Well, this is my first blog entry ever.  Oddly for a person who really enjoys writing I have never chosen this format.  If no one ever reads my blogs, I'm ok with that.  Honestly.  I am choosing to write primarily as a means to document my growth and awareness of the serious problems facing our oceans, and how living land-locked does not mean we are not part of the problem.

We have always heard of littering problems in our parks and public places.  Encouraged to recycle and 'go green'.  Many anti-litter campaigns have come and gone.  Although there has been significant improvements, the seriousness of the problem still persists.  Why?

I can only speak for myself, and I am very embarrassed to admit that for some reason I never made the connection of how it impacts our water ways.  I learned how to dive, became an avid diver, saw trash and rarely did anything about it.  On occasion I would pick it up, take it out and throw it in a trash receptacle.  Most of the time my curiousity would get me to inspect it and put it back down.  From time to time I would see some Project Aware posters here and there, but I took it all in stride.  I had the misconception that I don't live on or near the ocean, therefore there is not anything I can do to help reduce the problem.  Everyone else I was diving with, also seemed equally unconcerned.... "it's not my problem".

Fast forward to the part where now I am a dive shop co-owner.  My role in our business primarily consists of all the social media, event planning, marketing research in addition to doing my part as a Divemaster.  As such, I am always looking for stuff to keep our diving community interested and engaged in diving.  Along the way, through all my research, I find myself becoming aware of things I was completely oblivious to.

Some of my research has taught me the alarming rates that our aquatic life is suffering from OUR trash.  I used to think fish nets and fishing lines were the primary contributors to the problem... BUT.. IT'S NOT!  WOW!  What a stunning revelation for me.  The major problem plaguing our oceans is the garbage we often times leave laying around the ground because we are too lazy to properly dispose of it.  So, our oceans are now suffering due to our inability to get ourselves to throw trash... can you believe.. in the trash!  Plastic is the main offender of what is getting washed out (through storm drains, rivers and lakes) into our oceans.  Most people do not actually 'throw' things in the water.  But by not properly disposing of it, they are directly contributing to the problem.

Aside from yelling at other people or slapping them in the hand telling them to 'properly dispose of trash', there is little I can do.  So, I am going to start with myself and extend it into our business model.  I am committed to do my best in educating others by creating awareness through programs and events to improve our ocean's health.  My desire is to make them 'Project AWARE'.