May 2008 | On Our Radar
Don’t just get mad, Get active
By the time May rolls around, the countdown to beach season has begun. Wax this, tan that, and try on last year’s swimsuit under the soft glow of your new dimmable CFL bulbs. Sure, you look fabulous, but what about the beaches? Over-fishing, rising temperatures, and skin rash-causing bacteria? Eek! The real question this May is: How to do we get our ocean beach-ready?
• Get on the “seafood watch diet.” Download a nifty consumer’s pocket guide to purchasing sustainable seafood from montereybayaquarium.org and take it along with you to your grocery store or favorite sushi joint.
• Keep your healthy glow (with “healthy” being the key work here). Check illness-causing bacteria levels from urban runoff and sewage spills before you plunge.
• Earth911.org rates the water quality of individual beaches on Lake Washington and Puget Sound, as well as the coast.
• Tone those arms… while picking up trash. Beach cleanups can be a fun, tangible way to help the environment and raise awareness in the community. Find an existing beach cleanup at volunteermatch.org, or adopt a beach with friends or coworkers.
• Ditch the diet pills, but dispose of them correctly. Flushed pharmaceuticals are making their way to the sea — taking a toll not only on our water supply, but also on sea life. Ask your pharmacist to dispose of your expired and unused meds in an environmentally safe manner.
—Summer Bowen
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