It just makes sense to recycle. Or does it? While the planet is in a precarious position of being overused and overwhelmed, more people are waking up to the need to preserve our natural resources. Clearly, we must reduce our use and acceptance of single-use products as a whole, and certainly, we can decrease our dependence on plastic. But did you know that recycling makes dollars and sense? In comparison to making a product out of new vs. recycled materials, [...]
May marks the beginning of sea turtle nesting season on the Alabama Gulf Coast, and although we have seen an increasing number of sea turtles being born and returning to nest over recent years, we have also seen the unthinkable. You may remember the female sea turtle who was found in the surf with her neck attached to a beach chair. Or you may have heard the horrifying news of a group of tourists caught on camera looting sea turtle [...]
Kids learn by example, right? So if you want your children to be good stewards of our beaches and natural resources, take the lead. Put your trash in proper receptacles, clean your beach site before you leave, and show respect to wildlife. It’s just that easy. We’ve put together basic principles you can teach kids to help keep our beaches clean. Know Before You Go: Talk to them ahead of time about doing their part to keep the beach clean. [...]
We appreciate visitors following Leave Only Footprints rules while visiting our beaches, but there is more you can do even when you return home. Going green is a way of life. Recycling your bottles, cans, metals and paper products is one way to do that. Nationwide, our recycling efforts have improved greatly. In 1980, recycling and composting kept about 15 million tons from landfills. By 2013, that number was up to 87.2 million tons. Our hope is that it will [...]
Did you know there is really no such thing as a seagull? Sounds crazy, right? We have all seen them at the beach. And even the Merriam-Webster dictionary defines a seagull as a “gull frequenting the sea.” But technically, those birds you see can encompass a range of species - at least 28 types in North America. In birding circles, they are just referred to as “gulls,” part of the species family Laridae. The ones we often catch sight of [...]
