In Vancouver, we’re lucky to never be far from the ocean. We have kayaking, canoeing, stand-up paddle boarding, and even surfing, all at our fingertips. There are plenty of ways to enjoy the water in British Columbia, but it’s all too easy to not realize the impact that these activities have on the ocean itself.

Recycling rates are the highest they’ve ever been. It’s become the most popular green habit above all others, embedded into the psyche of most working households. Why? Well, unlike the options of flying less or cutting our meat consumption to save the planet, recycling doesn’t require any significant behavioural changes to our 21st century way of living.

The Pacific Northwest is home to one of the world’s last greatest treasures: wild salmon. But for the 2019 salmon run, only 628,000 sockeye salmon are expected to return to the Fraser River in Vancouver. Original estimates were set at nearly five million.

Last week I decided to walk down to the beach to eat my lunch. I found a nice log to sit on from which to admire birds harvesting the tidal zone, layers of majestic mountains, the smell of saltwater, and to think about how fortunate I am to have such opportunity. Then I looked down. At my feet, literally, were eight cigarette butts. With a sigh I decided to count how many cigarette butts I could see without leaving my log perch.