Keep our Beaches

There's no reason to leave your environmental ethic behind when you go to the beach. There are simple ways to take care of the sand and surf that don't require a lot of work. If you need some help thinking about what you can do before you go, while you're there and when you're heading out, here are some suggestions, find eco-friendly accommodations. Green hotels will do things such as recycle, collect rainwater, use low-flow toilets and alternative energy and use recycled materials in their decorations and uniforms.

Commit to carrying a reusable cooler and refillable pitcher or bottle. There are billions of disposable plastic bottles sold every year but only a third recycled, according to some estimates. That means the rest become trash. Never mind plastic is made from petroleum. Instead, makes durable metal water bottles that are BPA-free, and the company gives 1 percent of sales to environmental causes. And instead of Styrofoam, how use about a hands-free backpack cooler. Drive the family's smallest car to get better mileage and emit fewer pollutants. You can rent chairs and umbrellas once you get there. You can also pay to offset the drive. This is a bit controversial because some of the companies are for-profit, and some methods of offsetting carbon emissions have been questioned. But carefully choosing a company could help. Most charge up to $18 to offset a ton of carbon, which is about equal to a cross-country flight.

Do not to use the beach as a personal ashtray or toilet or litter box. You would think that people do not have to be told this, but they do. The Ocean Conservancy reports that cigarette butts are among the most common type of waste collected during its annual International Coastal Cleanup -- some 2 million butts in 2007, and that's just the tip of the tobacco heap. As for pet waste left behind, it washes into the water, uses up oxygen, promotes algae growth and spreads disease. It has become a common source of water pollution.