NRDC’S OCEANS TEAM ANNOUNCES LAUNCH OF NEW WEBSITE

- Liane Weintraub, Editor-in-Chief

Malibu … the very name of the town is synonymous with the Pacific Ocean – anyone with a TV will tell you so.  Just think of all those “Gidget” movies and “Beach Blanket Bingo.”  Jim of “The Rockford Files” operated out of a trailer down in Paradise Cove.  The lifeguards of “Baywatch” patrolled Malibu’s beaches.  The Malibu Colony has been a sandy get-away for producers and starlets since sound came to the movies.

When you cross the border into our town you are welcomed by a sign reading, “27 Miles of Scenic Beauty,” and it’s true.  Malibu proudly claims some of the world’s most famous surf spots, but sadly Malibu has a dirty secret – its water.  The sad reality is that the Pacific Ocean along Malibu’s coastline is frequently given poor ratings for polluted and contaminated water.  For our beautiful town on the sea, just like the movies and TV shows in which it is featured, what you see is not always the reality.

Sadly, it’s not only Malibu’s beaches that are suffering.  In fact, in 2005 there were more than 20,000 days of closings and advisories posted at beaches across the country.  All over the world, reefs are dying, fish populations are over-fished and facing extinction (not to mention dangerous levels of mercury) and water pollution is resulting in sick beach-goers, many of them children.

Friday, June 8 is World Oceans Day, and Tastybaby is making a commitment to do something to help change the tide of polluted waters.  It is simply unacceptable that what appears to be the natural beauty of our beaches and waters is nothing more than false advertising.  We are thrilled to be a part of the Malibu Legacy Park Project, which will create a water-reclamation and purification plant to clean the run-off that goes into one of our most legendary locations, Surfrider Beach.

photo credt: youroceans.org

Tastybaby is also delighted about a new website, www.YourOceans.org, created by NRDC, the country’s leading environmental advocacy agency.  It is a beautiful, informative and interactive site … we encourage you to check it out!

So much of our way of life in Southern California revolves around beach culture, and whether you are lucky enough to live nearby or hope to vacation in the sun and surf, restoring pristine beaches and healthy oceans is vital to our planet.

Please share why the ocean is important to you & your family, and send us pictures of your favorite beach memories