Ever since I first heard about sea turtles dying because they ate plastic I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Did you know they eat it thinking it’s jellyfish and can later die because they swallowed a man-made indigestible and toxic substance? The ingested plastic can also block their digestive track and as a result they
become buoyant and can no longer dive to feed.
What a terrible way to go—just because someone is too lazy to put something in the garbage, or too careless to go after something the wind blew away. Think about these gentle and innocent creatures that don’t know any better. We are in their habitat and should treat them with respect.
What is the N.A.T initiative?
It is an outreach program to encourage people to pick up trash from beaches and parks! I’ve simply started a habit of picking up one piece of trash from every park, or beach, or beautiful place I go and I want to encourage others to do the same. It does not have to be a full time job, just when you see something (especially plastic), pick it up and dispose of it in the garbage where it cannot hurt the wildlife. I’ve picked up countless balloons, baggies, sip sacks, and much grosser things!
I know I am not alone in this effort, because I have seen others doing the same thing. Maybe they were locals that live near the beach and want to keep it clean—perhaps they are like-minded people that care about nature and wildlife. There’s no need to have a complicated explanation or justification—I would encourage all my readers to pick up trash wherever they go.
Be an environmental angel and join me in my quest.
I really would appreciate it if you could help me spread the word.
It’s our planet – let’s clean it up!
Nathalie