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Our oceans, beaches and coastal waterways are full of many land-based items that do not naturally belong there, creating an enormous pollution problem called marine debris. Take Action. Marine Debris Plastic Alternatives Coastal Development Don't be shy. Say hi! Send Success! Message received. Boca Save our Beaches would love to hear from you! We need assistance in regulating dune and beach conservation through volunteering and community involvement. In addition, we love beach cleanups!

Getting outdoors and experiencing nature in Boca Raton leads to happier, healthier and more productive individuals. Albums. On Sunday, March 6th, Residents came together to challenge the decision of Boca Raton’s City Officials in retrospect to 2500 N. Ocean Blvd. being approved for building. Boca Save our Beaches gained an abundance of exposure from the community who joined us hand-in-hand to protect one of the last natural, oceanfront areas. A propeller plane flew around the site of 2500 N. Ocean trailing a banner that read, “TELL BOCA MAYOR NO HOUSES ON OUR BEACH SAND!” Volunteers set petition booths on both sides of A1A, urging bikers and runners to stop and take part in the demonstration. But most importantly we had a blast meeting our community neighbors.

Marine debris is any kind of man-made litter that makes its way into the ocean. The most common types of marine debris are plastic water bottles, plastic bags, plastic bottle caps and plastic straws. You can help by saying no to plastic. Marine Debris. To play, press and hold the enter key. To stop, release the enter key. Marine debris is any kind of man-made litter that makes its way into the ocean. It can end up there in a number of ways such as people leaving trash on the beach, boaters throwing their garbage over board, and from companies or individuals illegally disposing waste into the ocean. The most common types of marine debris in order of how much is retrieved from ocean clean-ups include (1) plastic water bottles, (2) plastic bottle caps, (3) plastic bags, and (4) plastic straws. Other typical marine debris found includes paper bags; fishing gear like nets, lines, and crab/shrimp pots; cloth; wood; and pieces of glass, metal, and rubber from a wide range of products. Scientists estimate that more than 8 million metric tons of plastic alone is entering into our ocean every single year, making that a total of over 5.25 trillion pieces of plastic currently floating around in the ocean. In 5 years, we can expect more debris than fish in the sea! Unfortunately, plastic in particular is a big concern because it takes an extremely long time for it to decompose in the ocean. Unlike a paper bag that decomposes in only one month, plastic bags and plastic straws can take 1000 years to decompose. Why is it a problem? Marine debris is causing some major problems in the ocean that impact wildlife, natural resources, and our quality of life. Sadly, ocean trash can harm marine wildlife. Over 1,200 species including dolphins, sharks, turtles, and seabirds often mistaken the trash for food, causing them to accidentally ingest items like plastic bags, plastic caps, bottles, and fishing line. The plastics can cause irritation or damage to their digestive system, leading to malnutrition or starvation. Plastic has been found in 59% of sea birds like albatross and pelicans, in 100% of sea turtle species, and more than 25% of fish sampled from seafood markets around the world. This is a real problem for us as well because as marine life eat the plastic, these pollutants work their way up the food chain and onto our plate. Wildlife can also get entangled in the debris. Nets, ropes, line, or other fishing gear; packing bands; rubber bands; balloon string; six-pack rings; and a variety of other marine debris can wrap around marine life and cause injury, illness, suffocation, starvation, and even death. Another concern is that plastic debris attracts and concentrates pollutants like PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) from surrounding seawater, posing a contamination risk to those animals that then ingest it. Scientists continue to study the impacts of that contamination on fish and shellfish, and as well as the possible impact it may have on human health. Marine debris can also break, smother, damage, and destroy important marine habitats, such as coral reefs. Many of these habitats are critical to marine ecosystems and the survival of many species. How YOU can help! Addressing the problem of marine debris in the ocean begins with our actions on land. We need to reduce, reuse and recycle plastics and other materials and cut back on single-use disposable products like plastic water bottles and plastic utensils. Cleaning up the beaches is also critical to keeping all kinds of waste out of the ocean. Join one of our beach cleanups to help make a difference! Share

Boca Save our Beaches volunteers removed over 105 pounds of trash in less than two hours at South Beach Park. Check out some pictures below. On Saturday, April 14th, Boca Save our Beaches volunteers removed over 105 pounds of trash in less than two hours at South Beach Park. Check out some pictures below.

Boca Save our Beaches partners with Surfrider Foundation's Blue Water Task Force water monitoring program. Every Monday, a BSOB volunteer heads out to the local waterways to take water samples. The samples are then dropped off to the lab which is stationed at Boca High. The water is carefully tested under scientific methods using special equipment for a bacteria called enterococcus. High levels of this bacteria can cause infections. Water Testing. Boca Save our Beaches partners with Surfrider Foundation's Blue Water Task Force water monitoring program. Every Monday, a BSOB volunteer heads out to the local waterways to take water samples. The samples are then dropped off to the lab which is stationed at Boca High. The water is carefully tested under scientific methods using special equipment for a bacteria called enterococcus. High levels of this bacteria can cause infections. Water testing is made available to fill in the gaps that local authorities are unable to meet when it comes to keeping the public informed of the water quality they are swimming and playing in. For more information on this program click here: Blue Water Task Force

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Developed coasts change natural beach processes and impact marine wildlife. In order to protect our beaches we must control coastal development. Coastal Development. To play, press and hold the enter key. To stop, release the enter key. Protecting our beaches and ocean means that we need to control coastal development, which covers a wide range of projects including beachfront construction of homes, hotels, restaurants, and roads; beach renourishment projects; seawall construction; and nearshore dredging and oil platform construction. Unfortunately, developed coasts change natural beach processes and impact marine wildlife. Even just one building can change the natural movement of wind, which can disrupt sand transport and rainwater runoff - negatively impacting plants and animals. Development also leads to more people in and around the ocean. Recreational activities have a huge impact on the marine ecosystem. For example, careless boating, diving, snorkeling, and fishing damage coral reefs and can put marine wildlife at risk. Coastal development can harm wildlife, damage habitats, and lead to more flooding: Wildlife. Marine animals such as whale sharks, seals, dugongs, dolphins, whales, and birds are disturbed by boats and people getting too close. Sea turtles are especially impacted by coastal development, forcing nesting females to travel to other beaches to lay eggs. Obstacles on the beach, such as beach chairs, make it more difficult if not impossible for female sea turtles to lay eggs and hatchlings to get to the ocean as needed. The sea turtles’ habitat is also affected by the pollution resulting from runoff and wastewater discharge. Seawall construction can also create barriers to nesting turtles and cause unnatural erosion of beaches. In Florida, most sea turtle strandings are the result of collisions with boats. Habitat Damage. Mangroves and coral reefs are greatly impacted by coastal development. We depend on mangroves to help reduce storm surge, but they are being cleared for logging, shrimp farming, and to create more open beaches. This is causing increased shoreline hazards and beach erosion. Construction projects involving piers, channels, airstrips, dikes, and land reclamation can kill coral reefs. The development activities cause erosion, resulting in sediment run-off that eventually reaches the coral and damages it. When coral reefs disappear, we see more beach erosion, land retreat, and sedimentation. Flooding. As coastal populations increase and natural coastal protections are degraded or lost, sea-level rise and changes in storm patterns due to climate change are likely to cause damaging floods. Ironically the same people who enjoy living along the beach will experience the most damage. What we can do. We can curtail this damage by lobbying for effective planning and land use regulations in our community that include land-use zoning plans and regulations, protection of coastal habitats, coastal setbacks that restrict development within a fixed distance from the shoreline, watershed management, improved collection and treatment of wastewater and solid wastes, and management of tourism. Share

Seymour’s First Journey into the Sea of Debris is an educational workbook about marine debris and its impact underwater. Learn what you can do to help and discover dangers of litter. Follow Seymour to begin conversations with children on how our actions affect the environment. The workbook is a use Shop Sustainably. Seymour's Second Journey Buy Now Seymour's Second Journey $15.00 Seymour's First Journey Buy Now Seymour's First Journey $15.00 Solar, Orange you glad this isn’t plastic Tumbler 🍊 Buy Now Solar, Orange you glad this isn’t plastic Tumbler 🍊 $25.00 UV Shirts Buy Now UV Shirts $30.00 My Account Track Orders Shopping Bag Display prices in: USD

The future depends on how we act today. By making small shifts in your lifestyle, you can take a powerful stand against plastic pollution. Live Sustainability. REGISTRATION#: CH52020 A COPY OF THE OFFICIAL REGISTRATION AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE DIVISION OF CONSUMER SERVICES BY CALLING TOLL-FREE (800-435-7352) WITHIN THE STATE. REGISTRATION DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL, OR RECOMMENDATION BY THE STATE. Ocean Plastics: The Ecological Disaster of our Time Did you know that of the 8 billion tons of plastic ever made, every single piece still exists? Really take this in for a second…. Think about every toothbrush, every plastic razor, plastic bag or “disposable” water bottle, every straw, plastic cup…every shampoo bottle you’ve ever used. Every. Single. One. Read More Lollipop Lollipop Here in south Florida, so many plastic lollipop sticks have been washing ashore that recently Loggerhead Marinelife Center’s (LMC) conservation department was prompted to take a closer look at these single use plastic items. What they found was surprising; 452 plastic lollipop sticks on a third of a mile of beach in only 7 days. Read More Nurdle by .... Nature? Nurdles. The name sounds inoffensive, cuddly even…. However, nurdles are anything but. "Nurdle" is the name for pre-production plastic pellets; these are the raw material of the plastic industry – the building blocks for plastic bottles, plastic bags, drinking straws, balloons, to-go containers – in fact almost anything you can think of that's made of plastic. Read More Bottles Bottles Everywhere! How often do you drink bottled water? Once in a blue moon? Once a week? Several times a day? Every single second, Americans go through about 1500 plastic water bottles . Bottled water has become so prevalent in our society, a lot of us don’t give it a second thought. But it was not that long ago that bottled water seemed, well, irrational. I mean… it’s water. Read More Sunny with a chance of Climate Change In an effort to reduce pollution, local residents can volunteer at organizations like Boca Save Our Beaches— a non-profit started by Jessica Gray, member of the Green Living Advisory Board (GLAB)in Boca Raton—which encourages citizens to work together to establish goals to safeguard the coast, while promoting a clean marine environment through beach cleanups and green activities. Read More Hurricane Preparedness in the Age of Climate Change Although hurricanes in Florida are nothing new, scientists know that climate change is already fueling slower, larger, wetter and more dangerous storms as a result of warmer temperatures, and they concur that this trend will continue if we don’t act swiftly on climate change. Read More Be a part of the solution Consumer demand is what drives plastic sales, and plastic production for that matter. By making small shifts in your lifestyle, you can take a powerful stand against plastic pollution. The easiest and most direct way that you can reduce plastic pollution is by limiting your own use of single-use plastics. Read More

Boca Save our Beaches volunteers removed over 92 pounds of trash in less than two hours at South Beach Park. Check out some pictures below. On Saturday, September 15th of 2018, Boca Save our Beaches volunteers removed over 92 pounds of trash in less than two hours at South Beach Park. Check out some pictures below. Beach cleanup supplies were generously donated by Keep Palm Beach County Beautiful and Florida's Surfing's Evolution & Preservation Foundation. Thank you to our donors, participants and partners for taking part in the annual International Coastal Cleanup Day.