Comments on: Sullie Saves the Seas, a story for children and adults

By: Darris

Darris — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 17:24:24 +0000

I’m a daily beach walker and trash gatherer in our beautiful fishing village of Bodega Bay, CA. Plastic and trash on the beach is a real bugaboo for me. There’s nothing more heartbreaking than seeing a place you love disrespected by garbage. As with all beaches, the summer is the worst in Bodega Bay for plastic and trash. The items I find most are:
Soda cans and bottles
Plastic bottle tops
Cheap plastic beach toys
Bottled water containers
Styrofoam pieces from cheap Styrofoam coolers
Cigarette and cigar butts
Blue plastic dog poop bags :(
Fishing lures & fish hooks
Chum containers (to lure fish) crab pots, clam bags, and Styrofoam boat bumpers

I’d be curious to know what ‘Indigo’ finds when she brings her groups of students out here from Cardinal Newman.

Inspired by the work of photographer, Chris Jordan’s photographs of the albatross chicks on Midway island, I photograph much of the trash we pick up and the dead birds I find. I have a particularly disturbing photo of a pelican that swallowed a massive double fish hook attached to yards of heavy fishing line. Some days it’s all I can do to not despise our human race for all of the damage and suffering we inflict.

I’m a volunteer in the kindergarten class at our local school. ‘Sullie Saves the Seas’ would be a perfect addition to the classroom. Thanks so much Beth, for Ms. McLaren’s story and for continuing to educate us about plastic in our environment.

By: Rob

Rob — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 22:10:48 +0000

We could learn so much more if we listen to the birds

By: Dmarie

Dmarie — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 01:50:29 +0000

we spent the day after New Year 2010 picking up fireworks/trash that cluttered Pensacola Beach near where we were visiting. what a quick lesson in how stuff accumulates. will definitely be pointing out such things to the grandgirls, but I think Sullie’s creator has the right idea on how to reach many kiddos!

By: Kate E.

Kate E. — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 23:38:21 +0000

So many great ideas and leading by example is definitely a big one. There are so many simple, every day lessons that kids pick up on very quickly. The best part is when they teach the adults in their lives! :)

By: ~~Rhonda

~~Rhonda — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 23:00:44 +0000

We’ve made it easy for our four year old grands to separate trash and plastic by using two different colors for the bins. The blue trash can is for paper trash and the white one is for plastic trash. They love to help by putting trash and plastic in the right bin and the colors help them know which to use. And while they are helping, they are learning by example. Grandpa and Grandma recycle, Dad and Mom recycle, they will recycle.

Thanks for all you do for plastic awareness! ~~Rhonda

By: GreenVeggie

GreenVeggie — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 21:41:56 +0000

Whenever my 4 year old nephew spends time with me, I make a point of letting him participate in making decisions regarding what we should and should not be doing. For example, if we are in the grocery store I might point out why we are choosing Product A over Product B—reducing the amount of plastic packaging being amongst the reasoning. He lives near the ocean and that makes it easy to discuss with him that we don’t want to ‘poison’ the birds and fish that live in/near the water with plastic or other trash.

By: kleer@ymail.com

kleer@ymail.com — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 10:53:48 +0000

What a beautiful book!
I am definitely getting one for my youngest.
I also have a strong emotional relationship to the ocean. I grew up on the cost of Norway, where my parents have a tiny summer house on a very remote small island. Every year, upon retuning after the winter my Dad and I would take the same walk around the Island. We would always stop at the same little beach. It issa very beautiful place: white sand amid rugged rocks. I loved it because of its promise of summer to come and all the treasures to be found.
One year when I was about nine (1978 ish..) the winter storms had been particularly bad, and upon arrival on the beach we found it littered loads of plastic containers, fishing nets and other plastic debris. My father started talking to me about the inconsideration that caused all this. His thoughts about it and the knack he had for talking to me about real issues in a way that I could digest as a kid made this memory stay with me.
Now with kids on my own I try to pass some of this on. I try through practical approaches and explanations to make them aware of how much we throw away and how we, as a family have a moral obligation to use less plastic. This sometimes results in arguments with the older kids, but I choose to hold my ground and explain that just because so and so has her lunch in clear disposable plastic bags we use our home made cloth because we care about the environment.

By: Christie Huck

Christie Huck — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 17:20:26 +0000

We teach our son about plastic by leading by example. We try to avoid plastic bags and packaging. He uses ceramic and stainless or glass drinkware and dinnerware. We recycle the plastic that does come into the house. I have explained to him why we don’t have latex balloons and how they end up in the ocean for turtles and other animals to mistake as food. When we make plastic free decisions, we tell him why and the consequences of of using the plastic version.

By: julsie

julsie — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 14:56:31 +0000

We live on a corner lot, and other people’s trash always ends up in our yard. My daughter likes to help me pick things up, and she’s starting to learn that trash doesn’t disappear just because it’s been thrown away.

By: Ashley Winters

Ashley Winters — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 22:16:45 +0000

Being teacher, I think it is very important to teach children about the environment and what we can do to keep it healthy. The environment can be a great thematic unit which incorporates the environment, recycling, planting trees, organic farms, and so much more that involves math, English, Science, and History. Kids really love the real life stuff especially scientific experiments. Hopefully our teaching will impact the world and the next generation will bring around change.