Part of Claudia Patino Tarlow's whole philosophy in life is to live simply. She eats simply. Picks up after herself and others and teach her son as well as the kids that she works with to do the same no matter where she is. She has created many "clean up the Beach days" at the beaches that she frequents, even though they are not her local beaches she feels that it is her responsibility as a human to make sure that not only people need to be safe from stepping on the garbage but most importantly the creatures that we Now share these beaches with need to be kept safe since we have pretty violently changed their environments. 
She was a volunteer for many years with the Sea Turtle Conservation program in South Florida and taught lectures to children and adults on what the young hatchlings needed from us to allow the turtles to hopefully survive on their beaches that we had invaded with our large hotel lights that confused them to migrate towards the parking lots instead of the hatchling areas. 
But lately, surfing has had her grabbing up as many kids and friends as possible to clean Ditch Plains in Montauk which needs our help. It is loaded with Fishing lines for the guys who fish off of the docks for generations and still seem to have no clue that cut their lines and throwing them into the waters are what has recently killed three large 100 year old leather back turtles that washed up on Dirt Lot barely alive. The Surfers and locals tried to save them and their weren't enough people available from Riverhead to get there in time to save their lives if they were even savable.
During her Paddle Board lessons, she discusses picking up after "ourselves" and keeping a bag to pick up any wire or fishing lines seen in the water and bringing it onshore and disposing properly. This is extremely important if we want to see the lovely creatures of our natural habitat survive, endure and possibly make a comeback. Education is essential during any of these water sports. Any of us who teach in any educational environment need to educate our children but adults are the ones who really need the education at this point about proper disposal of harmful pollutants to our environment and changing their ways to help clean up our water ways.

We have a <a href="http://www.lulu.com/shop/wendy-tarlow-and-claudia-patino-tarlow/jojo-spring-lesson-in-recycling/paperback/product-20291431.html" title="Jojo Spring Lesson in Recycling" target="_blank">new Jojo the Seal Book</a> that was just released that takes place in Sag Harbor NY and is about recycling. Jojo gets tangled in fishing line and is saved by a Seagull and then creates a Clean Up the Beach Day with the Kids of Sag Harbor New York. They post flyers and turn it into an event that will happen every year in the book. Jojo was lucky. Not all Sea Creatures are!