Water Pollution

You Are What You Eat: Going Organic, the Ocean, and You!

Posted: February 8, 2011 | Author: Leslie | Tags Blue Issues, fruit, Lifestyle, organic, pesticides, vegetables, Water Pollution

Leslie believes that everyone can love and save the ocean, regardless of their geography. Feel free to shoot her an email with your comments at [email protected]

How is it we will put lots of time into finding the best fuel for our cars, places to get our hair done, and stores to get the latest fashion bargains, but we don't think twice about what we put in our bodies?

A cocktail of pesticides, nitrogen-rich fertilizers, and industrial chemicals is contaminating our waterways due to conventional farming run-off. A study by  the U.S. Geological Survey sampled fresh water wells and found that more than 50% of them contained one or more pesticides.

Only 1% of  the targeted pests are actually reached from traditional pesticide methods, the rest seeps into our groundwater or run-off enters local streams, rivers, lakes, and eventually reaches our oceans. Pests have already adapted to these chemicals, which requires the farmers to use stronger chemicals. Dead zones and algae blooms are caused by high levels of fertilzer run-off.

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How to Green Your Vacation

Posted: March 29, 2011 | Author: Leslie | Tags Blue Issues, green, Lifestyle, staycations, vacations, Water Pollution

Leslie believes that everyone can love and save the ocean, regardless of their geography. Feel free to shoot her an email with your comments at [email protected]

When you think of summer, what immediately comes to your mind (aside from very hot)? Vacation!

Everything from the modes of transportation we choose, foods we eat, and places we stay have an effect on our land and ultimately our waterways. Getaways and eco-friendly practices don’t always go hand in hand, but it doesn't have to be that way.

Staycations

Skip the airport and have a fun vacation by slowing down and taking in the wonders of your own backyard. Explore local museums, galleries, parks, famous landmarks, or have a campout in your backyard. Whatever you do, recharge your batteries with an electronics free vacation. 

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Something is Stinking Up Our Waterways

Posted: April 7, 2011 | Author: Leslie | Tags Blue Issues, fertilizers, gardening, pesticides, Water Pollution

Leslie is the Event Planning and Cleanups Intern. She believes that everyone can love and save the ocean, regardless of their geography. Feel free to shoot her an email with your comments at [email protected].

April showers may bring  May flowers, but these attract pests. Instead of attacking unwanted bugs and weeds with sprays and chemicals, treat your lawn to a chemical-free life. Would you go to a babbling brook and dump fertilizers or pesticides directly in them?

No..These chemicals from our yards enter our waterways through runoff, (thanks to rain and storm drains) and this causes major problems. Pesticides don’t just kill bugs in our gardens and yards, but it also kills the beneficial bugs, plants, and aquatic life in our waterways. Nitrogen and Phosphorous found in fertilizers cause huge algae blooms, which cuts off oxygen, light, and eventually life to form giant dead zones in waterways.  Pesticides can kill wildlife, harm pets, and do some serious damage to the food chain.

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Dissolvable Fishing Line: The Positive Impact of Innovation

Posted: June 14, 2011 | Author: Kenneth | Tags blue movement, dissolvable, Fishing line, innovation, ocean, Water Pollution

Kenneth is our Marketing Intern.  He blogs about company related issues and practices.  Shoot him an email at [email protected]

Earlier this year Globeride Inc., a Japanese company based in Tokyo, unveiled a fishing line product that actually dissolves in water over time.  The company was originally skeptical about demand for the product, but it has been selling out of stores since its introduction in February.

 

The product makes use of microorganisms present in water to break down into carbon dioxide and water.  Tokuo Ichikawa, the creator of the product, claims that it takes about five years for the line to completely dissolve.  Although limiting the product’s life to five years will not eradicate all of the problems that fishing line creates, it will go a long way in reducing the amount of the line present in our oceans. Hopefully ensuing improvements to the product will speed up the dissolution process.

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What Goes Up...

Posted: June 17, 2011 | Author: Tracy | Tags balloons, butterflies, latex, plastic, Water Pollution, Wildlife

 

Tracy is the Event Planning and Cleanups Intern. She loves to water ski and wants someone to teach her how to surf. Email her with questions, comments, and complaints at [email protected]

It is a very simple and often accidental activity: releasing balloons. I remember having a balloon tied around my wrist so I wouldn’t forget it was in my hand and liberate it.  I also remember watching less fortunate kids at the park, carnival, or birthday party cry as their balloons flew higher and higher until they disappeared from sight. 

 

I didn’t think about it back then, but now I wonder, what is the environmental impact of accidentally or intentionally releasing balloons?  The answer is more complicated than you may think. It depends on the following factors...

 

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Yellowstone River Oil Spill

Posted: July 19, 2011 | Author: Kenneth | Tags blue movement, oil spill, pollution, Water Pollution, water pollution, yellowstone oil spill

Kenneth is our Marketing Intern.  He blogs about company related issues and practices.  Shoot him an email at [email protected]

Photo credit: Bruce da MooseAs America’s first National Park, Yellowstone is one of the nation’s original and most stunning hidden gems.  Visitors to the park can witness some of the most unusual geological activity in the world.  With its assortment of explosive geysers, vibrant hot springs, and variety of wildlife, it’s no wonder why this park has been a favorite of nature enthusiasts for over a hundred years.  Millions of visitors fall in love with the park’s natural beauty and peaceful atmosphere each year.  Our hearts go out to those that have recently been affected by the oil spill in the Yellowstone River and we wish the cleanup crew all the best for a speedy recovery.     

 

Efforts to clean the river continue as Exxon Mobile attempts to mitigate the damage of the 42,000-gallon spill that occurred in early July.  The company is using standard oil containment practices, employing boom to redirect the spilled oil and absorbent pads for oil collection.  However, river speeds and flooding are making the cleanup efforts a daunting task. 

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WILDCOAST in Tijuana

Posted: September 13, 2011 | Author: Alli | Tags Blue Issues, Human Issues, San Diego, Tijuana, Water Pollution, WILDCOAST

At UBB, we love discovering hidden gems; finding forgotten beauty. But just as beautiful things are often hidden from view, so, too, are some of things that we’d rather not see. Challenges in dealing with wastewater are among these hidden challenges. Today’s blog post comes from like-minded San Diego-based organization, WILDCOAST, on some of the challenges managing water in border regions. It's written by one of their summer interns, Elena Keamy!

 

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