How to Help Keep Your Beaches Clean and Safe

Millions of people in the U.S. are lucky enough to live near a beach or a lake. And if you don’t personally live near a beach or lake, chances are you may take an occasional vacation to one during the summer months to go for a swim.

At The Center for Natural Breast Reconstruction, we are fortunate to live near some of the most beautiful beaches in the country—beaches that stay beautiful thanks to the hard work of the people who make an effort to keep them trash free and clean.

Protecting the water we live by is so important. We don’t know about you, but the last thing we want is to jump into the water and float around with a bunch of garbage. Gross!

Second, there are thousands of sea creatures (and lake creatures!) that depend on us to keep their habitats clean and safe. Sadly, every year animals die due to polluted waters.

There is good news though! It’s not hard to pitch in, do you part, and help keep the water safe for everyone to enjoy, whether you live near a beach or are just visiting.

This summer when you’re at the beach, we encourage you to lend a hand and help keep our beaches clean by doing the following things…

Pick Up Litter

It’s not uncommon to walk across a beach and find a food wrapper or a soda can. The next time you’re at the beach, bring a garbage bag with you. When you stumble upon a piece of litter, pick it up and throw it in your trash bag.

It may not seem like you’re making that big of an impact, but if everyone who visited a beach picked up just one piece of trash, it would make a world of difference to the animals that live in and near the water.

Use Reusable Containers

When you plan on spending an entire day on the water, it’s important to pack snacks and drinks to keep your energy up and keep your body hydrated. Unfortunately, many people pack their snacks and drinks in plastic bags and drink from disposable water bottles—items that can easily get left behind or blow away.

We know you’d never intentionally leave trash at the beach, but it’s really easy for lightweight plastics, water bottles, wrappers, etc., to get caught up in the wind and blow away without anyone noticing. To fix this problem, we encourage you to pack your snacks in reusable lunch boxes and fill up hard plastic, reusable water bottles to cut down on accidental litter.

Be Mindful of Using Water Toys/Floats

Rafts, water guns, and boogie boards all make playing in the water a lot of fun! And there’s nothing wrong with enjoying these water toys. It is a good idea, however, to be mindful and keep an eye on your beach toys—especially when you’re not playing with them.

It’s so easy for plastic squirt guns and floating toys to get swept away when a big wave crashes down on you. And during high tide, the sneaky water line creeps up and can wash away the toys and floats you thought were safely placed on the beach.

When you purchase rafts, boogie boards, surf boards, etc., look for the ones that have ankle or wrist straps so you don’t lose them if you get knocked over by a big wave.

Pick Up after Your Pets

If you’re a pet lover, you know how fun it can be for both you and your dog to spend a day at the beach together. What’s not fun is accidently stepping in a mess a dog left behind while you’re walking down the beach.

Out of respect for everyone on the beach, always be responsible for picking up after your pet.

Don’t Leave Cigarette Butts on the Beach

First and foremost, we strongly advise that you not smoke. Smoking leads to so many health problems such as asthma, respiratory diseases, and even cancer. It’s dangerous and harmful to your health.

For some tips on how to quit smoking, go here!

If you must smoke though, please be courteous and keep your cigarette butts off the beach. Not only is it disgusting for other beachgoers to have to walk over your cigarette butts, but it’s also dangerous for animals, like seagulls and sand crabs, that mistake the cigarette butts for food.

If your beach doesn’t provide a place for you to dispose of your cigarette butts, bring a plastic container to the beach with you to dispose of them.

Do you have any other tips about how to help keep our beaches clean? Please share them in the comments below!

 

Summer Safety Tips for Kids and Adults

Between swimming, vacations, and being able to spend time enjoying outdoor activities, the summer months are fun for everyone! We certainly hope that you take some time this year to get out and enjoy them with your friends and family.

That being said, the summer months also come with certain risks–sunburns, dehydration, or suffering from an injury while enjoying an outdoor activity.

At The Center for Natural Breast Reconstruction, we want your family to stay safe, healthy, and happy. For that reason, we encourage you to check out some of our summer safety tips.

Water Safety

Family time at the pool, beach, lake, or water park should be fun.

Unfortunately, while water activities are a lot of fun, they can also be dangerous. Here are a few ways to ensure you and your loved ones stay safe around water.

Take swimming lessons—Swimming doesn’t come naturally to everyone and it’s certainly a skill that little ones should learn before diving headfirst into a pool, lake, or ocean. Community pools and places like the YMCA often offer swimming lessons. Join a class and brush up on your skills. And if you have kids, this is a great opportunity for them to learn water safety and how to swim.

Wear life jackets–Even the strongest swimmers should wear a life jacket when enjoying water activities such as boating, jet skiing, or tubing. Accidents can happen anytime. And, if for some reason, you ended up injured or exhausted and became unable to swim, a lifejacket would save your life.

Life jackets for small children are also a must…even if you’re just hanging out around the pool deck or dock at the lake. Drowning can occur in a blink of an eye. Protect your little one with a life jacket.

Don’t swim alone—Always enjoy water sports or a dip in the pool, lake, or ocean with a buddy. It’s important to have someone around in case you suddenly need help in the water.

Sun Safety

While the hot sun may feel good on our skin, it unfortunately has the potential to damage skin and even cause cancer.

Here are a few things you can do to keep your skin safe

Apply sunscreen—Anytime you go outside for an extended period of time, be sure to lather up with some sunscreen. If you’re sweaty or have been submersed in water, apply sunscreen more frequently as it can easily wash off—yes, even the waterproof sunscreens!

Wear a hat–Wearing a hat is an easy way to keep your face, scalp, and neck from burning. The skin on your face is particularly delicate, so it’s important to keep it safe and out of direct sunlight.

Limit your time outside—It’s important to take breaks during the day to get out of the sun. Keep watch of how much time you’re spending outside, and be sure to come in for cooldown breaks throughout the day.

Play Safety

There’s nothing better than a day of bike riding, hiking, or playing in the yard. But there are precautions you should take, even in the safety of your own neighborhood to ensure your kids stay safe while at play.

Wear helmets/safety gear—Every year people fall off bikes, scooters, skateboards, rollerblades, etc., and end up with broken bones, head injuries, and bumps and bruises. To prevent serious injuries, always hear helmets and other safety gear like knee pads.

Stay hydrated—An intense game of basketball or tag in the hot summer sun is enough to dehydrate you. Make sure you and your kids drink a glass of water every hour or so to stay hydrated and healthy.

Avoid heat stroke—Heat exhaustion can be very serious. Before you end up getting sick or passing out, make sure you take rest breaks in the shade, cool off inside, and drink plenty of water.

Do you have any summer safety tips? Share them in the comments below!