One step at a time

Hello my name is Leonel Arriola and I participated in Heal the Bay event on September 17, 2016. I was not surprised that the our local beaches were polluted, in fact this is the very reason I stopped going to the beach five years ago because of the amount of pollution found in the water as well as on land. Given that this was an event where we were able to aid our beaches in collecting the tiny bits of plastics as well as the immense amount of cigarette butts, this was an event where I could not simply turn my back to.

From afar the beach may look clean but as one begins to scan the sand they are walking on you will spot a variety of pollutants that may seem harmless but in fact are damaging the ecosystem. Unfortunately many of this pollutants are confused by seagulls that pick up the tiny plastics that are laying on the sand. Wrappers are carried away by the seagulls and fed to others or it may even be blown away into the ocean where other marine life may confuse it and consume it. Although the future may seem bleak, there is still an opportunity to correct our way of life that does not harm the environment.