It’s all around and connects us to the Hampton Roads “Roads”. What we do in one area will have an effect on the next downstream or downwind.
As we have learned since childhood, it is up to us as adults to maintain a healthy ecosystem. Earth Day, April 22, is a great reminder.
“In April, I believe, across the country we’re thinking about the environment, but in Hampton Roads we can think about the waterways all year,” stated Christy Everett Hampton Roads Director for Waterways. Chesapeake Bay Foundation, an organization that restores and educates about the bay as well as the waterways that supply it.
Clean the Bay Day, which is scheduled for June 4, will be part of this effort. However, work continues all year. A project to restore oysters is underway right now.
Everett suggests that the biggest threat to the local environment right at this time is what we do to maintain our yards.
“A lot of the problems in our waterways are just too much nutrient polluting,” she said to News 3. “Many people will fertilize their lawns at this time of year. We would recommend that you reduce the use of fertilizer.
She also suggests that you plant native plants because they absorb extra nutrients.
It’s all about sustainability, which Christina Trapani strives to live her life. Her business Eco Maniac CompanyHelps others live a more sustainable life.
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Trapani, who was standing next to her truck at a Virginia Beach ViBe District farmer’s market, said, “We specialize on alternatives to single use plastics, as well as plastic-free alternatives.”
Then, there’s Trapani’s organization Keep it clean and beachyIt does…just as the name implies. Sometimes she travels to remote beaches to pick-up trash.
News 3’s She says that bottle caps and balloons are at the top of her list.
Trapani said that balloons and plastic bags can be a problem for animals in our region. She cites the leatherback tortoise, which eats jellyfish, as an example. Ingestion can result in injury or death.
Trapani helped to pass a Virginia law last year that could see balloon-releasing companies being fined. She is quick to point out, however, that you don’t have to visit Raleigh or Richmond to make a difference.
“If you can avoid single-use plastic items, such as a plastic shopping bag, sandwich bag, or plastic utensils and straws, then do so. She says there are many alternatives that can be reused and will last a lifetime.
Opportunities to learn more about sustainable products are plentiful in April. Trapani announces that April 10, at noon, she will join others in an Earth Day Pop Up Market at Coastal Edge at Pembroke Mall.
Mount Trashmore will host an Earth Day celebration on June 23rd at 11 a.m.
