drplasticpicker visits the Sea Lion Center! – Dr. Plastic Picker
 

drplasticpicker visits the Sea Lion Center!

| Posted in Travel

October 13, 2019

by drplasticpicker

Exhibit table on plastic debris.

Drplasticpicker and Mr. Plastic Picker (husband) went on a short trip to San Francisco, and visited the famous Pier 39 – home to the San Francisco Bay Sea Lions. Since the Plastic Picker family lives in the same state, we have visited Pier 39 several times. But this weekend was the first time we went upstairs to The Sea Lion Center https://www.aquariumofthebay.org/sea-lion-center/! What a treat! The Plastic Picker children decided to stay home with their grandparents so it was a fun weekend away!

The Sea Lion Center https://www.aquariumofthebay.org/sea-lion-center/is open daily 10am to 4pm, and free! There is a small table exhibit about the ocean plastic crisis. Drplasticpicker’s heart went pitter patter, as I realized that on this little table bespoke the truth drplasticpicker sees daily. Food wrappers! Cigarette butts!! Plastic bottle caps!!! Yes, they are everywhere on drplasticpicker’s quarter mile stretch of beach. Plastic straws and plastic bags not as much, since recent plastic bag bans.

It was a busy Saturday morning, and others were packed outside watching Fleet Week. Inside the free and cool Sea Lion Center https://www.aquariumofthebay.org/sea-lion-center/, it was just drplasticpicker and the lone docent. After eagerly rushing to tell Mr. Plastic Picker about the amazing exhibit, Mr. Plastic Picker suggested I tell the docent about this blog. I think my dear husband was trying to shoo me away so he could continue to watch the aerial show overhead.

Dear readers, I read the displays and went up to the nice young gentlemen docent and said, “These exhibits are great and I especially appreciate the one on ocean plastic debris.” He answered some of my questions, and stated that he often participates in the Ocean Conservency Ocean Cleanups https://oceanconservancy.org/action-center/. I procedded to tell him that I was drplasticpicker and that I had a blog about the ocean debris I pick up and I tabulate it. The young docent was more impressed with my enthusiasm than my blog. We were in San Francisco – tech hub and I’m sure there are bloggers here galore. Nonetheless it was a wonderful exchange, and drplasticpicker left a nice donation for the Sea Lion Center.

Donation Station

Being in San Franciso, drplasticpicker was impressed with the infrastructure that made recycling and composting easier – but was dismayed to see that there were comparable amounts of ocean bound plastic near the Embarcadero and the Fisherman’s Wharf. Drplasticpicker didn’t notice a difference between the amount of litter here versus comparable events back home. Mr. Plastic Picker admonished drplasticpicker not to start collecting plastic as I was not outfitted with bags/gloves and he was on vacation.

Instead, drplasticpicker concentrated on reducing and refusing single-use plastics! Drplasticpicker came on this trip armed with a reusable coffee mug, tupper ware, and toiletries from home! This enabled drplasticpicker and Mr. Plastic Picker to use only 1 plastic cup from the hotel room, one soap bar for both nights, and we did not use the coffee station in the room. We refused twice disposable coffee cups, and brought home restaurant left overs in our own tupperware. Drplasticpicker was shocked that in San Francisco there were very few customers at two different chain coffee houses with reusables. Mr. Plastic Picker insisted on a new disposable coffee cup at the airport, but drplasticpicker told him “Give that to me afterwards, and I will make it into a toy rocket!” Stay tuned for a post of how drplasticpicker repurposes Mr. Plastic Picker’s single use coffee cups. He usually brings a reusable one to work, but sometimes when he travels he slips up! And that is the end of drplasticpicker’s trip to the Sea Lion Center at Pier 39 in San Francisco. Picking up ocean plastic helps the sea lions too!

Refused most of the single use toiletries!

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3 thoughts on “drplasticpicker visits the Sea Lion Center!”

  1. Kim Castle Silva says:

    Hi Drplasticpicker!

    Our family has recently decided to reduce our use of single use plastics. We have stopped using Ziplock bags and plan to stop using plastic straws next month. We recently bought Stasher Bags to replace the Ziplock bags and silicone and metal straws. I’m looking into bamboo eating utensils that we can bring with us so that we don’t have to use plasticware.

    1. drplasticpicker says:

      Hello Kim.
      Your comment makes drplasticpicker’s heart sing! How wonderful that your family is reducing single-use plastics. If the kids want to write a guest blog please let me know! I’ll have my drplasticpicker email up shortly. So wonderful to see you on the blog and thank you for stopping by.
      Much love. your drplasticpicker.

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