Happy World Oceans Day!

As well as my row being a project of the US-based nonprofit Blue Frontier Campaign, I am also a Blue Ambassador for the UK-based charity The BLUE Project – so all in all I am about as blue as blue can be. (“I was walking in Memphis..”. Oh, no, sorry – different kind of blues.)

The BLUE Project was set up by renowned sailor Conrad Humphreys, and its key message is “Be Blue, Be Cool” – in other words, it’s COOL to care about the environment, and COOL people take action to make a difference to the world’s climate and oceans.

To mark World Oceans Day today, the BLUE Project is asking you to make a BLUE Pledge, a bit like Margo’s pledge that I wrote about a couple of days ago. Make a simple promise online to change just one thing that will make a difference for the better. See their website for more details.

I’ve been trying to think what I can do. I already do these things:

– Use a re-useable grocery bag. Tip: I find it hard to remember to take my re-useable bags with me, so I always carry a Chico bag in my handbag. It scrunches up super-small into its own carry-pocket, so I always have it handy for those impromptu purchases. We’ll also be having some VERY nice re-useable grocery bags for sale via this website within the next couple of months – and they are made from recycled plastic, and can themselves be recycled when they get too old and tatty – so they’re really super-green! Or blue. Keep an eye open for them here. – Carry a re-usable drinks mug, so I don’t have to use a disposable cup when I give in to the urge for a caffe latte – Recycle any domestic plastic waste – Choose products with less packaging when there is a choice – Use a Brita water filter jug to refill my Nalgene water bottles so I don’t need to buy bottled water

So, given that I’m already living a true BLUE lifestyle, and I’m rather limited how much bluer I can be in my present circumstances, I’ve decided as my pledge that I’m going to create an online petition to encourage others to do the same – ideally through lobbying the legislature at some level to create incentives to be blue.

I’ve already enlisted the help of David Helvarg from the Blue Frontier Campaign, and hopefully we’ll have something drafted by the end of this month. I’ll be putting the petition on gopetition.com, with links from this site and also from my Facebook page.

In the meantime, you can buy a copy of David Helvarg’s book, 50 Ways To Save The Ocean, which will give you lots of ideas of what you can do to help.

When our petition goes live, I hope you’ll sign it, and get all your friends to sign it too. I’ll make sure we launch it with a splash (so to speak) so you will definitely be aware it’s happening.

If we pull together, we can make a world of difference!

[photo: The BLUE Project slogan on my boat: Be Blue, Be Cool. Photo taken about a week ago, when conditions were a lot calmer than they are today]

Other stuff:

Five days since I was able to row. Probably another four before I can row again. Ho hum. My dear old Dad (God rest his soul) used to say that only boring people get bored. But there again, he never spent over a week confined to a cabin just six foot by three foot by three. Options for entertainment are limited. Unfortunately the deck is just too dangerous and unpleasant a place to be, so I while away the time in my little rabbit hutch, looking out the hatch at the waves, and looking forward to more favourable conditions.

After several days of being swept southeast, I am now managing to make some progress west. This is good news.

My watermaker refused to work today. This is NOT good news.

You win some, you lose some..

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