Costumed Crusaders Ask Bay to Breakers Runners to BYOB - Bring Your Own Bottle for Water, That Is.

Costumed Crusaders Ask Bay to Breakers Runners to BYOB - Bring Your Own Bottle for Water, That Is.
Anti-plastic environmentalist to promote reducing and recycling plastic during B2B 2009


Contact:
Beth Terry, FakePlasticFish.Com, cellular 415-260-2861, beth@fakeplasticfish.com
Eli Saddler, OceanHealth.Org, cellular 415-342-7497, eli@oceanhealth.org

San Francisco, CA – May 17, 2009 - Bay to Breakers hosts the "world’s largest footrace" annually with as many as 100,000 runners and can generate vast amounts of plastic pollution that harms our oceans. During the event, many participants opt for bottled water in single-use plastic containers instead of bringing their own reusable water bottles. This year, anti-plastic environmentalists are attending Bay to Breakers as costumed crusaders to remind participants to bring their own reusable water bottles and bags to the event rather than using single-use plastics.

“We want to remind people at Bay to Breakers to have fun, but leave harmful plastics at home,” said Beth Terry, Oakland anti-plastic blogger of FakePlasticFish.Com. “Plastics that end up on the beach or in the ocean are not fun for the wildlife that can be killed by swallowing them.”

Beth Terry has been collecting and tallying her plastic waste each week at FakePlasticFish.Com to bring attention to the issue of plastics in the environment and to show readers that it is not hard to find healthy, plastic-free alternatives.

Beth's costume, the Fake Plastic Sea Monster, is made of 2-years worth of collected plastic trash. Beth’s costume symbolizes how plastic has escaped the ocean and is washing across SF Bay to Breakers, wreaking havoc for sea turtles, fish, birds, and other marine animals! B2B participants are encouraged to spot the sea turtle being chased by the Fake Plastic Sea Monster and pledge to do their part to reduce their plastic consumption and help solve the problem of plastics in our environment.

“The truth is convenience kills and plastic is especially deadly to endangered sea turtles,” said Eli Saddler, Executive Director of OceanHealth.Org. Mr. Saddler added, “Today’s convenient plastic item could end up in the stomach of a sea turtle tomorrow so we hope a race that ends at the ocean will remind people of our responsibilities to the ocean and about reducing marine debris.”

Eli Saddler, the Executive Director of OceanHealth.Org, will be in his leatherback sea turtle costume and doing his best to evade the Fake Plastic Sea Monster. Eli’s sea turtle costume was made from recycled plastic bottles and other reused materials to promote the idea that recycling and reuse are vital to protecting endangered sea turtles and other wildlife from plastic marine debris. In the past 20 years, leatherback sea turtles in the Pacific, including those near the coasts of the Bay Area, have declined by 95 percent. A recent study found that one-third of all dead leatherback sea turtles had ingested plastic.

Plastic Bottle Facts:

• Plastic bottle caps are one of the most common kinds of beach debris found and can be deadly when swallowed by wildlife.
• Nearly seven times as much water is used to make the bottle than you actually drink.
• Making bottles to meet Americans’ demand for bottled water requires more than 17 million barrels of oil annually, enough to fuel more than 1 million U.S. cars for a year.
• Over 85 percent of water bottles are not recycled and wind up in landfills where it takes thousands of years for the plastic to decompose.
• Bottled water can cost up to 10,000 times more per gallon than tap water.
• Global consumption of bottled water reached 154 billion liters (41 billion gallons) in 2004.
• Americans drank 26 billion liters in 2004 or about one 8-ounce glass per person every day.
• Buried water bottles can take up to 1,000 years to biodegrade.

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About OceanHealth.Org: OceanHealth.Org (Ocean Health Institute) is a San Francisco-based nonprofit organization that promotes healthy, sustainable oceans and public health protection from ocean-based threats. In addition to work educating consumers about taking action to reduce plastic use, OceanHealth.Org promotes sustainable seafood consumption and endangered marine species protection through scientific research, educational activities, and advocacy efforts. http://www.oceanhealth.org

About Fake Plastic Fish: Beth Terry is an Oakland resident and the author of a blog about plastics called, “Fake Plastic Fish.” For almost two years, Beth has been chronicling her efforts to reduce plastic in her life and providing insight into how readers can eliminate, reduce, and recycle plastic in their lives. Her website is http://www.fakeplasticfish.com.

World Oceans Day June 2009 in the Bay Area

This will be our third World Oceans Day series of events and we could not be more excited about all the events that will be happening. This is also the first year that the United Nations has declared June 8 as World Oceans Day, an official holiday to celebrate the oceans. In 2008, the City of San Francisco declared June 8 World Oceans Day and we were proud to promote that effort. At a time when our oceans need us the most, people across the world are getting more engaged with ocean issues. We are glad to share the following events with you and hope that you will keep checking back for more as events are finalized. More to come soon!


World Oceans Day Film Festival, June 4-12, 2009

As a reminder, we are still accepting submissions of short ocean-related films through the end of May for our World Oceans Day Film Festival. Please email eli@oceanhealth.org for details. Any film of any style with a connection to oceans, coasts, or islands will be considered. We are especially looking for comedy, animated, and action sports films that celebrate the oceans. Stay tuned for a listing of all the venues where we will screen our program of short ocean films. Filmmakers, please contact us about how to submit your film. Submission is free and online submissions are encouraged.


June 7th, World Oceans Day Beach Cleanup at Ocean Beach in San Francisco

Please RSVP to help us have a head count: http://tinyurl.com/WODoceanbeach or by email to eli@oceanhealth.org. This is a free event!

We expect a big turnout this year and are excited for you to join us. Please join the hundreds of Bay Area residents that are expected to turn out to rid Ocean Beach of marine debris, which diminishes our beach experience and poses a threat to wildlife and ocean ecosystems. What better way to celebrate the oceans that give us so much than by helping make it cleaner?

Judah Street and Great Highway
San Francisco, CA 94122


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9:30am-10:00am Registration and Orientation
10:00am-12:00pm Beach Cleanup
12:00pm Wrap up and thank you!

Please join us at the Judah Street entrance to Ocean Beach in San Francisco. You can reach the location by the MUNI N Judah line or check 511.org for public transportation from your area. Biking is highly recommended. Carpooling is requested of those who must drive.

Gloves and bags are provided for the event, but you are welcome to bring your own work gloves or reusable bag for picking up marine debris along Ocean Beach.

Participants should dress in clothing appropriate for variable weather conditions at Ocean Beach. Weather can differ even from other locations in San Francisco so dressing in layers and checking the current weather conditions is important. Rain gear could be brought as a precaution.

Strong rain or severe weather cancels, but please call 415-342-7497 to confirm if you have any questions on June 7.


June 8th, World Oceans Day Film Festival
Montara Lighthouse, 16th Street and Cabrillo Highway, Montara, CA

Please RSVP: http://tinyurl.com/WODmontara or by email to eli@oceanhealth.org. Please be sure to RSVP because there is a 50 person maximum for attending this event.

Please join OceanHealth.Org for World Oceans Day. To celebrate, we'll be screening short ocean films. We hope that you'll join us in this great location to share our love of the oceans and to view a variety of films showing perspectives on the ocean.

Event is free if you RSVP, but $8 donation for World Oceans Day is appreciated and will help support local ocean nonprofits.

6:30-7pm Reception
7-8:30pm Films
8:30-9pm Discussion


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If you can, please take public transportation or carpool because there is limited parking.

Public transportation: From The Daly City BART station take the Samtrans 110 to the Linda Mar park and ride. Transfer to the Samtrans 294 and let the driver know you want to be dropped at the Pt. Montara Lighthouse stop.


Stay Tuned for More Event Announcements! Check out http://www.oceandaysf.org for related events.

Stop Offshore Drilling - April 16, 2009, San Francisco

OceanHealth.Org will be joining a coalition of environmental groups and concerned citizens who will speak out against plans to open our coasts to offshore oil drilling and in support of responsible renewable energy.

Last-minute Bush Administration efforts to end a moratorium on offshore oil drilling are under review on a national basis. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will host a public meeting in San Francisco to present the Interior's findings on Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) energy resources and potential environmental impacts from their development. The Secretary will also hear comments from public officials, interested organizations, advocacy groups, and private citizens.


You can make a difference by voicing your opinions at the meeting, which will be from 8AM until 8PM on Thursday, April 16. If you can only make it for part of the day, please join the lunchtime rally from 12pm-1pm to encourage the Obama Administration to do the right thing by our oceans and to secure a sustainable energy future for the US.

Please come to:
University of California San Francisco - Mission Bay Conference Center
Robertson Auditorium, 1675 Owens Street, San Francisco, CA 94158

Learn more by visiting: www.nottheanswer.org

The 2007 Cosco Busan oil spill in the San Francisco Bay mobilized hundreds of volunteers to participate in cleanup efforts. To avoid future disasters, we are rallying the public again to speak out about the risks of coastal oil drilling and to support alternatives that will be better for our oceans and the environment without contributing to global warming.


If you can't attend the meeting, then you can submit your comments between now and September 21. For more information on how to submit a comment online, please visit: http://www.mms.gov/5-year/2010-2015DPPComments.htm

Through the Surfrider Foundation's website, you can also send your comments to Secretary Salazar, President Obama and your elected officials: http://actionnetwork.org/campaign/not_the_answer_03_09