I Want the Ocean to Feel Pretty Again

So, apparently today is World Ocean’s Day!

I was thinking, how would be the best way of celebrating the ocean, of paying her my deepest respects? Her response was, “Stop throwing plastic into me and endangering the life of all my children!”

So I decided to launch a 30 DAY ZERO WASTE CHALLENGE!

Here is some background info before I get into details of the 30 Day Zero Waste Challenge. I would like to show some facts about plastic pollution in the ocean just to make us present to the urgent nature of this and maybe motivate us to get up off our asses and actually use some self restraint when it comes to buying things wrapped in plastic. Just a reminder, WE HAVE THE POWER TO SHIFT ANYTHING, BUT IT STARTS WITH US. Don’t complain, ACT! That’s a good mantra…

10 Ocean Plastic Pollution Facts:

1. At least 8 MILLION TONS of plastic enter into the oceans each year. (I just want you to sit and meditate on the magnitude of that number. Is that seriously how we want to treat the source of life on this Earth? Most of the air we breathe, we get from the ocean.)
2. There is more microplastic in the ocean than stars in the milky way (like, do you want to go microplastic gazing instead of stargazing? Sounds like a good date.)
3. More than 50% of sea turtles have consumed plastic.
4. The average US Citizen consumes 167 plastic water bottles each year but recycles just 25% of them.
5. Food and beverage containers, cigarette butts, plastic bags, and fishing gear are the most common forms of trash found in the ocean (Gives a good sense of where to start reducing plastic waste).
6. There is an island of garbage TWICE THE SIZE OF TEXAS in the Pacific Ocean (Next vacation to plastic island?) Here is more specific info on the ocean currents and how these form, how the plastic is moved around the ocean:(https://www.oceanblueproject.org/ocean-current-maps.html)
7. (Okay, this is an important one to meditate on) Small animals at the bottom of the food chain absorb the chemicals from plastic as part of their food. They are then eaten by bigger fish, which are eaten by humans, there by toxifying the whole system. For non-vegetarians, this should be gross enough, and for vegetarians, it should be enough to know how much these chemicals disrupt sea life, since you already apparently have compassion for animals.
8. Plastic releases toxic chemicals, harming all sea life and the entire ecosystem.
9. Salty water of the ocean has the capability to move pollutants from the ocean into coastal freshwater, making wells and groundwater contaminated (This means our drinking water).
10. There is a thing called Dead Zones. There are areas of the ocean that have so little oxygen, fish wander in there an just die. They have NO WAY OF KNOWING they are wandering into a dead zone, they just go in there, lose consciousness due to lack of oxygen and die (Seriously, talk about a nightmare! Like imagine if that’s how Finding Nemo ended??! Nemo just wanders into a dead zone and that’s it!) More on that: https://www.conserve-energy-future.com/causes-and-effects-of-ocean-dead-zones.php

Okay, so now that we have grasped some of the magnitude of the problem, I present: SOLUTIONS!

Now this is not for pessimistic minded people who believe they have no power. This is for POWERFUL people who know that everything they do, down to the minutest detail, affects ALL LIFE! Something called the butterfly effect (I love butterflies!).

So to me, the first place to start is with myself. I do not control anyone else. That would be weird if I did. People are not my puppets. So, I am committing, starting today to a 30 DAY ZERO WASTE CHALLENGE!

Rules & Commitments of the Challenge:

1. I hereby declare that for the next 30 days (from June 8th, 2018 through July 8th 2018), I will create as little waste as possible.
2. Any trash I acquire within these 30 days, which would ordinarily have gone into a landfil or made its way into the ocean, I will SAVE, and at the end I will make a BEAUTIFUL ART INSTALLATION out of it.

These are basically all the rules. In order to accomplish this, I have some supplies I will be carrying around with me, like a reusable coffee mug, water bottle, cloth napkin, straw, probably a jar, maybe some cutlery, reusable produce bags, and foldup grocery bags.

I will be doing a facebook live video shortly to give more specifics on the challenge, and I will be posting to these pages throughout the challenge:

Lena Belle

Lena Belle (@lenabellemusic) * Instagram photos and videos

Now I invite you to participate in the challenge in WHATEVER WAY IS REASONABLE TO YOU. Rome was not built in a day. Please don’t be a perfectionist and get all defeated and discouraged and feel the weight of fate closing in on you. If the only thing you do is purchase a metal straw, and gleefully present it to the barista whenever you order your nice green juice or your cold press coffee, I would call that a win!

If you decide, hey, I’m gonna make a morning mantra out of remembering my reusable grocery bags. Like instead of just, “Okay, I got my wallet, phone, keys. I’m good!”

It’s, “Wallet, phone, keys, reusable grocery bags!”

I would call that a mega win!

I challenge you to commit to adding ONE zero waste habit into your life for the next 30 days. Use the hashtags #30dayszerowaste #zerowaste and #worldoceansday. I will follow what you are posting, give encouragement, and possibly repost and share what you are doing! Let’s create a community around this, and…

LET’S MAKE THE OCEAN FEEL PRETTY AGAIN!!!

To close, here is a mashup I created from scratch of Selena Gomez’ “Good for You” and Leonard Bernstein’s “I Feel Pretty” from West Side Story.

Shot, performed, edited all by me in sunny San Diego, California!

Blessings to all, and HAPPY WORLD OCEANS DAY!

Peace & Love,

Lena Belle