Team Marine

Sustainability Bill of Rights Resolution

2012-01-26T11:21:00.001-08:00

Santa Monica has continuously been a leader in environmental sustainability. The Santa Monica City Sustainability Plan was first adopted in 1994. Now, in 2012, the council is taking under consideration the Sustainability Bill of Rights Resolution. The passing of the SBR ordinance means the rights of people will be protected and people will have access to clean air, land, and water. On January 24th, Team Marine went to the Santa Monica City Hall to support the Sustainability Bill of Rights. Prior to the City Council Meeting, the supporters gathered on the steps of City Hall for a rally. Team Marine signed the SBR Student Support Poster, showing that the youth care about the environment and the future of Santa Monica. As a unified group, we entered the council chambers and our members spoke in front of the council explaining that people are entitled to constitutional rights, not corporations. We made our opinions heard about our vision of a future where renewable energy sources are used to generate energy, clean water is affordable and accessible, and wastes are disposed of in a way that does not harm the environment. This event was an important movement in mitigating environmental crises such as climate change, pollution, and ocean acidification, bringing us one step closer to our goal of a sustainable future.

Written by Angelina Hwang

Car Committee Lesson Plan

2012-01-26T00:06:00.000-08:00

As of late, the car committee's top priority has been to complete its lesson plan. Developments in the interactive portion of this project have increased drastically in the past few days. We have undertaken the construction of three educational display boards that each break down the implications, cycles, and benefits of contemporary fuel and electric vehicles. The first board informs students of the process of ocean acidification by means of illustration explaining carbon dioxide's cycles in the natural environment and it's impacts on marine and human life. The second board will focus on informing the students of different types of renewable energy, also by means of illustration. And lastly, the third board's progress has been greatly expedited by the arrival of our new 3mm LED's. Each one is as bright as a small flashlight and will serve as a representation of carbon dioxide wafting from the tailpipe of a conventional gas car. When the students place small electric components into the car on the board via cardboard cut outs and velcro, the carbon dioxide will cease its ascent and the LED's will turn off, respectively.

Beach Clean Up

2012-01-23T19:44:00.000-08:00

On January 12th, Team Marine, with help from Heal the Bay, organized and hosted a beach cleanup and invited all of SAMOHI's Marine Biology students as well as other members of the community. We collected trash all along the shore and especially around the mouth of the storm drain. With the trash we picked up we created an image of the Santa Monica Pier using items like cigarette butts, bottle caps, straws, styrofoam pieces, and other plastics. With the rest of the trash we created a sign of our motto ‘Rethink’. People walking along the boardwalk stopped to talk to us about what Team Marine does to help the environment such as informing people with our art about how the buildup of trash in the ocean affects animals, their ecosystems and ultimately us. Photographer Fabian Lewkowicz took some pictures of us creating our Santa Monica Pier inspired artwork and posted them on the Santa Monica Close-up’s Facebook, furthering our audiences. A big thank you to him and everyone who participated!

Written by Edie Cote

In Defense of Humanity

2011-12-28T18:02:00.001-08:00

In the past week, there has been a heated call and response between Marc Gunther and Stiv Wilson over a topic very close to Team Marine, plastic and plastic pollution in the environment. The plastic industry has always fought against environmentalists and their goal to ban plastic bags. Gunther continued the fight by representing the large plastic companies in his article. He supported the companies, like Hilex Poly, denouncing the claim that plastic bags are more harmful than paper bags, and even supported the use of the plastic bag. Furthermore, he made incorrect scientific claims, citing research that falsely said reusable bags contain harmful amounts of E-coli bacteria. He continually oversimplified the arguments of environmentalists, trying to make them seem close-minded and ignorant.

Wilson, an activist and blogger for the 5 Gyres Institute, wrote his rebuttal that set Gunther's skewed views back on track. Stiv made a bold statement that encompasses the views of Team Marine, Heal the Bay and other environmental organizations. The institutions of plastic bag bans are not caused by the non-recyclable nature of plastic. There is no debate on whether plastic is recyclable, it's the fact that it is not being recycled. It forces people to take personal responsibility and alter their action. He acknowledges that the bans do not solve the problem. They help to make a difference now that will hopefully promote more change in the future.

This is only one point of many, though. Stiv's argument is easily accessible. He dispels many of the myths that Gunther presented as general eco-knowledge. The ban of the plastic bag and use of sustainable resources does not need to be sugar coated. It is common sense. If anyone has even a shadow of a doubt about the eco-movement against the plastic companies, it is imperative that he or she reads Stiv's article.

"We might not have the money on our side, but we have something that always wins in the end: the truth."

Read Gunther's article here:

http://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2011/12/22/defense-plastic-bag

Read Stiv's rebuttal here:

http://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2011/12/28/defense-plastic-bag-bans

Support the LA City Bag Ban!!

2011-12-13T00:11:00.000-08:00

This Wednesday, at Los Angeles City Hall from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., city representatives are having a hearing to determine if the single-use carry out plastic bag should be banned throughout all of the City of Los Angeles. This a monumental occasion for the city and we need bodies there to rally support for the cause. If you truly are sustainable and have the time to make it, come down to city hall and promote positive change in your city!

ALSO: Come hear Team Marine Member Annie Wiesenfeld SPEAK at this event! She needs your support to truly be heard.

Here is the info about the event:

What: City of Los Angeles single-use carryout bag ban
When: Wednesday, December 14 at 9:30am
Where: Los Angeles City Hall, John Ferraro Council Chamber Room 340,
200 North Spring Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012
***Wear GREEN to show your support for the environment and holiday spirit***

Check the Heal the Bay Website to make sure everything is up and running for Wednesday the night before

http://www.healthebay.org/event/la-city-council-votes-ban-single-use-bags

Want to know about the future of Climate Change?

2011-12-11T19:02:00.001-08:00

As the effects of the Kyoto Protocol expired this year, new UN climate debates, The Durban Talks, are being held to determine the new course of action. This debate has been going on for years and plays a large role in the fate of the environment as many know it. Many nation's representatives are pushing for a much more strict environmental policy, a path closer to that of the original intentions of the Kyoto Protocol. Ideally, it would establish strict emission plans for nations which are becoming industrialized, and would also use new "legal instruments" to regulate the carbon emissions of already industrialized nations. These are all just ideas though, the debates are still underway. You can read more about the talks here:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/un-climate-talks-real-world-outcome-will-be-determined-in-asia/2011/12/11/gIQAzpMDoO_story.html

Make sure to keep up on all the latest climate news and the Durban Talks

Sara Bayles' Photography Exhibit

2011-12-04T12:10:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday, September 28, 2011 Team Marine visited Sara Bayles' Photography exhibit. She collects trash from the same beach (tower 26) for 20 minutes at a time with a goal of 365 non-consecutive days of trash collection. So far, she has collected for 238 days and has gathered 903.9 pounds of trash. After each clean up, she blogs about it on her blog, The Daily Ocean. Team Marine got to see many of the pictures from her clean ups and we got to learn a lot more about her project. This was a very informative event and not only did it show us what an ECO-BEAST Sara is, but it put in perspective how much trash there really is. If one person can collect this much for only 20 minutes at a time, at the same spot, then imagine what can happen if every one person chose a different tower and did the same. Sara is doing a great thing and Team Marine loves it. Check out her blog! : http://thedailyocean.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2011-10-05T07:47:00-07:00&max-results=3

Posted By: Alexis Saez

Beach Clean Up Party!

2011-12-04T00:32:00.000-08:00

Team Marine was among one of the volunteer groups invited to the Surfrider Foundations' 1st Annual, Year-End Volunteer Appreciation Party. The event was held on Saturday, December 3rd from 1pm to 5pm, in conjunction with the final beach clean up of the year. The party was at Dockweiler Beach, at Tower 52. There was delicious organic food, games, and raffle prizes to show appreciation to all the volunteers that have devoted their time to helping our environment. The event was a success, and Team Marine enjoyed themelves.

Posted By: Alexis Saez

A Conversation with Dr. Jane Goodall

2011-12-03T01:18:00.000-08:00

On September 24, 2011, a few Team Marine members went to the El Capitan Theater for an exclusive event called "A Conversation with Dr. Jane Goodall" which featured the presentation of the Jane Goodall Leadership Awards. These awards honor individuals/organizations who have the same values and commitment as Dr. Goodall and strive towards making positive differences in the world. The award winners and award titles are listed below:

Esri - Exellence in Conservation Science
Adam Anthony of Tanzania and Lauren Gibson of Indiana - Roots & Shoots Youth Leadership
Renée Gunther - Excellence in Education
The Walt Disney Company - Corporate Social Responsibilities
George Miller, U.S. Representative, California, 7th District - Excellence in Public Policy
Dave Matthews - Responsible Activism in Media and Entertainment

At the event, we got to hear Dr. Goodall, wildlife cameraman Bill Wallauer(host), and Grammy award winner Dave Matthews talk about their past experiences, hardships, and passions. We also got to see Dave Matthews perform his songs "Don't Drink the Water", "Oh", and "Where Are You Going". This event was very informational and inspiring. It gave us Team Mariners a chance to hear about others' contributions to the environment, and it opened our eyes to all the different ways one can help implement change. This was a good event that we all enjoyed, and one lucky Team Marine member even got his T-shirt signed by the Dr. herself!

Here are links to Dave Matthews' performance:

Don't Drink the Water-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNf-wimpNdY

Oh- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxeDDfkaW3A

Where Are You Going- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIP5TjlJUtg

Posted by: Alexis Saez

Sustainable Bill of Rights

2011-11-29T17:37:00.001-08:00

Last Wednesday on November 16, all of Team Marine and SSA (Samohi Solar Alliance) went to the Fairview Santa Monica Main library to learn about human rights against big cooperations. Many big companies come and propose harmful extraction projects like fracking which is digging holes deep underground and pumping tons of water and chemicals to get minerals. This process contaminates our water, loosens up the soil which results in more catastrophic earthquakes. The two speakers proposed to make balance sheets (negotiating with the big companies to have environmental practices), and corporate models (having the company provide their data prior to construction).

A similar discussion about a Sustainable Bill of Rights is occurring tomorrow November 29, (6:30-8:00) at SMC room HSS 165. Mark Gold founder of Heal the Bay will be presenting among many other educated speakers. Learn about your rights this Wednesday because companies have more rights than the people living in the area do.

A Cry for 'Help'

2011-11-28T20:24:00.000-08:00

Team Marine leader and SAMOHI Marine Biology teacher Benjamin Kay's picture became a viral hit, which shows him beside his surfboard, with the word 'help' spelled out using trash. This culminated with his appearance on NBC, where he spoke about reusing their products and for people to rethink their lifestyles. The image came about during one of Kay's surfing trips, when he noticed the trash around him and decided to collect it. Stuffing anything he found into his wetsuit, he later took some trash and arranged it to form 'help' and then properly disposed of it. Within TWO days of posting it on Facebook, the image went viral, from Foam Magazine to 5gyres.org, which finally concluded with his NBC appearance. As Kay urged, "We shouldn't be adopting a disposable culture," and Team Marine continues to fight for this helpful change in our environment.

Kay's NBC can be found here:

http://www.nbclosangeles.com.on-air/as-seen-on/Ocean_Trash_Los_Angeles-131180038.html

Posted by Ivan Morales

First Flush gets news recognition

2011-11-28T20:11:00.000-08:00

After our recent emergency beach clean up on the first flush of the year, we were recognized in at least 3 different online news articles. This shows the public's interest for youth who try making differences. The more media coverage we get, the better. Our goal is to try to get the world to hear our message, and hopefully get some people to jump on the Eco-bandwagon. Every time we appear in the local newspapers, blogs, or online articles it helps us get our message a little more wide-spread.
The articles can be found at the following links:
http://www.thegreengirlnextdoor.com/
http://www.smmirror.com/#mode=single&view=33178
http://www.surfrider.org/coastal-blog/entry/santa-monica-hs-students-report-first-flush-of-bacteria-and-plastics

Posted by: Alexis Saez

Quickscience Challenge!

2011-11-28T19:15:00.000-08:00

Team Marine has entered into the 2011-2012 Quick Science Challenge! The science competition is hosted by USC and Quicksilver. Team Marine has entered two separate teams of eight students each for this year's challenge. The first team entered into the competition is what we like to call the "Bag Team". This team is focusing on a grocery store survey conducted by Alexis Saez, Lilie Gross, Matilda Meade, Natalie Zunaga, Jesse Robertson, Maykel Pernia, George Castillo, and Edie Cote. The survey determines how many people use paper, plastic, reusable, or no bag when shopping. It also shows the sex and age of each participant surveyed. The "Bag Team" plans to use this information to encourage cities around the nation that a bag ban is both possible and effective. The second team is called the "Car Team". This team is currently converting a 1971 gas guzzling Volkswagon Super Beetle into a clean and fully electric battery run vehicle. The "Car Team" is spearheaded by Patricio Guerro, Ian Levinson, Cassandra Kliewer, Kalon Cheung, Justin Tavaf, Ivan Morales, and Talal Alabdali. Good luck to both teams competing this year!

written by Lilie Gross

The First Flush 2011

2011-10-05T22:39:00.000-07:00

The First Flush is an annual event for Team Marine, each year the amount of plastic on the beach is shocking; today was no different. After the first heavy rainfall hit the Los Angeles area this morning and garbage from all over the city was shuttled to the ocean shore, the team ventured to the Pico storm drain to see the damage done and start cleaning up.

We went down prepared to pick up plastic, fully equipped with nets, trash bags, buckets and rubber gloves. We aimed to collect as much trash/debris as possible and to properly recycle it or throw it away, instead of letting it funnel into the ocean.

It's clear that we face a huge challenge every year trying to clean up as much as possible. This time, we chose to focus on an area of about 90 square meters and get down and dirty cleaning up. We're proud to say that after working for about 4 hours collecting everything in our chosen area, we accumulated roughly 300 pounds of garbage. This consisted of mixed leaf litter, single use plastic films, wrappers, containers, bags and packaging. The amount of styrofoam found was particularly bad this year. Though this may seem like a large amount of garbage, it really is nothing compared to what is still out there. With that said, a passionate group of people can still make a difference.

It is our duty as Team Marine, as the City of Los Angeles and as a country, to keep our coasts clean and ultimately, free of plastic debris. The First Flush is proof that there is a lot more work to be done, but with the plastic bag ban's passage, new, innovative green laws coming into effect, and general eco-awareness, plastic pollution will be a thing of the past. Get out there and clean up your local beaches!

The Good Food Festival

2011-09-17T20:23:00.000-07:00

Today, Team Marine attended the spectacular Good Foods Festival, which was held on our very own SAMOHI campus. This was a festival dedicated to showing the community that great food is readily available and giving everyone a taste of some of the best of it! The event also made sure to show people who attended that eating well and being sustainable went hand in hand.

Team Marine played a part here; we showed people of all ages different ways that they could live more sustainably by using reusable products, adopting alternative energy sources or just by understanding the effects of everyday activities on the environment.

We also had a lot of fun meeting some awesome people and trying some amazingly delicious food! The Team got the opportunity to talk to environmental performance artists, square-dancers (Check out Ian with them in the first picture!), organic farmers, bean-enthusiasts, and Julia, the lovely coordinator of the Good Food event. Also, congrats to all the new Team Marine recruits who really showed us their stuff today working in the booths.

Overall, this was an amazing opportunity and if anyone can get the chance to check the event out at SAMOHI, tomorrow, Sunday, September 18th, do it! Or you can check out the page for Good Food festivals to find an event near you or just to learn some cool stuff:

http://goodfoodfestivals.com/

Remember to support local organic food, eat well and live a sustainable lifestyle!

Reusable David Defeats Plastic Goliath!

2011-09-14T21:57:00.000-07:00

ChicoBag, a company very close to Team Marine, was pressed with a grim lawsuit this summer. Andy Keller, the founder of ChicoBag, was being sued by massive plastic bag companies, including Hilex Poly Company, LLC, Superbag Operating, LTD., and Advance Polybag, Inc. The companies said the facts posted on Keller's site about the harmful effects of plastic bags were slander that was hurting their business. ChicoBag fought back, rallying more than 25,000, yes, that's right, 25,000 people, with an online petition against the bag companies. Because of the public input and support from groups like Team Marine, all of the major plastic bag companies dropped their lawsuits! Though courts ruled that all facts posted on the ChicoBag website had to be cited, proving their validity, this was an easy compromise (because they were all true!). The same went for the websites of the plastic bag companies. Fun Fact: One bag company had written on their site that "12% of plastic bags were recycled," when in reality, only 1% are! This is a huge Eco-victory and another step in the decline of the plastic bag industry. Congrats to Andy for making it out on top! Check out his site at:

http://www.chicobag.com

Photo: Andy Keller dressed as the "Plastic Bag Monster"

Plastic Ban Reaches Santa Cruz!

2011-09-13T23:33:00.000-07:00

This past Tuesday, the County of Santa Cruz passed what is being called the "stiffest" grocery store bag laws in California. Yay! It seems that other counties are seeing the great work that has been done in Santa Monica, Oakland, San Jose, and other cities in California and have begun to draft their own bag bans! Hopefully it's only a matter of time before a state-wide (or maybe even national!) plastic bag ban! Lots of love to the people in Santa Cruz who petitioned their leaders to make this possible!

For more info read all about it in Jason Hoppin's article.

Good Food Festival!

2011-09-13T22:46:00.000-07:00

Like food? Like good food? Well on Sept. 17 & 18, the local Santa Monica Farmer's Market along with other well-known, and delicious, food vendors will celebrate the farmers market's 30th anniversary by launching a Good Foods festival partnered with Family Farmed here at Samohi! The event will start at 10:00 am and end at 7:00 pm both days and an admission ticket costing $10 will admit you to workshops, delicious food sampling, and lots of fun for the whole family.

Team Marine will be at the festival both days to taste delicious, fresh food and help discard and recycle all of the trash. If you would like to learn more about the event please visit the Good Food website or their Twitter account.

2011-2012 Season has Officially Started!

2011-09-08T22:49:00.000-07:00

Today, Team Marine met with junior prospects interested in joining Team Marine for a few hours after school. Mr. Kay, our 4-year assistant coach Renee Klein, and the team talked about the requirements to be in Team Marine and the very exciting competitions we will be taking place in this year. So far, two projects have been established for the 2011-2012 QuikSCience Challenge: our grocery store bag research and the VW Beetle EV conversion. We look forward to having a very successful year and lots of thanks to the juniors who showed up today, Renee, Mr. Kay, and Samo chemistry teacher Mr. Harris for volunteering to help coach the EV team!

Plastic Bags Ban goes into Effect

2011-09-05T16:24:00.000-07:00

Whats non-recylcable, made from oil, and banned from Santa Monica? Plastic grocery bags!

Thanks to the the voiced complaints of Santa Monica citizens, The Santa Monica City council drafted a ban on single-use bags which went into affect four days ago! Lots of thanks to the Team Marine, SSA, and Heal the Bay club members who took time during finals week last year to protest at city hall on the day this band was proposed.

Chris Paine comes to Samohi!

2011-08-19T10:53:00.000-07:00

At the end of this past school year, former Team Marine member Aidan Richker helped to bring the famous documentary film maker Chris Paine to SAMOHI to do a special guest lecture for the marine bio students. Chris Paine is responsible for the shocking and informative documentary Who Killed the Electric Car? While at samo, Chris Paine also brought his all-electric Tesla car... Mr Kay even got to test drive it! Lots of thanks to Mr. Paine for coming down and Aidan for making it happen!

Published in Good Magazine

2011-08-19T10:43:00.000-07:00

Earlier this summer Team Marine was talked about in an article in Good Magazine. The article elaborated on the group and the plastic boats we made from single use items that successfully floated earlier this year. Lots of thanks to all the people at Good Magazine!

Heal the Bay Video

2011-07-08T07:38:00.000-07:00

Recently, the Heal the Bay foundation created a program known as "trash your friends". When you "trash" a friend, their screen will fill up with single-use plastic bags among other types of trash and spreads awareness of the plastic-filled gyres all over the world. Adam Bagger and Kevin McDevitt from CourierContent created a short film about the "trash your friends" program that has received a lot of attention and was even short listed for Adobe's 2011 Mofilm Cannes Lions contest. The link to the Heal the Bay video is posted below but much love out to CourierContent and the Heal the Bay foundation and good luck in the film contest.

http://youtu.be/Faf1yHVjGMMM

The Shirts have Arrived!

2011-05-19T13:55:00.000-07:00

Hey all- great news! Team Marine has shirts! Team Marine member Ecco Theohar designed the T-shirts herself and they turned out awesome. The shirts arrived in time for a group picture on May 19th when the team met with Kristina Vonhoffman from the Alliance for Climate Education with our VW Bug! This year, Team Marine has taken on the challenge of converting a 1970s VW Bug completely to an electric vehicle!

Team Marine is All Grown Up!

2011-05-19T13:34:00.000-07:00

It's that time of the year again. School is coming to an end and the high school graduates are getting ready for college. Recently, we found out where Jessica Thorson, Danny Franco, Kou Collins, and EccoTheohar(our Team Marine seniors) are heading after they graduate from SAMOHI.

Team Captain, Jessica Thorson, was accepted into both NYU and Oregon. After receiving a scholarship of $20,000 Jessica chose to attend the University of Oregon for the fall semester where she will be majoring in the romance languages and minoring in environmental studies. She will continue her environmental studies at Oregons coast campus- roughly an hour away from main campus.

Danny Franco will be attending St. John's University in New York City.

Ecco Theohar will be attending Santa Monica College.

Kou Collins will be attending the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Team Marine wishes the best of luck to all of our beloved seniors and hope that they fulfill their sustainable dreams at the college of their choice.

Nhi is in the Bio Olympics!

2011-05-03T18:50:00.000-07:00

Nhi Ho and David Shabsovich, juniors at Santa Monica High School, will be representing Santa Monica at the USA Biology National Finals round.

Every year, over 10,000 students take the US Biology Olympiad (USABO) local test hoping to represent the United States in the International Biology Olympiad (IBO). 500 of these students then move onto the Semifinal round to take a grueling 2 hour test. Out of the 500 Semifinalists, 20 are then selected to attend an intensive residential program at Purdue University to learn about “advanced biological concepts and exacting lab skills.” Four students will then be selected to go to the International Olympiad at Taipei, Taiwan.

Out of the five students at Santa Monica High School that took the local exam in February, four made the Semifinalist round. Of those, only Nhi and David advanced to the next round.

“I’m so excited to be attending the training session at Purdue University during June. If my AP Biology teacher, Mr. Gaida, did not recommended me to take the local test, I would have never made it this far. I look forward to representing Santa Monica at the training in June,” said Nhi, 17.

Kathy Frame, director of USA Biology Olympiad and Special Projects, said, “[Nhi’s and David's] stellar performance in the Olympiad identified [them] as a talented scholar placed among the best of the U.S. biology students. This is an achievement of which [they] can be very proud of.”

Lets all wish Nhi and David "good luck" in the biology olympiad. Lots of thanks to Mr. Gaida and everyone who made this possible.

Team Marine Outreach to Younger Students

2011-05-03T18:02:00.000-07:00

On April 23th, Team Marine members participated in Caylc's (The California Youth Leadership Council) Earthday Awareness event hosted by Calyc members at the Skirball Museum In Los Angeles. Calyc is a group of dedicated So Cal high school students that plan and implement events to raise awareness about endangered animal species and environmental issues. Team Marine member Nhi Ho and other team members helped educate little kids to reuse old t-shirts and cereal boxes to make bags and notebooks respectively. Nhi, Natalie, Alexis, and Maykel presented our Straw Boat made out of 8,000 recycled straws. Everything used to make the boat was either saved by Team Marine and SAMO students or reused including: bottle caps, straws, water bottles, and broken surf-boards. The Team Marine members spread awareness that reuse is often better than "throw-away" thinking for what cannot be recycled. Team Marine did a great job and we are very proud of their work. Lots of thanks to the Skirball Museum and Caylc!

Ship2Shore Has Landed!

2011-04-28T19:17:00.001-07:00

The Algalita Marine Reasearch Foundation and 5 Gyres' Ship2Shore trip returned from traveling 2,300 miles to the center of the South Pacific Gyre on April 11th! The research team collected trawl samples and conducted experiments in the ocean and on the shores of Easter Island delivering shocking results. Congratulations to all the members on the Ship2Shore team!

Big Money Coming

2011-04-28T08:55:00.000-07:00

WOOOOO! A month ago Benjamin Kay was entered into the Wyland Foundation's Earth Month Teacher Hero Award by the I House Principle Ms. Semik. Kay, along with 30 other teachers, were recognized for being outstanding environmental teachers and activists. On April 14th, Mr Kay was selected from those 30 teachers to win the grand prize of $5,000 and be on CBS news! This money will be going towards building our Electric vehicle and will buy a lot of parts. Lots of thanks to the Wyland Foundation, Toyota, AES, and CBS/KCAL.

Electric Car Update

2011-04-06T20:02:00.000-07:00

The struggle to convert an old Volkswagen Bug into a fully electric car has been a long and hard one. On tuesday, Team Marine members searched for certain types of 96-volt lithium ion batteries for our electric car conversion. Yesterday, our Eco-Engineer, Patricio Guerrero, was emailed by the manager of a battery manufacturing company telling us that they could custom build batteries to fit the necessary dimensions for the back seat of our Volkswagen Bug!

VW-1339-c Throw-out Bearing with clips!

As if this wasn't good enough news, Patricio also purchased new throw-out bearings. The throw-out bearings are important because they allow the engine to maintain momentum without consuming energy while the clutch is engaged. These small feats bring us a few steps closer to making our dream of a fully electric Bug a reality.

SAMOHI Water Fountain Audit

2011-04-06T16:53:00.000-07:00

Hello fellow eco-beasts,

Team Marine has been busy for the last couple of weeks doing a Santa Monica High School water fountain audit. We have been asked to go around the Santa Monica High School campus to check all of the water fountains and describe the condition of each fountain. We were asked by the Santa Monica Malibu Unified School District to do this in order to get an improvement in our water fountain systems. There are approximately 62 water fountains all over the Samohi campus; we found that 43.7% are functioning normally, 15.6% are shooting out water, 15.6% of them are dying, and a total of 25% are out of order and completely dead. A total of 65% of them were functioning. We went around school and mapped out all the fountains and collected that data into a master map of our entire school. The data will be given to the district soon.

E-Waste Drive

2011-04-06T09:16:00.000-07:00

Team Marine recently assisted Science teacher Martha Chacon and her students in their electronic recycling drive (E-Waste Drive) from March1^st- 15^th. Together as a school we collected a variety of over 233 electronic devices. Some of the devices collected were from remotes, lamps, and ink cartridges to digital cameras, batteries, power drills and blow dryers. the number one item collected were mobile cell phones-74 to be exact. Along with some of Ms. Chacons students, Team Marine successfully loaded all the electronics onto a truck and send it off to California Recycles be properly disposed of. Big thanks to Martha Chacon!

Team Marine members Tatiana and Patricio loading old computers onto the California Recycles

truck.

Team Marine sorting out all the electronics.

ACE Leadership Training

2011-04-05T16:34:00.000-07:00

Team Marine was invited to go to a leadership training brought to us by one of our amazing eco-partners, Alliance for Climate Education (ACE). Team Marine members Raquel, Flavia and team advisor Benjamin Kay were present at this event on Saturday April 2nd 2011. This leadership training was at the TreePeople headquarters. Flavia and Raquel learned valuable lessons such as preplanning agendas to make meetings more productive, and valuable tips on how to be better communicated within the team. We would love to thank Kristina Von Hoffman, Sophie Korn and the rest of ACE for having us participate in this wonderful event.

Plastics R 4 Ever!

2011-04-04T16:47:00.000-07:00

Team Marine, with the assistance from Dr. Marcus Erikson of 5 Gyres, helped build three boats made out of thrown away plastic materials that were presented at Algalita's Plastics are Forever Youth Training and Summit :

The Cola Canoe:

Made out of old two liter soda bottles recovered from donations and SAMOHI's own dumpsters.

"Rethink" Paddle Board:

The "Rethink" paddle board is the epitome of re-using old products to create something beautiful. The board itself was built out of five separate broken surfboards molded into one stand-up paddle surfboard. Every single lighter decorated on the board was given to Marcus by the Midway Atoll Institute. Plastic lighters are one of the many major pollutants of our waters and the lighters seen here were recovered from the sea along with the stomachs of albatross and other animals.

The Straw Boat:

The Straw Boat was made out of about 8,000 plastic straws that Team Marine had been saving over a few years. The boat was designed by our very own eco-engineer, Patricio G, and used bundles of plastic straws glued between bottle caps to maintain buoyancy.

These three boats were unveiled at the Plastics R 4 Ever youth summit and were launched out into the water in Long Beach. Lots of thanks to Marcus Erikson and the Algalita foundation.

Meeting with SMMUSD Board

2011-02-26T14:34:00.000-08:00

Team Marine, Heal the Bay Surfrider Club, Malibu's Eco Team, and Samohi's Solar Alliance proposed a student-created sustainable policy for the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District to two board members, Ben Allen and Ralph Mechur. All of these great groups realize that SMMUSD is a bit behind the City of Santa Monica in sustainability, and are ready to help the district catch up.

In our draft of a sustainable policy we hope to achieve the following:

Bring sustainable products to our school

Change the behavior of our students and teachers to be more sustainable

Educate those involved with the district on sustainability

Improve sustainable water and power practices in the district

The board was very impressed with our dedication, and ensured us that they would try meeting our requests depending on the topic. We'd like to thank the Mr. Allen and Mr. Mechur for taking time out of their busy schedule to listen to our long and detailed presentations. We are looking forward to future meetings with the board.

Lot of Lighters & Marcus Eriksen

2011-02-19T12:08:00.000-08:00

Left to Right: Marcus Erikson, Patricio, Nhi, Talia, Aidan.

Yesterday, February 18th, 2011, Dr. Marcus Eriksen of 5 Gyres came to Team Marine to assist him with one of his newest projects. He walked in the classroom with a huge box full of over 1000 lighters. We have previously helped Dr. Eriksen in building a pontoon, named JUNK, to sail in the rough oceans. This time he wants a paddle-board!

Dead Laysan Albatross with Stomach Contents. Note the Lighter!

Every lighter came from the Midway Atoll, many from the stomachs of the Laysan Albatross birds. The Midway Atoll is known for having huge problems with marine debris. 1.5 million dead Laysan Albatross have been found dead on the Midway Atoll; almost every bird has died from starvation because their stomachs are full of plastic marine debris that washes up on shore. We spent over three hours hammering, plying, and smashing these lighters' caps of.We are working to Dr. Eriksen to figure out how to transform these lighters into a paddle-board. Thank you Dr. Eriksen for allowing us to help you in this awareness-invoking creative project.

TM and Jean-Michel

2011-02-17T16:29:00.000-08:00

The LA group with Jean-Michel Cousteau

While in DC, Team Marine members were able to meet with Jean-Michel Cousteau, son of Captain Jacques-Yves Cousteau, who spent much of his life exploring the oceans with his father. TM and the Captain's son congregated at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History on February 15th, 2011 where Cousteau was giving a presentation entitled "The Great Ocean Adventure." He spoke about his continued efforts in protecting our world's oceans. Sounds good to us! It was an honor to spend time with the legendary explorer, and again thank Alicia and the Aquarium of The Pacific for this opportunity.

"A lot of people attack the sea, I make love to it." - Jean-Yves Cousteau

TM in DC

2011-02-16T19:09:00.000-08:00

Smiling faces going to far away places

Team Marine members Kou, Sandra Jay, Aidan, and Jesse are in Washington, D.C. repping Team Marine!

They were able to relax their first night in the capital, settling in their hotel rooms and eating pizza. On their first morning they visited famous monuments of D.C. such as the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, the Albert Einstein Memorial, and The American History Museum. Later the members met with other delegates and attended an ice breaker for networking. On their second day they visited the Natural History Museum and presented our Team Marine projects to the audience of delegates. Throughout the event, they were lucky enough to have panelists providing feedback on our project and their presentation. We are so proud of our members in D.C. and hope they are able to influence other Eco-Beasts to follow in our foot steps. We'd like to thank Ms. Catherine Baxter for accompanying our members to DC as a school official, as well as Alicia and the whole Aquarium of the Pacific family for this great opportunity.

Santa Monica Finally Bans the Bag

2011-01-26T14:45:00.000-08:00

Dear fellow Eco-Beasts,

After 3 years of hard work fighting against plastic supporters like the American Chemistry Council and Save the Plastic Bag, the Santa Monica City Council voted in favor for the Single-Use Carryout Bag Ordinance. Team Marine was able to attend the Council meeting, and loved hearing all our fellow Eco-Beasts speak, such as Mark Gold of Heal the Bay and Santa Monica Office of Sustainability and Environment staff. Michelle S, Gregory B, and Nhi H all spoke beautifully as well. We brought our A-game as well as our scariest plastic monsters. The plastic bag industry was no match for our green unity! Plastic bags will be prohibited from grocery stores, liquor stores, convenience marts, etc. Paper bags can be provided for not less than 10 cents. Make sure to stock up on reusable bags, preferably ones made in the US without harmful chemicals. It's so easy!

Go Reusable, it is Doable!

Team Marine and HtB:

Huge thanks to the Office of Sustainability and Environment, Heal the Bay, Surfrider Foundation, The Daily Ocean, the Clean Seas Coalition, and everyone else who has fought towards this goal!

Goodbye Plastic Bag

2011-01-25T08:16:00.000-08:00

Message from a plastic bag:

"I'd like to thank Santa Monica for having me in the past decades. Although we had our differences, we seemed to work well together. I'm sad to say that it looks like we will be separated by law today, due to the fact that SM will get a restraining order against me. I will find ways to continue to enter the beautiful City of Santa Monica and its waters, through cities that have not yet gotten rid of me. Here's some pictures of us through the years"

Santa Monica looks to Ban the Bag

2011-01-24T19:43:00.000-08:00

Plastic Pollution in Santa Monica will take a major hit on January 25nd, 2011 if a city-wide ordinance banning single-use plastic bags passes. Team Marine has been waiting for a ban on the single-use plastic bag for many years, but one has always been put down or postponed by the Council members of the City of Santa Monica. There is positive speculation that Santa Monica's Single-Use Carryout Bag Ordinance will pass through the Council and be enacted. With this ban, all businesses in Santa Monica will be prohibited from providing single-use plastic bags, and will have to put a fee on single-use paper bags. The goal is to encourage the residents and visitors of Santa Monica to convert to sustainable, reusable bags.

Join Team Marine and many other Eco-Beasts from all over Southern California at 5:30pm at:

CITY HALL COUNCIL CHAMBERS - 1685 MAIN STREET

Office of Sustainability and Environment:

Single-use plastic bags contribute to:

increased litter (including storm drain, marine and beach pollution), that persists in the environment for decades
green house gas emissions
Santa Monica’s residents and other taxpayers pay the clean-up costs and landfill fees

Team Marine x UCLA

2011-01-24T16:11:00.000-08:00

Team Marine members, as well as Marine Biology students, and senior UCLA students met on Friday January 21st to collaborate on two different research projects. The UCLA students are led by Dr. Rebecca Shipe of the UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability. The first group, named Group Microbes, will be studying the relationship between harmful algal blooms (HABs) and Enterococcus in the Santa Monica Bay. The second group, dubbed Group Runoff, will study the output of marine debris from the Ballona Creek into the Santa Monica Bay. We are very excited to begin working with these passionate students, and would like to thank Dr. Shipe for giving us this great opportunity.

Sea Pulse at the Lodge Recap

2011-01-22T23:20:00.000-08:00

Team Marine had an awesome day hanging out and learning from other Eco-Beasts in the area. We were able to screen and spread the important information contained in our 10 R's video (Part 1 and Part 2). Thank you to Bill MacDonald, Dance 4 Oceans, Captain Charles Moore, and everyone else who attended Sea Pulse at the Electric Lodge today!

These guys are awesome!:

Team Marine in the Huffington Post

2011-01-21T16:22:00.000-08:00

A huge thanks to the Huffington Post and Lisa Kaas Boyle to writing about Team Marine in their article entitled "Youth Movement to Reduce Plastic Pollution". It was great to read about other fellow students in the area fighting against plastic pollution with us!

Read the article here: Huffington Post

Team Marine in the Santa Monica Argonaut!

2011-01-21T16:14:00.000-08:00

Check us out at The Argonaut's website, concerning Saturday's Sea Pulse Film Festival.

"...the 10 R's film, a solutions program, produced, directed and starring Santa Monica High School students from the multi-award-winning sustainability club, Team Marine."

Click here to read the article: The Argonaut

Ban the Bag in Santa Monica

2011-01-18T17:03:00.000-08:00

Go Reusable! It is Doable! Ban the Plastic Bag!

On Tuesday, January 25th, 2011 Santa Monica's City Councilmembers will hopefully pass the Single-use Carryout Bag Ordinance. This will ban plastic bags and put a cost on single-use paper bags in the city. Team Marine has been waiting for this to happen for about three years. We are very excited to attend the Council meeting, and will be involved in the meeting. Students will be giving speeches, dressing up in plastic pollution suits, presenting the results of petitions and research projects, protesting silently with signs, etc. Known as one of the greenest cities in the country, Santa Monica needs to pass this ban!

What do we want? To ban the plastic bag! When do we want it? Now!

The public meeting will be held on Tuesday January 25, 2011 at 5:30 PM in the in Council Chambers, located at City Hall, 1685 Main Street, Santa Monica.

Sea Pulse Films

2011-01-18T16:48:00.000-08:00

Team Marine This Weekend at the Lodge

with Sea Pulse!

Sea Pulse

Saturday January 22nd, 1:30-4:30

Discover the beauty and the threats to the world ocean!

Presented by filmmaker Bill MacDonald.

Join us for an afternoon of film, discussion, and a live performance by Dance4Oceans, concerning the health of our local wetlands and oceans everywhere.

click for a Film Preview

$5-$10 Suggested donation
R.S.V.P. info@dance4oceans.org

1416 Electric Avenue, Venice, CA 90291 (310) 306-1854
livearts@electriclodge.org

Sarah and Garen's Gyres Trip

2011-01-18T16:41:00.000-08:00

Our fellow Eco-Beasts made the Santa Monica Daily Press! Check out their article.

Don't forget that you can help too. Just take five minutes to donate $5 or more. Every dollar counts! Find Sarah and Garen at The Daily Ocean.

Donate directly by clicking here: Donate $5

Team Marine at the Electric Lodge

2011-01-06T17:25:00.000-08:00

Come watch Team Marine's 10 R's video, as well as other environmentally friendly videos, at the Electric Lodge on January 22nd, 2011! Bill Macdonald's Sea Pulse Films will be hosting the event from 1:30pm to 4:30pm. Other videos to be shown include The World Ocean "Trashed", The Majestic Plastic Bag, Whales Die, Zombies Dance (in protest).

Electric Lodge
1416 Electric Avenue
CA 90291-3734
(310) 306-1854

HTBSC Water Quality Report

2011-01-06T17:02:00.000-08:00

Zach Gold with sample tray and Safe to Surf? board

On December 23, 2010, Heal the Bay Surfrider Club's Teach and Test Program conducted water quality tests in Santa Monica, after a long episode of rain. Their results were horrifying. Extremely high levels of fecal bacteria were visible in all samples. Zach Gold, Co-president of the club, recommended that all stay out of the water for the time being. Sites that were tested included the Pico-Kenter Drain, the Santa Monica Pier, and Lifeguard Station 26. Visit local surf shops in Santa Monica to check current bacteria levels.

Sample testing trays; glowing cells show high levels of fecal bacteria

More Recycling. More LifeStraws.

2011-01-03T21:43:00.000-08:00

On December 17th, 2010 Team Marine and Heal the Bay/Surfrider Club worked through heavy rain to count and sort recyclable containers. These recyclables will be saved to trade in for LifeStraws to send to people around the world without clean water sources. The LifeStraw is a portable water filtration system that prevents common diarrhoeal diseases from causing sickness. We recycled 5400 containers, which will provide 48 LifeStraws, and potentially save 48 lives. A huge thanks to all those who volunteered to sort with us in the pouring rain!

110 recyclables = 1 LifeStraw

We recycled 5400 containers, which will provide 48-49 LifeStraws, and potentially save 48-49 lives. A huge thanks to all those who volunteered to sort with us in the pouring rain!

Planting Trees with TreePeople

2011-01-03T21:15:00.000-08:00

Flavia Watering Trees & Sawdust in Cement Bays

On Monday, December 27, Flavia Cahn - our Gardening Committee leader - traveled to Oxnard to volunteer at a TreePeople event. TreePeople focuses on planting trees, particularly fruit trees, in low-income Los Angeles communities. They have planted fruit streets all over the city: in public gardens, individual's backyards and on school campuses. In low-income neighborhoods, fresh, organic and healthy food is expensive and hard to come by. For this reason, TreePeople plant easy-to-care-for fruit trees that provide food, shade, beauty, and better air and water quality. TreePeople does other amazing green events such as mountain restorations to benefit the more needy members of our community.

At the event Flavia and TreePeople unloaded a grand total of 3000 fruit trees. Peach, plum, nectarine, apple and apricot trees of all different varieties were sorted, and then organized into cement-lined bays to stay there until they are ready for planting in South Los Angeles schools. Once the trees were set up in the bays, moist sawdust was shoveled between them in order to keep them upright and to keep the roots alive.

TreePeople operates mostly on donations – not only money donations, so please be generous. Visit this link to find out more: http://www.treepeople.org/more-ways-give

Recycling at the Rose Bowl!

2011-01-02T17:41:00.000-08:00

Team Marine and Marine Biology students from Santa Monica High School

After a morning of recycling on New Years Day, "our total was 2147 plastics, 1300 cans, and 453 glass", according to Jane Davidson of the Polytechnic School in Pasadena, CA. Team Marine worked alongside San Gabrielino High School, UCLA, and SaMo's Marine Biology students to recycle trash left behind from Pasadena's Rose Parade. We rocked out "Ask Me Why I'm Recycling" T-Shirts, signifying that we were recycling for LifeStraws. The LifeStraw is a portable water filtration system that prevents common diarrhoeal diseases from sickening less fortunate people in third world countries. We had a great time helping fellow Eco-Beasts make SoCal a greener, cleaner place.

California Youth Leadership Summit

2010-12-29T17:24:00.000-08:00

The CAYLS (California Youth Leadership Summit) took place at The Ocean Institute in Dana Point, CA. Patricio, Alexis, Natalie, Echo, and SJ attended the summit.

Day One (Nov. 19th):

Each group (except Team Marine) gave a 2-3 minute presentation on their group's history, future plans, and basic info. We then decorated past Roots & Shoots t-shirts. Before bed we had smores by the fire. We decided to sign up for two workshops and yoga.

Day Two (Nov. 20th):

Participated in yoga, ate a great breakfast, and attended the workshops we signed up for. Some of the workshops available were:

Creative outreach through music (attended)

How to tailor a project to different age groups,

Innovative recycling

Problem solving (attended)

After attending the our two workshops, we visited the various Ocean Institute labs. We were able to learn about the growth process of moon jellies (Aurelia aurita), find and identify different marine organisms, dissect a mackeral, as well as test the Institute's water acidity, salidity, and temperature. Afterward, we were able to go out to sea on the RX explorer. Using a mud grab, we tested the surrounding water's mud quality, and searched for benthic organisms. Many different types of phytoplankton and zooplankton were seen. Later, we ate dinner and watched an eye-opening presentation on blue whales, by famous whale videographer Earl Richmond. Steve Creech spoke about the Wyland Foundation's conservation programs. Team Marine then hosted a screening about our 10 R's and gave a presenation on what we've done so far. We also talked a little about the EV project. Afterwards, Mr. Kay gave a presentation about how to make your own team be as successful as Team Marine. Then we snacked on more smores and slept!

Day Three (Nov. 21)

After yoga and breakfast, we were led on an amazing hike. We hiked to a habitat that the Institute had been maintaining, and we combed the surrounding area for items that did not belong. Some items found were plastic as well as glass. There were broken beer/soda bottles everywhere! Because of the rain, some debris were covered in mud and were harder to spot. SJ even stumbled upon an animal's skull! We hiked back down to the Institute, took a group photo, and ran over to the tide pools. It was a great day for tide pooling, because the tide was very low. We saw ochre sea stars, sea anenomies, chitons, limpets, and hundreds of muscles and barnacles. It was amazing. After three amazing days in Dana Point, it was time for Team Marine to say goodbye.

A huge thanks to Roots and Shoots, The Ocean Institute, and all the volunteers and speakers at the CYLS 2010!

DC Group Update

2010-12-27T16:30:00.000-08:00

Team Marine with Professor Somerville

Team Marine was invited to go to the Aquarium of the Pacific to hear a lecture from one of the leading climate change scientists, Richard Somerville, on November 17th, 2010. Team Marine had dinner with Somerville, then listened in to his lecture on climate change. It was a humbling experience to Kou, Jesse, Saundra Jay, and Morgan who attended this event. We all realized there is much more to learn. We would like to thank Alicia Archer, Professor Somerville, and Coastal America for this great opportunity.

On Sunday, Team Marine went to the Aquarium of the Pacific to learn about their upcoming trip to Washington D.C. in February. However, that doesn’t mean that there wasn’t any fun while we were there. Early in the day we took part in a tour, which took us to the back of the aquarium’s exhibits, .We met and interacted with many of the animals there. Just through seeing the mixture of terrestrial and marine animals, we were able to see that the two were dependent on each other. Because of this, if climate change destroys or alters one of them, the other would be affected in turn. Afterward, we sat in for a seminar showing us how to project our vision towards different groups of people. Thank you to Alicia for a great day at the aquarium.

The Last Straw

2010-12-26T13:56:00.000-08:00

Team Marine members recently collected and sorted about 20,000 straws to donate to The Last Straw Program by the 5 Gyres Institute and the Algalita Marine Research Foundation. The goal of this program is to build a fully functional boat out of single-use straws, in order to spread awareness about our oceans' transformation into a plastic soup. Single-use straws are unnecessary and contribute to our planet's massive problem with plastic pollution, so do not use them!

Team Marine's Gas to Electric Beetle Conversion

2010-12-17T13:33:00.000-08:00

Team Marine's mechanics have been working on converting a gas-guzzling 1971 Candy Red Volkswagen Beetle into a zero-emission electric vehicle.

The Whole Gang with SAMOHI's Lesson on Wheels

Our Team's car committee has been created, and currently meets every Tuesday and Thursday in Santa Monica High School's Auto Shop. A million thanks to our Auto Guru, Mr. Cox, for allowing us to work in his shop.

Here are some updates on the project:

The engine has been taken out and we have just recently detached the clutch from the engine, which we need for the electric motor to attach to the transmission.

We ordered the yoke and motor plate; these are the main components in attaching the engine to the transmission.

We took the dimensions of the engine and the back of the car (where the motor will go) and theorized where the batteries will fit.

We are still researching what type of battery will be best for the car and budget we are currently working under, but are already getting our hands dirty. We also need to pick a name for the Beetle; comment with suggestions!

ZERO Emissions Race

2010-12-16T19:38:00.000-08:00


Ian and Morgan with Future Vehicles

Team Marine members were able to see zero emissions vehicles of the future on November 19th, 2010. The ZERO Emissions Race teams met in Santa Monica to show off their state-of-the-art electric creations. These plug-in electric vehicles will help us cure our addiction to oil! Paul Pearson of Gas 2 Electric Conversions talked with us about the operations of these cars, as well as the nature of the race. The three cars are not actually in a race, but actually on a world tour. They visit popular cities and educate the public on the benefits of switching to EV. Sounds good to us!

Help fund Sarah and Garen's 5 Gyres Trip!

2010-12-16T18:31:00.000-08:00

Fellow eco-beasts Sarah Bayles and Dr. Garen Baghdasarian will be joining 5 Gyres Institute on a trip to the South Pacific Gyre. The team will sail from the Chilean coast to Easter Island, and will research how plastic pollution in our oceans affect zooplankton populations. Sarah will blog about their entire trip to keep us all updated. The trip is expensive due to the complexity of research to be conducted, and we have committed to helping them fundraise!

Eco-Beasts: Sarah and Garen

You can help too. Just take five minutes to donate $5 or more. Every dollar counts! Find Sarah and Garen at The Daily Ocean

Donate directly by clicking here: Donate $5

Victory for our Beaches and Oceans in LA County!

2010-11-16T16:50:00.000-08:00

Laurie Gould of Pasadena dresses up at as Plastic Bag Monster, Photo by Gary Friedman

Today, on November 16th, 2010, history was made as the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted 3-1 to ban single-use plastic bags in LA County. This ban will cover about 1.1 million residents of the area, making LA County the biggest municipality to ban the plastic bag in the country! Stores in the affected area will be prohibited from providing single-use plastic bags to its customers, but have to the option to provide paper bags for 10 cents each. Plastic bags for produce and meat will not be banned for sanitary reasons. This ban will severely reduce the SIX BILLION plastic bags per year that are currently being used by the county. Team Marine is so proud of the board for supporting the ban, and hope that Santa Monica officials will follow.

As an update, the City of Santa Monica has postponed their decision on banning plastic bags even further. Their last proposed date was November 23rd, which was announced after Team Marine's march.

Team Marine as Mentors!

2010-11-14T13:30:00.000-08:00

Kou Collins talking to a group of environmentally-minded students at USC

Team Marine was given the opportunity to assist student teams participating this year's QuikScience Challenge, a collaboration between QuikSilver and the USC Wrigley Institute, on Thursday November 11th, 2010. We brought our fleet of plastic monster costumes, as well as educational material involving sustainability, anthropogenic impacts, water purification, etc. Team Marine has been quite successful in past QuikScience Challenges, and decided to a year off from competing to mentor other environmental teams. Thank you to the 100+ students who came out for the event, as well as our partners over at QuikScience.

Team Marine's fleet of PLASTIC BAG MONSTERS!

(from left to right; Patricio, Maykel, Nicho, Echo, and Alexis)

Support LA County's Ordinance to Ban Plastic Bags

2010-10-29T21:54:00.000-07:00

History will be made November 16^th. Please join Heal the Bay to support our Board of Supervisors as they vote to ban plastic bags in unincorporated Los Angeles County. With a population of over a million people this will be the largest municipality in the country to ban the use of plastic bags.

When: November 16th The Board can postpone any agenda item at their discretion. We will provide any updated information on our website. Please RSVP and we’ll keep you updated on any changes.
Where: 383 Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration, 500 W. Temple Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012
Time: Our Bag Ban Rally will begin at 8:30am-9:15am on the steps outside the hall. The meeting will begin at 9:30am

Successful Ban the Plastic Bag March!

2010-10-29T21:44:00.000-07:00

Santa Monica Daily Press
Team Marine and Heal the Bay Surfrider Club collaborated this past Tuesday (Oct. 26th) in a peaceful march. We demonstrated throughout downtown Santa Monica, with over 60 participating marchers, ending at Santa Monica City Hall. At city hall, all of the march's participants sat down in a townhall-style room, where we were told that on Nov. 23rd, 2010, the council will decide to ban the plastic bag or not. The two teams reached thousands of people during our peaceful protest, through the march itself and associated media, including three film crews and various photographers. Thanks to everyone who came out and supported us!

Join Team Marine's 6th Annual Ban the Bag March!

2010-10-21T00:13:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday October 26, 2010, Team Marine and the Heal The Bay Surfrider Club students will stage their 6th friendly community march to raise awareness about the dangers of plastic bag pollution and the reusable bag solution. The Santa Monica City Council has been trying to bag the plastic bag for two years now! Unfortunately, they haven't been able to without the risk of being sued by the plastic bag industry, due to the lack of an environmental impact report. The march will begin and end at Santa Monica High School and continue into downtown Santa Monica between 4-7pm. All are welcome to join!

No on Proposition 23

2010-10-17T14:50:00.000-07:00

Team Marine members have done their research, and concluded that the team is opposed to Proposition 23. Prop. 23 aims to "temporarily" suspend Assembly Bill 32 until unemployment falls below 5.5% for four consecutive quarters. The unemployment rate is currently over 12%. AB 32, known as the CA Global Warming Solutions Act, requires the state of California to reduce annual emissions of greenhouse gases (ex. CH4 or CO2) to 1990 levels by 2020. The act has stimulated the massive growth of the green industry, where environmentally friendly jobs, products, and decisions are made. With the suspension of this bill, California's green industry will suffer, and we will continue to think in the present rather than for the future. On November 2nd, 2010, please vote no on Proposition 23, a proposition funded in the millions by oil giants Tesoro and Valero, among others.

ReEducate yourselves: Yes and No on Proposition 23 views

Brown/Newsom Rally

2010-10-17T14:38:00.000-07:00

(AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
Jerry Brown and Gavin Newsom held a political rally at UCLA's Dickson Court on Friday October 25, 2010, which was attended by over 4,000 supporters. Team Marine member Aidan Nathanson was lucky enough to attend this event, after participating in a phone banking session. Team Marine is endorsing Jerry Brown for Governor and Gavin Newsom for Lt. Governor for their support of expanding green jobs and a green economy, as well as their opposition to Proposition 23. Team Marine will talk a little more about Prop. 23 and AB32 in a later post. Brown and Newsom were accompanied by former President Bill Clinton, who supported their green efforts and choice to "consistently choose the future over the present".

KLOS Radio

2010-10-17T14:14:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday October 13th 2010, Team Marine went to the KLOS studios to be interviewed by Cynthia Fox. The interview was pre-recorded and will be aired on Sunday October 17th on 95.5 KLOS between 6:30-7 AM. In addition to their radio spot, Kou, Jessica, and Michelle got a tour of the studio and met the executives of the radio station. The memorable occasion allowed the team members to learn the basics of how radio works. A giant thank you to Cynthia Fox and the KLOS team for inviting Team Marine be on the station.

First Flush

2010-10-08T16:50:00.000-07:00

Team Marine was struck with great distress as news of the first flush came to our attention. For the first time since last winter, significant rains hit the Santa Monica area. The water (and trash) collected by the city's storm drains broke the sand barrier at the Pico-Kenter storm drain and flowed into the ocean on October 5th-6th, 2010. Team Marine had an emergency meeting, and immediately walked to the storm drain site to document and clean the beach. We picked up hundreds of pounds of trash in a short amount of time, but unfortunately thousands of pounds of trash still flowed into our Santa Monica Bay.

Santa Monica Alternative Car Expo

2010-10-08T16:30:00.000-07:00

The 2010 Santa Monica AltCar Expo was Saturday, October 2nd. We got a huge group to attend the event, where our members learned about plug-in hybrids and EVs, hydrogen cell and biodiesel, etc. At Team Marine, we are all in love with eco-friendly cars, motorcycles, and trucks like these, especially the zero-emission vehicles. Kudos to Mr. Kay for signing up to purchase the Nissan Leaf. The Leaf is a zero emission car, and was a hit at the show. Thank you to Mary Nichols of the Air Resources Board, City of Santa Monica, and the car companies who have decided to partially stray from America's addiction to oil.

QuikSCience at the IMAX

2010-10-04T12:48:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, October 3rd, 2010 Team Marine was invited to speak at a QuikSCience event at the IMAX theater. Other student leaders in the eco-world also spoke of their experiences, and the audience was very enthusiastic about creating eco-groups of their own. Jessica, Kou, and Aidan presented a powerpoint presentation before the main event: a free viewing of The Ultimate Wave Tahiti 3D with Kelly Slater. It was an amazingly awesome movie, and we are very thankful to Quiksilver, USC Wrigley Institute, and QuikSCience for providing us with this great opportunity.

Day of Peace

2010-10-01T17:57:00.000-07:00

Looking back at Roots and Shoots' Day of Peace, all I can think is WOW! It was such a fun, educational event at the Santa Monica Pier. Numerous booths who had the common goal of saving the world were there, and everyone learned new things. We won the Best Outreach Booth, participated in the Peace Dove Parade, and spread the eco-love. We hope to continue attending Day of Peace for many years to come! Special thanks to Roots and Shoots for allowing us to be a big part of this event.

Dirt! at the Pier

2010-10-01T17:22:00.000-07:00

The City of Santa Monica Office of Sustainability and the Environment played Dirt! The Movie at the Santa Monica Pier on Friday September 24th. New Team Marine members were there to educate themselves on the importance of dirt in cultures all over the world. A giant thank you to the OSE for having this free event!

Koodooz Event

2010-10-01T16:52:00.000-07:00

The Santa Monica Main Library got a massive helping of Team Marine on Saturday September 25th, 2010. Koodooz put on a great event with a group of speakers including Julia Brownley (we love her!), Mr. Kay, Ethan Burke of ACE, among other important figures in the Eco-World. Team Marine brought its entire REthink mural, and other types of eco-art projects. Overall, it was a very informative event, and the entire team had an amazing time.

Coastal Cleanup Day

2010-10-01T16:36:00.000-07:00

On September 25th, 2010, Team Marine participated in Heal the Bay's Coastal Cleanup Day, which takes place the 3rd Saturday of September every year. We picked up trash for three around Station 27 at the Santa Monica Beach. Some members even entered the Pico-Kenter storm drain to pick up debris. Beach cleanups are one of Team Marine's favorite events. If you are interested in participating in beach cleanups in your area, contact your local California Coastal Commission office.

Team Marine at the IMAX theater!

2010-10-01T16:19:00.000-07:00

The team will be presenting a Powerpoint at a QuikScience event at the California Science Center IMAX theater. Come check us out!

Ban the Plastic Bag in SM Petition

2010-09-26T11:31:00.000-07:00

Hey all,

We have a new petition to ban single-use plastic bags in Santa Monica, since our last one went M.I.A. Please sign the new petition and pass the word others! It's people like you whose voice will convince the officials of the City of Santa Monica to make the right choice and vote for the ban! A big thanks to Care2 and our green guardian angel, Simone.

Click here to sign.

-Eco-Beast

UPDATE: Our goal of 1,000 signatures was broken sometime in the early morning! This took just two days. Keep on signing!

Team Marine on Eco-Company TV!

2010-09-25T00:24:00.000-07:00

Recently, Eco-Company TV invited Team Marine to be a part of one of their TV episodes. New and old Team Marine members had a great time working with Eco-Company's crew and host, and we all hope that our message against plastics and for sustainability reaches many viewers in the area. For those of you unable to turn into KTLA on Saturday check out our videos:

Thank you Adam and the rest of the Eco-Company crew for this experience!

Plastic Monsters at the Malibu Farmers Market!

2010-08-23T16:35:00.000-07:00

On August 8th 2010, Team Marine worked with the Plastic Pollution Coalition at the Malibu Farmers Market. 5 Gyres also had a booth there, who educated the community. At the Farmers Market, Team Marine members Aidan, and Kou dressed up in the bottle costumes as a bottle and bottle cap "monster" and educated many Malibu community members on the issues of single use plastics. The team of "monsters" asked people to sign their petition to ban single use plastic bags in Santa Monica, which are already banned in Malibu. By the end of the day, Team Marine got about fifty signatures.

ACE Student Leader Training

2010-08-23T15:28:00.000-07:00

Kou and Aidan attended a student leader training seminar led by the Alliance for Climate Education. Team Marine has been close with ACE, and we love them for being Eco-Beasts like ourselves. They invited us to learn about how to create and maintain a successful environmental group, which was a lot of fun (especially the great food!) We encourage everyone reading to attend one of their seminars, which is completely free. More information can be found here. ACE pushed our limits when they challenged us to make a video around Culver City, explaining one D.O.T. we accomplish everyday. A DOT is a pledge to Do One Thing to help the environment - and cool the climate. We decided to make a video about ten DOTs - Team Marine's ten R's. Our video came out great, and we all had a hilarious time making it. We will upload it once we receive a copy of the video. A big thanks to Sophie and Ethan of ACE for leading the seminar, as well as Sony Pictures Studios for letting us attend the event on their studio lot.

Sea Monster Sculpture at SMPA

2010-08-23T14:42:00.000-07:00

Hey fellow Eco-Beasts. Here's the scoop on an event Team Marine attended on July 8th, 2010 at the Santa Monica Pier Aquarium. The event we attended was a volunteer enrichment seminar. Team members Aidan and Talia learned how to explain disturbing, immense problems that are currently occurring around the world to children. It prepared us to better inform the public on environmental problems, thanks to SMPA volunteers, as well as presenter Amy Blount Lay. Amy Lay led the seminar and explained how to create "sea monsters" out of plastic marine debris, to make a point of how disastrous it is to our Earth's habitats.

Bag it! A film festival

2010-08-07T00:05:00.000-07:00

Plastic Pollution Coalition invites you to...

BAG IT! A Film Festival

4-7pm Sunday, August 22, 2010

The UCLA James Bridges Theatre

Featuring:

Bag It!

A documentary by Suzan Bereza

Plastic Bag

An Award-winning short

By Ramin Bahrani

Voiced by Werner Herzog

& PSAs Supporting AB1998

The California Single-Use Bag Reduction Act

The filmmakers, legislators, scientists, and celebrities who are in the know about plastic pollution

BAG IT!

is your life too plastic?

RSVP@plasticpollutioncoalition.org

Directions
The Bridges Theater is located at the Northeastern corner of the UCLA campus. Parking is available in Lot 3. Parking fee is $10. From Hilgard Ave. enter the east side of campus at Wyton Dr. Make and immediate right turn onto Charles E. Young Dr. East and signs will direct you to Parking Structure 3.
From the ground level of Structure 3, enter the underpass (or from the street level cross Charles E. Young Dr. North and proceed down steps) and walk straight alongside Melnitz and Macgowan Halls. Turn left at the plaza and proceed to the courtyard of theaters.

Charitable Donations will be accepted at the event

BAN THE BAG!

2010-08-06T23:04:00.000-07:00

Every year Californians are estimated to use 19 billion plastic bags - many of which will end up in our rivers and oceans causing major harm and damage to our precious eco-systems. A ban on plastic bags is one of the biggest single cuts we can make to reduce marine debris pollution.

California Bill, AB 1998 would ban single-use plastic bags in California for good! As senators gather this August to vote we need to make sure we are heard and that this bill passes!

We need YOU to wear a Bag Monster costume on August 12, 2010 @ Ghirardelli Square in San Francisco at our “Don’t Feed the Bag Monster” event. We will provide the

costume, a free reusable bag, snacks and water. Join us as we let the state know that we are fed up with the unnecessary waste of single-use bags!

Single-use bags are easy to spoof since they’re such a bad idea - thus the birth of the Bag Monster costume! Bag Monster costumes are decked out with 500-700 single-use plastic bags, the amount the average American uses in 1 year! The bags are attached to a single jumpsuit using Velcro. Bag Monsters have been known to make appearances at events all over the country but this August 12th 2010 we’re organizing the LARGEST Bag Monster event in history at Ghirardelli Square!

Who: 100 volunteers to wear Bag Monster costumes – that means YOU and all your friends!

What: 100 Bag Monsters gather at Ghirardelli Square in the “Don’t Feed the Bag Monster” event. Lead Bag Monster, Andy Keller, will rally everyone and march towards Maritime National Historic Park.

When: August 12th, 2010 11AM – 2PM ***please arrive @ 10AM to get dressed and collect your free goodies***

Where: Ghirardelli Square, 900 north point Street at the corner of Beach and Larkin. (West of Fisherman’s Wharf) Meet in the dressing room to get your gifts and costume.

Why: To show support of California Bill AB 1998 and the reusable bag movement!

We anticipate this event will draw state-wide attention to AB 1998, just what we need before senators vote – you won’t want to miss this opportunity to make history! If you are able to volunteer please contact us by August 6th 2010!

Organization___Bag Monster March_____________ Contact________Becca Schwalm_____ Phone________(530) 342-4426 x224_____________email____becca@chicobag.com______________

For additional information contact Becca Schwalm /// bagmonster@chicobag.com or (530)342-4426 x224

Zocalo Sustainable Seafood Event

2010-08-06T23:02:00.000-07:00

On July 7th at 7:30pm Team Marine attended a sustainable seafood event held by Zocalo at the Skirball Center. Food critic Jonathan Gold, Heal the Bay's president Mark Gold (Jonathan's brother), Providence executive chef Michael Cimarusti, and Santa Monica Seafood's Logan Kock discussed whether seafood will one day become a delicacy due to increasing fishing pressures on some of the world's not only finest fish but also some of the most important fishes to our oceans. It was fascinating how those four experts were able to dissect the topic in both scientific and basic terms so people of all ranges of knowledge on the subject could comprehend the situation we are facing as an ever-increasing fish-eating culture.

(from left to right... Jonathan Gold, Mark Gold, Logan Kock, and Michael Cimarusti)

HELP BAN PLASTIC BAGS IN CALIFORNIA

2010-08-04T13:22:00.000-07:00

Come show your support of
banning plastic bags in California by dressing up as a Bag Monster on August
12 @ Ghirardelli Square in San Francisco!

http://bagmonster.blogspot.com/2010/07/we-need-bag-monster-volunteers-join-us.html

4th of July Parade

2010-08-04T12:56:00.001-07:00

This 4th of July Team Marine participated in Santa Monica's Annual 4th of July Parade. We were asked by Heal the Bay, the Grand Marshall this year, to march alongside them through the streets of downtown Santa Monica until we reached the beach. It was an awesome experience and an honor to get to help lead the parade with Heal the Bay. Heal the Bay's president, Mark Gold, was there with his whole family and it was great getting a chance to talk to him. Plastic Bag Man made an appearance along with various sea creatures like lobsters and sea jellies. Assemblywoman Julia Brownley also came to support her plastic bag ban and Team Marine got to meet her (some for the second time) and take a picture with her! Overall it was a perfect start to our 4th of July!

Benjamin Kay's award

2010-08-04T12:46:00.000-07:00

Guest blogger Kou Collins says...

On June 19th 2010 Team Marine went to the TreePeople headquarters where Team Marine members Kou Collins and Jacob Hassett were present along with assistant coach Renee Klein who watched their head coach Benjamin Kay win an award. This night was filled with awards that different people won. TreePeople's founder Andy Lipkis was in attendance and even gave a brief speech which explained the whole organization. The award Ben Kay won, was presented by Generation Earth, and is a very important award.

Recovering from Summer Fever + Beach Cleanup

2010-08-01T21:54:00.000-07:00

A big hello from Team Marine to all of our readers! Sadly we've all been very busy this summer, and unable to blog regularly. We will be updating you all on all of our activities we have already completed this summer, starting with our first beach cleanup.

By invitation of Sara Bayles, Team Marine attended a beach cleanup at Santa Monica's lifeguard tower 26 in honor of International Surfing Day, on June 20th, 2010. Close to 40 others accompanied Team Marine in the cleanup, collecting 71.7 pounds of trash from the seemingly clean Santa Monica Beach spot. All that attended were entered into raffles for surfboard demos, shirts, and other prizes, and were provided with a great breakfast of pastries, bagels, and drinks. Participants also competed for prizes for oddest object collected, heaviest object collected, most trash collected, etc. It seemed that Kou won most of them, collecting the most and finding a candle in the shape of a naked woman which was voted the oddest object of the day. We want to give a big thanks to Sara Bayles and Mike Takahashi for organizing, as well to the sponsors of the cleanup including Surfrider, Arbor, and Aqua Surf School.

TEAM MARINE GRADUATES

2010-06-20T16:50:00.000-07:00

On Friday Team Marine graduated from Santa Monica High School.
Team Marine will be going on to attend several Colleges including UCSB, Oregon State, Pitzer College, Humboldt State and University of San Francisco.

Ban The Bag. Support AB 1998

2010-06-06T01:07:00.000-07:00

Support Lifestraws

2010-06-03T14:06:00.001-07:00

Please support our partners in their efforts to expand the Lifestraw Program. Team Marine has been working with this group for the past year and a half collecting and recycling bottles and cans to raise money to buy water purification straws for people who do not have access to clean drinking water.
Please click on the link and vote for them to receive $250K to expand the Lifestraw Program.
http://www.refresheverything.com/watersolutionsforlife

Letters To Assemblymembers Supporting AB1998

2010-06-03T13:41:00.000-07:00

Team Marine's letter to Assemblymembers

Team Marine wrote and sent letters to eight members of The California State Assembly who play a critical role in the passage of AB1998. In the letter Team marine urges the Assemblymembers to vote for AB1998.

Excerpt form the letter
"California has a critical role to play in becoming a true leader in eliminating plastic bag waste and preventing the proliferation of plastic pollution in our communities. The passage of AB 1998 will be a major step in breaking our addiction to single-use bags. Please help us protect California's and the world's oceans for generations to come by voting for AB1998."

AB1998 Press Conference

2010-06-03T13:25:00.000-07:00

Screen shot of Kcal 9 news clip of press conference

On Tuesday morning Team Marine met at the Santa Monica Pier for a press conference to show our support for AB1998. If passed AB1998 would ban all single-use plastic bags in grocery stores, convenience stores and pharmacies and regulate paper bags. Team Marine Captain Megan Kilroy and Coach Benjamin Kay spoke. Team Marine was joined by representatives of several environmental organizations such as Heal The Bay, Environment California, and The Plastic Pollution Coalition.

Follow this link to watch the video
http://cbs2.com/video/?id=136201%40kcbs.dayport.com

Team Marine Goes To Catalina

2010-06-03T13:04:00.000-07:00

As a reward for winning first place in the Edison Challenge and second place in the QuickScience Challenge Team Marine spent four days at the USC Marine Wrigley Institute on Catalina island. While on the island Team Marine had a lot of fun snorkling, kyacking, hiking, stargazing and studying the unique marine ecosystem. Even on such a remote beautiful island Team Marine still spent a lot of time picking up single-use plastic from the beaches and in the waves.

Solar Cup 2010

2010-05-18T19:41:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, Santa Monica High School students sponsored by the City of Santa Monica, competed for their second year in the Solar Cup, the nation’s largest solar boat competition put on by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. 36 high schools teams built a 16’ wooden hull, attended technical workshops at Occidental College, wrote engineering reports, produced a video about water conservation, prepared and presented a lesson plan on a water-related topic, and overcame the arduous tasks of purchasing materials under a restricted budget and outfitting their boats with solar, steering, electrical, and drive-train systems. Based at Lake Skinner in Temecula Valley, schools raced in two sprint and two endurance competitions. Samohi’s solar boat team composed of ten Marine Biology and Team Marine students finished 11th overall, improving from last year’s 16th place finish.

Team Marine Wins Ocean Hero Award

2010-04-21T14:03:00.000-07:00

Team Marine wins Ocean Hero Award

On April 5th Team Marine traveled by van to Sacramento to be part of Ocean Day at the California State Capitol Building on March 6. Representing the youth, the students met with various assembly members, senators, and staff to support bills AB1998 and AB925 that would reduce plastic marine debris and curb carbon dioxide emissions. They also encouraged state officials to establish a comprehensive network of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) that follow the scientific guidelines and draft new legislation that would make environmental sustainability a core subject in k-12 grade levels. The students also had a chance to lobby alongside various environmental organizations, including Heal the Bay. That evening, Team Marine attended a formal reception and sustainable seafood banquet with numerous state officials and ocean advocates and was given an Ocean Hero Award by a California steering committee composed of CalCoast, Environment California, Heal the Bay, the NRDC, Ocean Conservancy, San Diego Coastkeeper, and Surfrider Foundation. Lester Snow, Secretary for Natural Resources welcomed the students that evening, and Mike Chrisman, a director for the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and former Secretary for Natural Resources presented the award to the students for their many contributions toward protecting the marine environment. Returning home along the coast, Team Marine visited the Monterey Bay Aquarium and camped in beautiful Big Sur.

Team Marine with Senator Julia Brownly who authored AB1998 which would ban all single-use paper and plastic bags in California

Team Marine Wins Big in Environmental Science Competitions

2010-04-20T13:29:00.000-07:00

Team Marine won 2nd Place in the Quikscience Challenge 2010. Team Marine was awarded 2nd place for all their extremely hard work this year including the creation of an original curriculum and documentary about Team Marines 10 R's, advocating for MPAs, cleaning up and spreading awareness about plastic pollution in the ocean, performing in depth research about storm drain pollution and fouling organisms on plastic, their work to ban single-use plastic bags in Santa Monica, presenting all over California, building a solar powered boat for Solar Cup 2010 and reaching over 9 million people.

Team Marine "Lab Coats" win 1st Place in the Edison Challenge 2010. Team Marine "Lab Coats" were awarded 1st place for their work with the Teach and Test Program monitoring water quality in Santa Monica Bay and Collecting thousands of bottles to Recycle for LifeStraws.

TEAM MARINE 10 R's DOCUMENTARY

2010-04-11T18:40:00.001-07:00

Tapped Screening a Huge Success

2010-03-30T18:28:00.000-07:00

On March 24th Team Marine held a special free screening of the award wining documentary Tapped. Tapped is an incredible film all about the harmful effects of single-use plastic water bottles on our environment and ourselves. Over 125 students and members of the community attended.

TEAM MARINE HOSTS SCREENING OF THE MOVIE TAPPED.

2010-03-11T13:36:00.000-08:00

EVERYONE CAN COME! ITS COMPLETELY FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC!!!!!

Click on the picture if you cant read it.

When: March 24th @ 4pm
Where: Santa Monica High School Barnum Hall
601 Pico Blvd.
Santa Monica California 90405
Cost: FREE
Sponsored by Team Marine and The Daily Ocean.

Wanna know more about the movie? visit. www.tappedthemovie.com

LabCoats present:LifeStraws at your school!

2010-03-08T00:39:00.000-08:00

For the Edison Challange Team LabCoats made an original video on 10 steps to setting up a LifeStraws recycling program at your school!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nl0luR-jnlc