North Beach: A Blue Wave Beach
I am so lucky, along with so many other people, to live along the shores of Lake Michigan. I feel a little extra lucky that the beach closest to my heart and to my home is a certified Blue Wave beach. That’s right, North Beach in Racine, WI is a certified Blue Wave beach, among other accolades (its one of the top family friendly beaches in the country, but that’s a chat for another time.)
So, what does it mean to be “Blue Wave Certified”?
The Blue Wave program is the first environmental certification for American beaches given by Clean Beach Coalition. The Clean Beach Coalition website states:
"Blue Wave beaches and destinations represent the complete eco-coastal experience. As such, we support clean, safe and economically thriving beach communities and have developed the following ethics to promote that lifestyle for beach visitors. Certified beaches actively promote and embrace the following principles underlying the Blue Wave Ethics:
7 Blue Wave Ethics:
Leave no trace (what you carry in, carry out)
Move your body (walk, run or swim)
Don’t tread the dunes (use a walkover or walk-thru)
Know your limits (swim, surf and boat safely)
You are what you eat (eat healthy seafood)
Feed your mind. (read a book)
Respect the Ocean (riptides, storms, natural resources)" (in our case respect the lake.)
The website also notes:
"The Blue Wave certification process is designed to help maintain robust, healthy, and vibrant beaches."
In the summer our beach is beautiful, trust me I spend more time there than I do anywhere else, but something happens come fall. People retreat into their homes for football season and the seasonal city workers who work so hard all summer keeping North Beach beautiful and vibrant are shuffled to other duties.
I love the beach come fall for how calm and quiet it becomes, but while most of the people have left for year something else has come along to camp out along the shoreline. That’s right, you guessed it, plastic.
With the copious amounts of rain we’ve been getting over the last few weeks and the already heightened water levels (again, another chat for another day) all this plastic and garbage is headed right off into our Great Lake.
We are a Blue Wave certified beach.
I think we need to be better.
Actually, I know we need to be better.
We need to treat this beach the way we do during the 3 months of “peak beach season” even once the crowds return inside for the year.
Frankly, as I’m writing this I’m mad.
I’m mad that we allow this massive natural resource to be polluted.
I’m mad because I know I can be doing better.
I’m mad because I’m not quite sure what to do outside of picking up some of the thousands upon thousands of micro plastics scattered in the sand.
I’m mad because even with sharing this, with trying to raise awareness or bring some attention to the beach, I feel like these are just empty words on a screen. I feel like these are words and a few pictures that will grab your attention, and hopefully pull your heartstrings a little, but then ultimately will be pushed aside for more words from whatever post or article or game you find next on your screen.
I’m mad because I’m really troubled about what more can be done.
We all can stand to use less plastic, and just use less period. We are also to a point though where more needs to be done.
Do we work to instate plastic bag, straw, styrofoam and single use bans? It wouldn’t hurt.
Do we reach out to representatives to start a conversation and work to find a solution? Also can't hurt.
I guess I could go on and on with the rambling thoughts and dialogue in my head, but I suppose I'll try to come to some conclusion here.
Take a minute to remember a fond memory at North Beach. Maybe it was a time watching your little one splash in the waves or some alone time listening to the water lap the shore while you read a good book. Whatever it is remember that moment. I bet that moment made your heart happy. Let’s put in some work to ensure we can make more of those beautiful, happy heart moments along Lake Michigan’s shore.
I am working to figure out what to do next. I am trying to figure out how to go forward improving the health and beauty of North Beach (and the planet really, but once again another chat for another day). I will share, here on this blog, the ways I find to do so because it’s going to take some research and some brain storming before I figure it out.
I hope this sparked a little something in you that encourages you to find a way to be a little better. I hope this sparked a little something in you that makes you want to bundle up and stop by the beach and show her some love. I hope this sparked a little something in you that wants to be a part of the change.
If so, I ask two things:
Share this, or even just share a conversation, with the people around you. Change has to start somewhere and I believe that a great way to spark change is through conversation. It is there, in conversation, that passion and planning can converge.
Show the lake some love. Take a walk along the water. Search for some surfers to watch during the wave days because yes, you can surf Lake Michigan. Heck maybe even try your hand at surfing. Whatever you do I ask that you try to find a connection and love for our lake, because you are so much more likely to protect the things you love.
