Capital Region Flower Shops Prepare for Unique 2022 Valentine’s Day – Comstock’s magazine

Capital Region Flower Shops Prepare for Unique 2022 Valentine’s Day – Comstock’s magazine


Jim Relles, president of the 75-year-old family-owned Relles Florist in Midtown Sacramento, knows about the “normal up and down cycles,” as he calls it, that come into play every Valentine’s Day. 

Florists always need to prepare for the acquisition, arrangement and then delivery of flowers for Valentine’s Day, which can be affected by several factors, such as winter weather conditions. The week on which the Feb. 14 holiday falls can also impact deliveries.

Add having to deal with a surge in the omicron variant of the coronavirus in early 2022 means Valentine’s Day this year was never going to be a normal one for area florists. COVID-related issues such as supply chain and employee shortages only added to the challenges.

“It’s a crapshoot,” Relles says from his office Feb. 8, the first day the J Street florist started filling orders. “All the national organizations have said it’s going to be a good Valentine’s Day. People have money to spend. And I’m hoping they’re right because I’m gambling. I buy these flowers hoping we’ll sell them. Some of it’s based on previous history and some is just going for it.”

Relles, however, thinks by Valentine’s Day they’ll receive almost 95 percent of the flowers they will need, and reports that the number of delivery vehicles increased to 18 compared to about the normal seven. “We started putting our orders in early, like in January,” he says.

Family owned since 1980, Contreras Farms doesn’t usually face flower supply issues because it grows its own flowers, says CEO Jesus Contreras. But this year they are facing possible shortages due to record rainfall at its farm in Montara in late 2021. “It backed up our flower production, and some crops got damaged due to flooding,” he says, adding they plan to compensate by making mostly small vase arrangements instead of larger bouquets, which use more flowers. 

“That way we can try to make sure all our customers don’t get left out,” Contreras says.

The farm has been a familiar figure at Sacramento and Bay Area markets for years. Contreras recently opened a shop in Midtown on J Street, but closed it in late January. The business now concentrates on regular appearances at both the Midtown Farmers Market and the Certified Farmers Market at Arden Fair mall heading into Valentine’s Day.

Julie Quattrin, 11-year owner of Flowers by Fairytales in Elk Grove, continued to get ready as usual for this Valentine’s Day, though she says she will turn the business over to a new owner in early February. 

“It’s been a challenge this year because we had to order everything way ahead of time. We’ll have extra designers and extra drivers,” Quattrin said in late January, adding that she’ll stock up on vases in advance due to anticipated supply chain issues. “Vases come from China, so we’re buying from four different sources so that we can make demand. We don’t really know what to expect; every Valentine’s Day we’re so overwhelmed.”

By the time Valentine’s Day rolls around, however, Quattrin will have turned the business over to John Chatham, after closing the sale in late 2021. Quattrin is getting married and moving to Southern California for a very Valentine’s Day reason. 

“I chose love,” she says.

A finished bouquet of roses at Flowers by Fairytales in Elk Grove on Jan. 25.

A Valentine’s Day-themed stuffed puppy awaits delivery at Flowers by Fairytales in Elk Grove on Jan. 25.

Flowers by Fairytales in Elk Grove was recently sold by 11-year owner Julie Quattrin, who is planning on getting married and moving to Southern California.

Family owned since 1980, Contreras Farm is a fixture at the Midtown Farmers Market and Sacramento Certified Farmers Market at the Arden Fair mall.

A Valentine’s Day flower arrangement for sale at the Contreras Farm booth at the Midtown Farmers Market in Sacramento on Feb. 5. Contreras Farm grows its own flowers at the family farm in Montara.

Contreras Farms CEO Jesus Contreras adjusts a heart-shaped wreath, made of heather and eucalyptus, at the Midtown Farmers Market on Feb. 5.

Emily Arnold (foreground) and Tiffaney Lawson fill orders at Relles Florist in Midtown Sacramento the first day flowers were going out for Valentine’s Day customers on Feb. 8.

Roses at Relles Florist in Midtown Sacramento awaits delivery on Feb. 8.

One of the first Valentine’s Day flower shipments fills up before delivery in a Relles Florist truck on Feb. 8.

 

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Local environmentalist helping young students appreciate the value of clean beaches

Local environmentalist helping young students appreciate the value of clean beaches

Ashley Toussaint, the dean of students at KIPP Liberty Academy, was so impressed with Andrew Otazo’s efforts to clean and protect the environment that he wanted his students to participate in one of kayaker-environmentalist’s clean-up projects at Historic Virginia Key Beach.

He wanted them to know how important it is to shield the environment.

Beach clean-up

On February 17, 14 middle school students in Doral collected trash along the mangrove areas of the beach along the north point of Virginia Beach. The group, with Otazo’s help, collected 105 pound of trash..

“The environment is something important that we take for granted,” said Toussiant. “What Andrew is doing is keeping our shoreline and water supply clean. I think my students should be a part of a big effort, something we often overlook.”

Toussaint said he met Otazo, 34, through a fellowship program that selects young leaders to be mentors to children. As  they became acquainted he learned about Otazo’s clean-up efforts, then invited him to the school to discuss his projects on Virginia Key Beach and the Key Biscayne shoreline.

Toussaint said the field trip was originally scheduled in October but was pushed back because of a  COVID surge.

“In order for us to preserve our communities, kids need to experience it at places like this,” Toussaint said. “They’re the leaders of tomorrow and if we don’t get them engaged now, it’s going to be that much more of a challenge to get them out here as adults.” 

Otazo, a Key Biscayne resident, said he was thrilled the kids wanted to participate.

“I love bringing kids out here because it exposes them to an environment that very few people get to see in Miami,” he said. “They get to learn about how our different flora and fauna are impacted by pollution. When they come here, they learn why it’s so important to protect it.” 

Otazo said his passion and the love to protect the environment dates back to when was 13. Whether it was in New York, Washington or other cities where he lived, he would see trash on the ground or on the beach, and he’d pick it up.

When he moved to Key Biscayne four years ago, he saw a need to clean up the mangroves areas in or near Virginia Key Beach, Biscayne Bay, Bear Cut and West Bridges, Key Biscayne’s Crandon Park or the bay in Coral Gables..

Otazo picks up trash every other week, usually by himself, but he has been inviting Girls Scout troops and middle and high school science groups to join him.

To date, he said, 16,350 pounds of trash has been collected.

Cleaning up the environment helps protect South Florida’s wildlife, he said, as the majority of fishes in Florida go through their  juvenile stages living in mangroves. Other types of animals live there as well.

Otazo recently made local news when someone stole his kayak while he was cleaning up an island off of Key Biscayne’s Crandon Park.

Andrew Otazo

He used it to reach the island. But when he came back, his kayak was gone. He was left stranded. He said he considered swimming back to shore, but opted to wait for the county to rescue him. He waited for over a half hour in the rain before he was picked up.

A woman saw his story and reached out to offer him a kayak to replace his. He couldn’t refuse because a kayak is essential to his clean-up efforts.

“These environments — the mangroves, the seagrass beds — they’re a part of me,” Otazo said. “I grew up in Miami and … it’s something I have a compulsion to do. I can’t help myself. It brings me peace to do it.”

The students at KIPP Liberty Academy enjoyed the clean-up day at Virginia Key Beach with Otazo.

“Cleaning up the beach was great. I really liked the water and the view,” said eighth grader Carismah Williams. “I didn’t know about this beach until today. If we don’t clean up the beaches, it will harm animals and people.” 

Anayah John, also in the 8th grade, said the hardest part of the cleanup was avoiding dead jellyfish on the beach. “The good part was cleaning up the beach and knowing we were doing something good for the environment,” she added. “I thought the beach’s history was really unique with so many Civil Rights leaders having come to this area and being a part of the history of the beach. It was good to learn that.”

MORE KEY BISCAYNE HEADLINES

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Massive clean-up drive held at Neelankarai beach

Massive clean-up drive held at Neelankarai beach

Several people took to the Neelankarai beach and enthusiastically cleaned up a portion of the coastline on Sunday. The massive beach clean-up exercise was organised jointly by G Square and The Hindu.

Nearly 200 volunteers actively participated in the event ‘Team Up To Clean Up: My city, My Coast, My Environment’. The Environment Foundation of India was the knowledge partner of the two-hour event, which kicked off at 7 a.m.

The ‘Green Warriors of Chennai’ collected nearly 1.7 tonnes of waste, including plastics, footwear and glass pieces, and segregated them accordingly.

The Hindu and G Square will organise beach clean-up activities in the city every Sunday for six weeks till the first week of April, keeping in mind the growing pollution of the ecosystem caused by littering in beaches.

The events in the coming weeks will be held at Akkarai beach (March 6), Muttukadu beach (March 13), Kovalam beach (March 20), Injamabakkam beach (March 27) and Panaiyur beach (April 3).

Volunteers may register at bit.ly/GQTHBC2. For queries, contact +91 87786 56539.

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A blight on the beach, old flip flops given makeover in Kenya

A blight on the beach, old flip flops given makeover in Kenya

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Miami Beach to limit Spring Break booze sales after last year’s chaos

Miami Beach to limit Spring Break booze sales after last year’s chaos

Miami Beach to limit alcohol sales during Spring Break in bid to avoid last year’s chaos caused by rampaging students

  • Alcohol sales will stop after 2am between March 7 and 21 in South Beach
  • The current last call is 5am, but city officials are hoping to avoid last year’s chaos
  • Hundreds of people were arrested and dozens of guns were seized last March
  • Concerns over COVID-19 were also furthered by maskless students and revelers
  • The new late-night alcohol ban has been criticized by business owners, who are likely to see their sales plummet in a typically active period
  • The Miami Beach mayor called the two week period a ‘proven danger to the public’



Miami Beach will ban alcohol sales in the wee hours for two weeks in March after last year’s rowdy Spring Break celebrations led to hundreds of arrests and dozens of gun seizures.

Miami Beach City Commissioners voted Wednesday to prohibit the sale and consumption of alcohol after 2am between March 7 and March 21 along the city’s entertainment district, commonly referred to as South Beach.

The current last call is 5am for alcohol sales throughout much of the city, according to the Miami Herald.

Commissioner Alex Fernandez said the ruling will ‘ensure a safe environment as we protect the quality of life of our residents in a temporary ordinance.’

On March 20 of last year, Miami Beach imposed an 8pm curfew after multiple violent incidents involving drunk revelers, including one in which ‘a crowd of hundreds of people had formed a mob and began to use tables and chairs as weapons,’ said Police Chief Rick Clements.

‘During March – on either side of St. Patrick’s Day, at the high point of Spring Break – the disorder in our city is intolerable. It’s just that simple,’ said Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber on Wednesday. 

Alcohol sales will be banned after 2am in South Beach between March 7 and 21 after last year's revelers unnerved local residents. Above, women fight on Ocean Drive on March 19, 2021

Alcohol sales will be banned after 2am in South Beach between March 7 and 21 after last year’s revelers unnerved local residents. Above, women fight on Ocean Drive on March 19, 2021

The Spring Break hotspot saw hundreds of arrests and dozens of gun seizures during last year's celebrations. Above, people along Ocean Drive on March 18, 2021

The Spring Break hotspot saw hundreds of arrests and dozens of gun seizures during last year’s celebrations. Above, people along Ocean Drive on March 18, 2021

The maskless people gathered in the beaches and streets of South Beach prompted concerns about COVID, which was undergoing a spike in Florida at the time

The maskless people gathered in the beaches and streets of South Beach prompted concerns about COVID, which was undergoing a spike in Florida at the time

Commissioners voted for the latest ruling 4-3 despite pleas from nightclub operators and employees who argued that a ban would cost them money while creating an unfair advantage for clubs, restaurants and hotels in other parts of the city, the Miami Herald reported.

'From our point of view, going through that two-week period ... is a danger to the public,' said Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber

‘From our point of view, going through that two-week period … is a danger to the public,’ said Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber

‘It’s just picking winners and losers. It’s wrong,’ said Jimmy Resnick, the landlord for South Beach club Exchange Miami.

‘They have to close at two o’clock. You walk approximately a block and a half and you’re at Mr. Jones – they get to open until 5 o’clock… it’s ludicrous,’ he told CNN. ‘I think that you do it citywide, or you don’t do it at all.’

Other business owners also spoke out against the post-2am alcohol ban during Wednesday’s meeting.

‘Safety is everybody’s priority. Whether you believe in two o’clock, five o’clock – it’s everyone’s priority,’ said David Martinez, one of the owners of the bar Sweet Liberty. 

‘I do not believe that closing at two o’clock is going to remedy anything,’ Martinez said. ‘On the contrary, I think it’s going to allow everybody to empty out into the streets at the same time and cause probably more violence.’ 

Gelber and commissioners favoring the ban said it is necessary to free up police resources and ensure public safety during the height of Spring Break.

The owner of the Sweet Liberty bar, above, complained about the new rules, saying they will 'allow everybody to empty out into the streets at the same time and cause probably more violence'

The owner of the Sweet Liberty bar, above, complained about the new rules, saying they will ‘allow everybody to empty out into the streets at the same time and cause probably more violence’

The city's police chief recalled an incident last year in which a crowd of hundreds of people turned into a violent mob that threw tables and chairs at each other. Above, officers on March 19

The city’s police chief recalled an incident last year in which a crowd of hundreds of people turned into a violent mob that threw tables and chairs at each other. Above, officers on March 19

On March 20 of last year, the Miami Beach City Commission unanimously decided during an emergency meeting to introduce an 8pm curfew

On March 20 of last year, the Miami Beach City Commission unanimously decided during an emergency meeting to introduce an 8pm curfew

People gather while leaving Miami Beach after an 8pm curfew was imposed to deal with violent partygoers

People gather while leaving Miami Beach after an 8pm curfew was imposed to deal with violent partygoers 

Some residents also spoke in favor of the ban. 

Spring Break brought large crowds to Miami Beach last year, and the city enforced an 8pm curfew to cut down on disorder.

‘For the hardship it may deliver, I’m sorry,’ Gelber said. ‘But from our point of view, going through that two-week period … is a danger to the public. It’s a proven danger to the public.’

During one incident last year, a police officer was filmed body-slamming 19-year-old James Harrison, who was ‘inciting the rest of the crowd,’ an officer told WSVN

On March 12 of last year, police tried to break up a disorderly crowd of at least 200 near Eighth Street and Ocean Drive. 

The crowd then surrounded the officers, who deployed pepper spray.

Several hundred Spring Breakers gathered to dance and drink along Ocean Drive on March 28, after the curfew had been imposed but before 8pm

Several hundred Spring Breakers gathered to dance and drink along Ocean Drive on March 28, after the curfew had been imposed but before 8pm

The police response after last year's curfew was markedly different to that seen in weeks before, when officers made headlines for pepper spraying and body slamming tourists

The police response after last year’s curfew was markedly different to that seen in weeks before, when officers made headlines for pepper spraying and body slamming tourists

Swaths of students flocked to packed bars and beaches last year, and Governor Ron DeSantis urged people to visit the state

Swaths of students flocked to packed bars and beaches last year, and Governor Ron DeSantis urged people to visit the state

Above, people gather at Fort Lauderdale Beach in Broward County, near Miami, for Spring Break

Above, people gather at Fort Lauderdale Beach in Broward County, near Miami, for Spring Break

Miami Beach imposed an 8pm curfew to deal with the violence, which coincided with a COVID-19 surge in Florida

‘We’ve done everything we can to try and mitigate the behavior we’re seeing,’ Clements, the police chief, said at the time, recalling a separate incident in which a crowd of hundreds of people turned into a violent mob that threw tables and chairs at each other.

Commissioner Alex Fernandez says the post-2am alcohol ban will 'ensure a safe environment as we protect the quality of life of our residents in a temporary ordinance'

Commissioner Alex Fernandez says the post-2am alcohol ban will ‘ensure a safe environment as we protect the quality of life of our residents in a temporary ordinance’

‘Property was destroyed,’ the police chief said. ‘Then last night, we had three more (similar incidents).’ 

Bars and businesses were ordered closed by 8pm. Sidewalk cafés had to close by 7pm, and the McArthur, Venetian and Julia Tuttle causeways leading into the barrier island that is Miami Beach were closed from 9pm to 5am. 

The curfew wasn’t lifted until April 6, according to WTVJ

Amid the ugly scenes last year, there were fears that maskless students and other party-goers would spark a rise in Florida’s COVID cases.

Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber said: ‘We’re seeing too much Spring Break activity.

‘We’ve got a problem with too many people coming here. We’ve got a problem with too many people coming here to let loose.’ 

Miami Beach cops also seized a number of guns, a balaclava and cartridges as last year's Spring Break led to unrest on the streets

Miami Beach cops also seized a number of guns, a balaclava and cartridges as last year’s Spring Break led to unrest on the streets

Officers seized crack cocaine, crystal meth, marijuana and cash in a bust on Friday night

Officers seized crack cocaine, crystal meth, marijuana and cash in a bust on Friday night

At the time, nearly 70 colleges and universities in the US had changed schedules to eliminate weeklong spring breaks.

Some schools gave students a week off and encouraged ‘staycations’ on campus, but many ignored the advice.    

On March 12 alone, 120 people on South Beach were arrested and cops seized guns and drugs.

After the curfew was put in place, several hundred Spring Breakers were seen gathering to dance and drink along Ocean Drive, but the majority scattered when police arrived minutes after the curfew went into effect. 

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Nigeria’s plastic pollution is harming the environment: steps to combat it are overdue

Nigeria’s plastic pollution is harming the environment: steps to combat it are overdue

A key theme at this year’s United Nations Environment Assembly in Kenya is plastic pollution. It will be returning to a theme from 2018 World Environment Day. The evidence for the prevalence and consequences of plastic pollution has been building up and the assembly needs to lead action on this issue.

Individuals, communities, businesses, and governments all have a part to play to reduce plastic pollution in their environments.

The 2018 World Environment Day provided much-needed impetus for some countries to launch or appraise their plastic pollution initiatives. An example is India, which committed itself to proscribing and eliminating all single-use plastics in all Indian states by 2022. Many Indian states have keyed into this initiative and a national ban on most single-use plastics is due to take effect from 1 July 2022.

Unfortunately, Nigeria hasn’t done much in this regard. Compared to other developing countries such as Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda and Tanzania, its commitments to combating plastic pollution are far below average.

Plastic pollution thrives in Nigeria

Lagos, Nigeria’s megacity of nearly 16 million people, produces between 13,000 and 15,000 tonnes of waste per day, including 2,250 tonnes of plastic, according to a local recycling business.

Nigerian lawmakers considered a bill in 2019 to prohibit the use of plastic bags. The bill is still in limbo. It is yet to undergo further reading and has not been enacted into law. Consequently, plastic bags are being indiscriminately used in Nigeria.

The evidence of the harm this does is mounting.

My research group published the first empirical finding of freshwater microplastics in Nigeria. We used snails from the Osun River in southwest Nigeria as biological indicators of plastic pollution. Snails in the river had consumed polyethylene plastic bags, which were common along riverbanks.

We have also found plastic polymers such as polyester, polypropylene, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, styrene-ethylene butylene styrene, and chlorinated polyethylene in the Osun and Ogun Rivers. The plastic polymers recorded in our study are traceable to different sources such as textiles, biscuit wrappers, automotive tyre cords, bottle caps, and drinking straws. We also saw larger items in the rivers, such as tyres, plastic bags and plastic bottles. Studies indicate that such plastics could affect the life history, survival, growth and development of insect larvae into adults.

Our studies of plastic pollution in Nigeria, particularly freshwater and marine environments, have recorded plastics in fish too.


Read more: Why microplastics found in Nigeria’s freshwaters raise a red flag


Effects of plastics

When animals ingest plastics, it blocks the gut and windpipe and reduces their physiological fitness. Aquatic animals can also become entangled in plastics, resulting in malnutrition and death.

Plastics degrade the aesthetic value of Nigerian landscapes and aquatic systems. This compromises cultural ecosystem services such as ecotourism.


Read more: Lagos beaches have a microplastic pollution problem


Plastic pollution has become such a serious problem in Nigeria that it has virtually become a sign of human activity or visits to a location. People who visit beaches, riverbanks, parks and waterfalls frequently dump their plastic bottles carelessly, despite the dangers that such plastics pose to the environment.

In one case, plastic bottles were found at a natural site where an ecologically important rare insect was found.

Our studies show that plastic can affect the water-holding capacity of drains, river channels and reservoirs. This leads to flooding of adjacent lands and loss of biological diversity and livelihoods.

Losing natural sites to plastic pollution also means people don’t get the health benefits of outdoor activity.


Read more: Nigerian river snails carry more microplastics than Rhine snails


Action to end plastic pollution in Nigeria

Combating plastic pollution in Nigeria will require action on several fronts.

The first step will be to address poor waste management practices prevalent in the country.

Also, businesses will have to stop providing free plastic bags. These bags are often discarded after a single use.


Read more: Kenya should be focused on recycling, not banning plastic bags


To discourage the practice, governments should levy a high fee on each plastic bag that shoppers get at malls and markets. Paying for a bag could discourage people from discarding them after a single use. Paper bags, used in Uganda, should be encouraged. Since packaging is the leading cause of plastic pollution in the environment, the Nigerian government needs to launch a campaign and crack down on plastic bags and bottles in the country. The public will need to be educated on the three Rs: reduce, recycle, and reuse plastic materials.

Water sachets and bottles have proliferated in Nigeria due to a lack of drinkable water in many homes. The government needs to educate the public about the dangers of discarding water sachets and bottles in the environment. And it must ensure access to clean water.

Whatever strategy the government employs will be ineffective unless the long-awaited “plastic pollution bill” is passed by Nigerian legislators and swiftly signed into law.

Citizens and leaders have the responsibility of bequeathing an environment that future Nigerians can be proud of. Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, and other countries have taken steps to protect their environments from more plastic pollution. Nigeria can no longer afford to wait.

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Stains off Israeli coast are not oil spill after all, says Environment Ministry

Stains off Israeli coast are not oil spill after all, says Environment Ministry

The Environmental Protection Ministry said Wednesday afternoon that it did not detect any oil in a suspicious stain off the coast of Israel, but that it would continue to monitor the situation.

“The findings in the field at this time, which ruled out the presence of oil or its derivatives, were presented in the assessment of the situation,” said the ministry, leading to a decision by Environment Minister Tamar Zandberg to shut down what had previously been designated a “tier-3” national incident.

Zandberg said that all ships and other marine vessels involved in investigating the incident would be returned to shore, but that the situation would be continually monitored and that inspectors would be deployed along the coast on Thursday.

“Throughout the day and in intensive scans at sea, so far no findings have been found indicating oil pollution at sea,” she said in a statement. “However, we will continue to be vigilant… we are careful and prepare for the worst, and yet hope for the best.”

Zandberg said that full lab tests conducted on the affected seawater would not be complete for several days.

The R/V Bat-Galim deep-sea research ship, jointly operated by the ministry and the Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research Institute, took samples on Wednesday and sprayed dispersants into the water.

Environment Minister Tamar Zandberg (center) visits a situation room set up in Haifa on February 2, 2022, to monitor a suspected oil spill off the coast. (Environment Ministry)

“Suspicious stains” on the surface of the sea 20 to 40 kilometers (12-24 miles) from the shore along a stretch of coast between the central cities of Rishon Lezion and Netanya were first discovered late Tuesday evening.

At the time, Zandberg warned that the suspected oil spill had the potential to become a national or regional pollution incident.

On Wednesday evening, the minister said she was glad she had acted “quickly and treated the event as a national incident,” despite ultimately ruling out the danger of an oil spill. She praised the quick action and cooperation of the ministry with the Israel Defense Forces, Israel Police, Nature and Parks Authority and a variety of environmental nonprofits and private sector actors.

“We received many inquiries from volunteers who already wanted to get to the beaches and were prepared for cleaning,” said Zandberg. “Fortunately, this time we did not need their help, but it warms my heart to see the spirit of volunteering.”

The incident this week came almost exactly a year after the country suffered one of its worst environmental disasters.

Soldiers clean tar off the Palmachim beach following an offshore oil spill that drenched most of the Israeli coastline, February 22, 2021. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)`

Israel was taken by surprise on February 18, 2021, when massive amounts of tar began washing onto its coastline following an oil spill in stormy weather, along with the corpse of a fin whale some 17 meters (55 feet) long.

Over the following days, it became clear that beaches all along Israel’s Mediterranean coast had been contaminated and that wildlife had paid a heavy price.

In the wake of that leak, the sale of Mediterranean fish was temporarily suspended and beaches were closed. Thousands of volunteers rallied to help with the cleanup. The long-term damage to ecosystems still remains to be seen.

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Spotting a leopard in the Mediterranean – Yachting Monthly

Spotting a leopard in the Mediterranean – Yachting Monthly

Nicholas Hodgson shares how a personal crusade against litter resulted in ‘Trash Tuesdays’, an environmental initiative with ever-growing appeal. The article was runner-up in the 2021 Brian Black Memorial Award for marine environmental journalism

Nicholas Hodgson shares how a personal crusade against litter resulted in ‘Trash Tuesdays’, an environmental initiative with ever-growing appeal. The article was runner-up in the 2021 Brian Black Memorial Award for marine environmental journalism

Homo sapiens have survived to become the dominant species on earth not by spotting the similarities in a landscape, but by taking note of the differences, writes Nicholas Hodgson.

Early man would not have survived on the plains of Africa had he not been able to spot a leopard camouflaged in the grass.

One afternoon during our 2017 sailing season in Greece, we anchored in a beautiful cove near Russian Bay on the island of Poros.

As we sat looking out over the landscape, my eyes were drawn to all the rubbish caught in the rocks.

Nicholas and Catherine spend part of the year exploring the Mediterranean aboard their Fountaine Pajot Saba 50, Lady Roslyn. Credit: Nicholas Hodgson

Nicholas and Catherine spend part of the year exploring the Mediterranean aboard their Fountaine Pajot Saba 50, Lady Roslyn. Credit: Nicholas Hodgson

I was bothered that our view was spoiled and. that such a beautiful cove was marred by human carelessness and indifference. I had spotted my ‘leopard’ and a journey began
that I had never expected to take.

I popped our SUP into the water, took a few big blue bin bags with me and paddled to shore.

Within minutes, I had cleaned up the little cove and filled a couple of the bags with plastic water bottles and bits of white polystyrene, as well as pieces of rope, fishing nets, lids and a plastic flip-flop.

When I returned to Lady Roslyn, our Saba 50 sailing catamaran, I sat down with my wife, Catherine, and discussed how much better the cove looked, how much better I felt about having done something to help the environment and how we should draw attention to the issue of plastic trash washed up on the shores of the areas we were visiting.

As we continued our voyage across the Cyclades that summer, cleaning coves and anchorages as we went, I began posting pictures and blogposts to our Lady Roslyn website and Facebook page, and a very simple idea began to take shape.

Nicholas and Catherine have been clearing rubbish from the coves they visit for the last five years and have launched Trash Tuesdays to encourage other cruisers to do the same. Credit: Nicholas Hodgson

Nicholas and Catherine launched Trash Tuesdays to encourage other cruisers to do the same. Credit: Nicholas Hodgson

Clean the plastic trash from the coves and beaches where we are anchored and post images to social media. Encourage other sailors to do the same, so that as a group we are ‘paying it forward’ for one another, and the anchorages we love to visit will be known to be free of trash.

Understand and accept that individually, we will make no lasting positive impact on the marine environment, but collectively only 1,000 sailors picking up one bag of trash and posting about it over a 20-week sailing season would amount to 20,000 bags of plastic trash removed from the marine environment in a season.

This would not be a grand design to clean the oceans of all plastic, but a ‘butterfly effect’ initiative, through which a group of like-minded individuals could make a real impact for themselves, for other sailors and for the environment.

The challenge was, and is, how to promote, encourage, cajole and incentivise sailors and charterers to get involved.

What is clear to me is that around the Mediterranean coast, governments and local authorities do not and will not, in the foreseeable future, have the ability to clean up the coastlines.

If the sailing community wish to continue to enjoy beautiful surroundings, we will have to do something about it ourselves.

It is this challenge that has occupied the last five years of our sailing lives.

Trash Tuesdays launches

We created the Trash Tuesdays Facebook group, where sailors anywhere in the world can post about their clean-ups.

They are encouraged to post on a Tuesday so that ‘trash fatigue’ does not set in. ‘Trash Tuesdays’ has been adopted by the Facebook Med Sailing group, Catamaran Sailing group, Sailing the Lycian Coast of Turkey group and Fountaine Pajot Catamaran group, all of which actively encourage posts.

Collectively, there are currently 38,360 members of these groups.

Our next challenge is to encourage charter companies, marinas and coastal hotels to get involved by promoting plastic trash clean-ups by their charter clients, liveaboards and guests.

It requires some creative thinking using imaginative ways to encourage visitors to an area to pick up trash while they are on holiday.

Friends of Nicholas and Catherine often pitch in to help on Trash Tuesdays. This was their biggest collection in 2019 at Pserimos in the Dodecanese. Credit: Nicholas Hodgson

Friends of Nicholas and Catherine often pitch in to help on Trash Tuesdays. This was their biggest collection in 2019 at Pserimos in the Dodecanese. Credit: Nicholas Hodgson

While sailing along the Kassandra Peninsula in northern Greece in July 2019, we berthed for three nights at the beautiful and luxurious Sani Marina and Resort.

Running northwards from the edge of the resort is beautiful Bousoulas beach, a 4km-long stretch of soft white sand.

On one side is the turquoise water of the Aegean and on the other, the beautiful forest and Sani Wetland, home to more than 200 species of birds, some of which are rare and endangered.

It was such a beautiful day that I decided to go for a run along the beach.

Once you are past the beach bar and umbrellas, which are located at one end of the beach, there is only white sand stretching in front of you as far as the eye can see.

Because the sand at the water’s edge was a bit soft in places, I found myself zigzagging back and forth across the beach, alternating between the water’s edge and the low dunes, looking for firmness underfoot.

That’s when I began noticing plastic bottle caps dotted along my path, scattered like pebbles by Hansel, from the Brothers Grimm fairy tale Hansel and Gretel.

Bottle tops strewn like confetti

At the far end of the beach where I stopped to catch my breath, I turned around and saw a bottle cap at my feet.

I bent down to pick it up and put it in the back pocket of my running shorts, and that moment was the end of my run and the beginning of my ‘quest’.

I started picking up the caps as I walked. Within metres my pocket was full, so I took off my running hat and started filling it with the caps.

I looked up and, knowing that the resort was 4km away, wondered how many caps I could pick up on the return leg.

Very soon my running hat was full and I had nothing else to carry all the caps in, so I took off my running shirt and tied a knot in the arms and neck to make a bag.

The 668 bottle caps picked up along Bousoulas beach. Credit: Nicholas Hodgson

The 668 bottle caps picked up along Bousoulas beach. Credit: Nicholas Hodgson

I transferred all the plastic caps into my new ‘bag’ and put my hat back on.

It took me more than two hours to meander back and forth along the beach, and the shirt ‘bag’ kept getting fuller.

By the time I reached the umbrellas at the end of the beach, my back was breaking from bending over and my heart was aching for the planet.

We humans have chosen convenience over our conscience, and huge companies seem to have placed profits before the planet.

When I reached down to pick up my 500th screw-top bottle cap, I put it into the back pocket of my shorts to remind myself that, in my view, big corporates need to be held accountable for this environmental travesty.

Continues below…

With the world facing a diabetes epidemic it is no wonder that drinks companies are branching out and aggressively producing and promoting bottled water.

It is the GIANT elephant in the room. If these firms are forced or persuaded to do something to find solutions to this mess, all the other smaller producers will also fall in line.

It’s no longer good enough to hide behind the mantra that it is ‘the consumer’s responsibility to dispose of the plastic once purchased’.

Of course, consumers must take responsibility for their actions, but it seems to me the planet can no longer stand the promotion of rampant consumerism and convenience without holding
the profit makers to account.

Bousoulas beach on the Kassandra Peninsula of northern Greece is close to the 110-hectare Sani Wetland. Credit: Nicholas Hodgson

Bousoulas beach on the Kassandra Peninsula of northern Greece is close to the 110-hectare Sani Wetland. Credit: Nicholas Hodgson

So, how many plastic bottle caps did I pick up in the end? 668! Let that number sink in.

One randomly chosen beach in a corner of Greece, with one cap lying on it for every five steps taken. I bent over 668 times to pick up a cap.

That means 668 people chose to throw away a bottle or the cap without thinking, resulting in 668 pieces of plastic that could easily end up in a bird’s stomach.

However, 668 caps are no longer on that beach. I do, at least, take heart from knowing that.

The indicator cove

In July of 2018 we anchored in a very beautiful cove just off Gemiler Adasi, along the Lycian Coast of Turkey.

After anchoring and setting the two stern lines ashore, we could not help but notice all the plastic trash caught in the cove.

Setting off on SUPs, it took four of us well over an hour to collect a number of trash bags full of plastic. Catherine and I returned in July 2021.

Nicholas and Catherine would like cruisers around the world to take part in the Trash Tuesdays initiative. Credit: Nicholas Hodgson

Nicholas and Catherine would like cruisers around the world to take part in the Trash Tuesdays initiative. Credit: Nicholas Hodgson

While preparing to anchor, I wondered how we might find this special little cove, which often attracts turtles to its turquoise waters.

I was very pleasantly surprised to find that after three years away it took me 45 minutes to collect only one full bag of plastic trash.

The cove is now once again completely free of plastic rubbish.

Nicholas and Catherine have cruised Lady Roslyn extensively around the Med for the last six years, including Turkey, Croatia, Italy, Montenegro and Greece. Credit: Nicholas Hodgson

Nicholas and Catherine have cruised Lady Roslyn extensively around the Med for the last six years, including Turkey, Croatia, Italy, Montenegro and Greece. Credit: Nicholas Hodgson

While there were the usual culprits of well-known fizzy drinks bottles and caps and multiple empty plastic water bottles, the real concern for me is the huge increase in microplastic scum on the surface of the water.

The white polystyrene fish crates, thin plastic bags and sheet plastic break down easily under the sun’s UV rays.

How to capture those items will be food for thought for me this season.

Sharing the Trash Tuesdays love

Just as the small cove at Gemiler Adasi gives me hope that bays and beaches that are cleaned can remain relatively clear of plastic for an extended period, so is the fact that many of the anchorages we have stopped at during the last six years of cruising in the Mediterranean have been found to be completely clear of plastic trash.

Nicholas and Catherine are originally from Cape Town, South Africa. Wanting to double their summers, they spend part of the year living on their Fountaine Pajot Saba 50 sailing catamaran Lady Roslyn and are currently based in the Mediterranean. Catherine continues to successfully run their companies from the boat. Nicholas has stepped back from the business and is now the self-designated ‘Director of Happiness’. Their motto is: ‘We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us.’ Credit: Nicholas Hodgson

Nicholas and Catherine are originally from Cape Town, South Africa. Wanting to double their summers, they spend part of the year living on their Fountaine Pajot Saba 50 sailing catamaran Lady Roslyn and are currently based in the Mediterranean. Catherine continues to successfully run their companies from the boat. Nicholas has stepped back from the business and is now the self-designated ‘Director of Happiness’. Their motto is: ‘We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us.’ Credit: Nicholas Hodgson

This is good news. However, we cannot be complacent.

Yachting is becoming ever more popular and I believe that the shock of COVID-19 has prompted many people to act on their dreams of sailing to distant shores.

It is very easy to become despondent when we see all this rubbish, but I believe that if we all make an effort to clean the anchorages we visit, we make the stay more pleasant for ourselves while paying it forward for others who will visit there after us.

It’s a virtuous circle: what benefits me benefits my fellow man, and benefits the marine environment. Next time you anchor in a beautiful cove see if you can spot the leopard in the grass…

Visit the Trash Tuesdays Facebook page here

Read about the Trash Tuesdays initiative here

Brian Black Memorial Award sponsored by B&G

Brian Black Memorial Award

Brian Black, a television journalist and lifelong sailor and contributor to Yachting Monthly, was as passionate about the marine environment as he was eloquent in his writing and filmmaking about the crises facing fragile Arctic ecosystems.

His wife Lesley was a sailor and author in her own right, becoming Northern Ireland’s first female yacht club commodore.

As a memorial to Brian and Lesley Black, the Black family, in conjunction with YM, established an award to celebrate sailing adventures which shed a fresh light on marine environmental issues through inspiring journalism.

The award aims to recognise the very best writing about the marine environment that brings a new perspective to readers.

B & G logo

The award is sponsored by marine electronics company B&G, which recognises sustainability as one of the pillars of its multi-year strategy.

B&G’s sustainability agenda includes: removing all single- use plastics from its packaging and using only recyclable materials from this year; reducing company air travel by 90%; reducing paper used in their offices by 95%; and decreasing energy consumption for IT equipment from 305,000kWh to 250,000kWh.

It is also working with sister company C-Map to open up their BioBase platform, which processes, maps and stores spatial aquatic data free of charge to government bodies and research institutes, to support aquatic conservation. www.bandg.com

For more details on the Brian Black Memorial Award visit: www.yachtingmonthly.com/brianblack


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These are the water quality ratings for 18 of Yorkshire’s beaches, according to the Envrionment Agency

These are the water quality ratings for 18 of Yorkshire’s beaches, according to the Envrionment Agency
Scarborough North Bay beach was rated ‘Excellent’ by the EA. (Pic credit: James Hardisty)

The results, which were revealed yesterday (January 19), show that for 2021 16 out of 18 designated bathing beaches in Yorkshire were rated as ‘Excellent’ or ‘Good’ and two achieved the minimum status of ‘Sufficient’.

One of the rivers in Yorkshire was rated as ‘Poor’ by the EA and bathing waters are monitored for sources of pollution known to be a risk to bathers’ health, with up to 20 samples taken from each site during the bathing season. Each sample is tested for bacteria, specifically E coli and intestinal enterococci.

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Along the Yorkshire coast, there are 18 bathing waters from Withernsea in the south to Runswick Bay in the north, with 16 of them classified as ‘Good’ or ‘Excellent’.

The seven Yorkshire bathing waters that are rated as ‘Excellent’ by the EA are:

– Flamborough South

– Danes Dyke Flamborough

– Scarborough North Bay

– Cayton Bay

– Reighton

– Runswick Bay

This would be the first year that part of the River Wharfe in Ilkley, West Yorkshire, has been given an official rating after being added to the list of bathing waters in 2021.

Though a classification is an important initial step for long-term water quality improvement, it will take time to identify how to meet the required bathing water standards along with the financial investment and co-operation needed to make it happen.

To help with this, the EA is working with other organisations through the Dales to Vale Rivers Network (DVRN) – the catchment partnership for the Wharfe and Lower Ouse, hosted by the Yorkshire Dales Rivers Trust.

The network includes local authorities, landowners, Yorkshire Water, Wildlife Trusts and community groups and brings together research and actions.

First-stage investigations this year by the EA and partners suggest a variety of bacteria sources including human and animal DNA are affecting water quality in the River Wharfe.

The designation comes as Yorkshire Water revealed a new investment of up to £13 million to improve water quality in the area. This will include extra disinfection measures and a new scheme to reroute the sewage network in areas upstream of the bathing water site.

According to the EA, 99 per cent of bathing waters in England have passed water quality standards following testing at over 400 designated sites.

While there has been progress in recent years, the EA warns that there is still much more improvement to be worked on to ensure cleaner and healthier waters for people to enjoy. This means that a combined effort needs to be made from water companies, farmers, regulators, councils, local businesses and the general public.

Water companies in particular must do more to reduce pollution incidents and the use of storm overflows, while farmers must do more to prevent manure, fertiliser and soil running into watercourses. The general public can also play their part by never putting fats, oils, greases, wet wipes, cotton buds and other ‘unflushables’ down the drain.

Area environment manager for EA Yorkshire, Martin Christmas, said: “All eyes have been on Yorkshire this year after the first river bathing water in the country was designated in the country.

“The EA has already established a strong partnership approach to improving water quality at the newly designated stretch of the River Wharfe and we’ve put in place enhanced monitoring to help understand what is impacting bathing water quality.

“We are at the beginning of the journey at the site in Ilkley and we’re committed to working with the community. Yorkshire Water, local farmers, local authorities and other organisations to improve bathing water quality in the years to come.”

EA chair, Emma Howard, said: “With billions spent on seaside visits every year, we know good water quality helps coastal towns prosper. Twenty years of improvements in bathing water took targeted regulation and significant investment. While this is reflected in today’s results we must continue to work together to maintain this trend.

“We cannot afford to be complacent. Public confidence in water quality has faltered in recent years with new evidence of pollution incidents getting much needed attention as a result of some excellent campaigning. The polluter must pay. To restore trust, water companies, industry and farmers need to get the basics right or face legal action.

“The prize has multiple benefits to people and nature. The EA is working to ensure £120 million is invested in coastal habitats like England’s saltmarshes, which protect against coastal erosion and also store carbon equivalent to nearly 40 million people’s annual domestic emissions.”

Environment minister, Rebecca Pow, said: “Water quality is an absolute priority. We are the first government to direct Ofwat to prioritise action by water companies to protect the environment and deliver the improvements that we all want to see.

“But we must go further to protect and enhance water quality. Our Environment Act puts in place more protections against water pollution than ever before, we are investing in programmes to support farmers to tackle water quality issues, and we are clear that where water companies do not step up we will take robust action.”

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