your car, or simply donate to help fund vital programs that help preserve our marine ecosystem.
Blue skies and calm seas,
L
Coastinista 