Posted by Rick Civelli | 01.17.2012 | Conservation

It Starts with All of Us

Change can be large or small, but we feel strongly that when it starts with the individual, it can have powerful results. This is why we admire Danielle Richardet’s campaign to ban smoking along our local shores at Wrightsville Beach.

Anyone who has ever participated in a beach clean-up has probably been appalled by the abundance of cigarette butts discarded on the beach. It’s like a multi-layered ash tray, but with dire consequences for marine life. In sweeping the beach with her children, Danielle saw this waste firsthand and she has decided to take action.

Last week, Danielle and her husband went  to support the Smoke Free Wrightsville Beach campaign. After considerable debate, the Board of Alderman has agreed to hold a public hearing regarding a smoking ban at the beach. This would make Wrightsville the first beach in the state with such a ban, following other notables  such as Solana Beach in California.

The public hearing is set for March 8^th and we will keep you posted about the progress. In the meantime follow Danielle’s efforts in her blog It Starts With Me.