Although it didn't really feel like much of a celebration at 7 a.m., my wife and I had decided earlier in the week to "celebrate" Earth Day by removing garbage from Lake Worth's Beach. Consequently, just after sunrise, we rolled out of bed, fed the dog, gulped some coffee, and headed beach-ward. Although I was still half asleep when we arrived, I'm happy we went, because we managed to remove quite a bit of litter.

As I was waiting for the coffee to finish brewing, I looked out the back door and noticed that it had rained during the night. Ugh. Not only did we have to collect garbage, but it would be wet garbage! Oh well, I thought, nobody said saving the planet would be easy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We left the house around 7:45. It was already warm.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When we got to the beach, however, it was beautiful. The previous evening's rain had been part of a cold front, and a nice breeze was still blowing. Whereas it could have been blazing hot and sunny while we worked, it turned out to be very comfortable working conditions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There weren't many people out on the beach at 8 in the morning.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

But we did notice some activity. I think the "locals" appreciated our early-morning efforts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At 5 minutes past 8, we grabbed some garbage bags, pulled on rubber gloves, and started working. Soon, a few other people showed up to help.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In all, we had about a dozen people help. Generally, the popular part of the beach -- near the lifeguard stand -- was relatively clean. Most of the garbage in the area consisted of straws; small, brittle pieces of plastic; cigarette butts; plastic "to-go cup" lids; beer-bottle caps; and plastic water-bottle caps. Not surprisingly, once we left the guarded portion of Lake Worth's Beach, the concentration of garbage grew. The most garbage-intensive location was in our local Dune Restoration Project.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sadly, I guess people like strolling to this part of the beach to party.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There were bottles everywhere.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not all the litter was bottles, though. We picked up lots of different kind of garbage.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The grossest thing we collected was either a condom or a syringe. Take your pick about which is more distasteful. The most surprising thing we collected was a pair of girl's underwear.

I had hoped karma was going to smile down on me and reward me with a $100 bill among the gross garbage. That didn't happen. Instead, the coolest thing we found was a small Army figure whom we liberated from his beach-side prison camp.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now, he's sitting on my computer monitor, reminding me of the good work we accomplished today and thanking me for rescuing him. "You're welcome, Mr. Army Figure."

In the end, my wife and I collected 5 bags of garbage.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We also learned a few important tips for next year:

1. Don't use bags; use plastic buckets. If there's a breeze, bags are hard to fill. My wife dropped her whole load of garbage back onto the beach twice as a result of the breeze. It happened to me once.
2. If you must use bags, don't buy the cheapest ones possible. They rip easily.
3. If you venture into a Dune Restoration Project Area, be mindful that that's where ants like to hang out. They don't like you stomping through their territory, and they'll bite you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As we prepared to leave, I slipped my sandals back onto my feet. Unfortunately, they're old, and they finally gave up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

They will be missed. <Sigh.> After working so diligently, we felt hungry. To reward ourselves for a hard morning, we decided to stop by the Pegasus, a local diner, and have some breakfast.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now, all I need is a nap. So...what did you do on Earth Day?