Edge-of-the-Western-World Ambassadors
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'Sally' picks up beach trash. From Sloat to Lincoln, three times a week, she gathers what she can carry or drag and deposits the flotsam and jetsam in receptacles at either end of her sweep. Sally works the high tide line mainly but will venture into the dunes or zig-zag the wide expanse of beach to retrieve MOOP.
Sally has picked up a lot of trash at Ocean Beach. A lot! She picked up trash all this year. And last. And the year before. And the year before that. In fact, Sally has been making Ocean Beach a happier, shinier place since Ronald Reagan was President...1986 to be exact. That's 23 years and over 7,000 armfuls of trash!
Ok, time for some math: 12 square feet of plastic bags, bottles and assorted debris x 3 times a week x 52 weeks a year x 23 years = 43,000 square feet or an acre of trash. That's a non-trivial dent in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
Sally is testament to the difference one person can make by simply showing up again and again and again. Although her daily effort is minimal, the cumulative effect is Herculean.
For Sally, picking up trash isn't a hassle or a bother, it's part of her exercise routine. Out she goes from mid beach on her detail and back she jogs. Win for her health. Win for the environment. And win for beach users who can enjoy a more pristine edge-of-the-western-world experience.
Sally requested anonymity for this shout-out, but if you happen to see a woman scouring the beach in 5-toed beach booties and a burgundy turban, give her a big smile and thank you as she is truly an Edge-of-the Western-World Ambassador.
