Keep Your Damn Golf Balls Out of the Ocean

Every time I head out into the reefs, there is always a bright white object that catches my eye.  Sometimes its a multitude of bright white objects… golf balls.  It always struck as strange that golf balls would be in areas of the reef, where is there no golf course.  I have tried to figure out current patterns, and yet, those currents do not lead to the offending golf course. 

So how are these balls getting out into the ocean, and deep inside the reef areas?

My own father gave me the answer.  “Its the fantasy of most golfers to hit balls into the ocean.”  He’s even done it himself he confessed to me. On most of my excursions, the golf balls are typically along a well traveled road, near a parking area, and easy access to the beach.  Which might explain the proliferation of balls in certain areas and not others.  And, I surmise, that these golfers, know that doing this is fundamentally wrong, because I’ve never seen anyone doing this during the day, so are these guys being night drivers?

trash from a dive including a golf ball

I really enjoy the game of golf, but, more and more, this is becoming a pollution problem.  I recently read a story that Lock Ness has ten’s of thousands of golf balls at the bottom of the lake.  Apparently, this is a golfer’s fantasy around the globe.  Well, knock it off!  These things don’t break down, decompose, and marine mammals think they are food.  And yes, there is a funny episode of Seinfeld, where Kramer hits a ball into the blowhole of a whale.   In this case, not funny, a pain in the butt for divers and marine conservationists like me…

The Importance of Organics

We here at Planet Protect – the Organic Sportswear Co – are frequently asked what are the advantages of Organic Cotton?  Why sell it, what’s the significance?  These are great questions, and we typically get such questions at the trade shows we participate.  People easily understand organic foods – no pesticides and fungicides are used to grow the food, making the food a healthy choice.  In terms of clothing, since we don’t eat our clothes, the real value is in the farming and land use.  Tons of highly toxic chemicals are used in the production of cotton.  The plant is doused with a dangerous mixture to ward of pests, fungus and other detractors to its growth. 

Unfortunately, the run off of this toxicity is dangerous to people, our water supplies and health.  Organic cotton is truly the best choice for consumers.  The number of organic cotton farmers has increased dramatically, and we at Planet Protect applaud these suppliers and will continue to sell only Organic cotton t-shirts.

Visit the Organic Trade Association web site: http://www.ota.com/organic/mt/organic_cotton.html

Plastic Wrapped Bananas: Are You Kidding?

The plastic industry scored another victory against the environment, this time, they are sticking it to bananas.  Yes, 7-Eleven stores are starting to wrap bananas in plastic to keep them fresh longer.   The goal to extend shelf life from two days to four days – a whopping double the time frame!  The CEO for 7-Eleven proclaimed that his customers want yellow bananas not brown, hence the push for a new plastic wrap for the estimated (hold on to your hat) – 27 million individual bananas sold each year!   Once again the loser – the environment – and we all that must deal with this foolish disregard for our congested, overburdened landfills, the increasing plastic pollution in our waterways and oceans – filling up them up with this irresponsible marketing brainchild and promoting packaging waste such as this.  Of course, 7-Eleven recognizes this as a potential ecology nightmare, and hopes a biodegradable solution materializes…

check out the story here: http://abcnews.go.com/Business/eleven-tests-plastic-stay-fresh-wrap-bananas/story?id=8805383

Planet Protect: New Styles Coming for 2010

We have some great new styles coming this Spring.  We are currently working on new designs, patterns and color themes for our shirts, skirts, hoodies and more.  We will be introducing a new performance brand – our own – that we are developing.  Our goal is to live up to our name – Planet Protect, the Organic Sportswear Company – by producing/manufacturing  locally, buying from U.S. fabric suppliers, and giving to causes that work here in the U.S.   This way we minimize our footprint, keep jobs here, and keep our prices low.