Yesterday I came across a great article, Why We Love Beaches Best, that I wanted to share.  Besides offering a quick history of how going to the beach became fashionable starting in the late 1700s in England and taking root in the late 1800s here in the US, can't help but chuckle at the picture of people formally dressed on the beach, it also highlights the benefits of going to and living near the beach.   

The one interesting item I discovered in this article was the Ocean Health Index which I was previously unaware of.  Here's a brief description of what the Ocean Health Index is and how its emerged.  Something for us in the US to consider is that in 2016 the health of our oceans was ranked 85 / 221 so not even in the top 33% of countries and territories around the globe and our score has declined since 2014.  That should be a wake up call for us here in the US and suggests we have some work to do on more effectively managing our oceans. 

As the article states, "The beach can be a wonderful place to set your mind at ease and to let go of all of the stress of the big city. Just make sure to do your part in keeping it pristine for the future of all seaside vacations to come.", so let's all keep this in mind on our next trip to the beach.