For this year’s Zero Waste Awareness Week in Virginia Beach, we asked LRNow staff to chime in with their reasons for why this week matters to them. We featured some of their responses in this week’s Nature Notes here, and there were so many good answers, we couldn’t fit them all in one email!
Read on to find out more about why this week matters to LRNow staff.
Is there a moment or experience that made waste reduction feel important to you?
“No single moment. Growing up and camping with the Boy Scouts, we always left our campsites better than we found them.” -Vince, Restoration Manager
“As a surfer, a good quality swell can wash away just about any worry in this world. But imagine paddling through a sea of plastic, Styrofoam, and an assortment of other human waste products. It’s sticky, smelly, and anything but blissful. This is a sad reality in some of the world’s most well-known breaks. I did a project on this in my junior year at Virginia Tech and this experience has changed my mind on waste reduction ever since.” -Mackay, Administrative Assistant
“I lived next to First Landing State Park when I first moved to Virginia Beach and immediately found myself exploring every nook and cranny of the park. I was impressed with how pristine the trails were, but as I ventured to some of the off-trail shorelines, it was evident that marine debris was a serious issue in certain parts of the park. My own attempt to make a difference came in the form of bringing a backpack to those shorelines so that I could load up trash and haul it out of the park.” -Dylan, Public Policy Manager
Is there a local waterway, beach or outdoor area that you think of when you make zero waste choices?
“The Lynnhaven River, of course, and all of the vast system of waterways that are tied to it. I like to fish and am always motivated by clean and healthy waters.” -Vince, Restoration Manager
“For the last ten years I’ve been boating around Broad Bay & Linkhorn Bay enjoying my favorite past times of fishing, birding, and all things watersports. My enjoyment comes from an abundance of fish to catch and clean waters to ride around on. All that can change with waste filling up our waterways. So, every chance I get to remove trash and urge people to be better stewards of these waters I jump all over it.” -Mackay, Administrative Assistant
“Our favorite local spot to play is accessed via our beloved First Landing State Park (see my photo above), known to locals simply as ‘Seashore.’ It is a treasure trove of nature amidst suburbia, and we are lucky to have it, so the importance of protecting the watershed leading to the water is where my comments start! A healthy ecosystem must take all life into account, after all- we are all connected- terrestrial and aquatic.
The drive in serves as a nervous system decompression, of sorts, and if you time your visit well, you are rewarded with soul-stopping sunsets looking out over the calm waters of Broad Bay. If you look closely, you can see my son paddling off into the horizon (taken from Narrows beach while he paddles towards Broad Bay). It is easy to see why it’s important to me to protect our inland waterways, as well as the land that connects to our waterways- for the continued benefit of our children and grandchildren- an irreplaceable and magical gift to bestow.” -Dana, Conservation Landscaping Manager
Why do you think community-wide efforts like Zero Waste Awareness Week matter?
“Zero Waste Awareness week helps us to stop and reflect on our daily habits. Many times, we follow routines without thinking twice about their impact. Community-wide efforts like these help us to take a closer look and make changes for the better. Small changes with a community effort can lead to big changes in our environment.” -Terri, Pearl Homes and Pearl Neighborhoods Manager
“Because our culture is wasteful and ignores this issue. We can’t expect to keep using single use stuff and not end up ruining the world we live in.” -Vince, Restoration Manager
“I feel it’s important to have a community wide effort to reduce waste because no matter how hard one tries to reduce it, we all contribute to it one way or another. Therefore, we owe it to ourselves and each other to also be the solution. Some people physically can’t, and others won’t. But a small group making positive changes will eventually turn into a big group, and if we’re lucky enough a big group can turn into an entire community. Do it for those who can’t and pray the results ignite a movement that makes an honest difference.” -Mackay, Administrative Assistant