Day 2: #BlueMind Challenge

A walk up Mill Creek, a hike to the beach in Año Nuevo State Park, a cold swim in the Pacific waves with our girls, followed by a long soak in the hot tub. Ready for Day 2!

We're off to a GREAT start (and have 99 more days to go)! Thank you for helping us change the way the world thinks, feels, and acts towards our oceans and waterways (and learning something new about yourself in the process).

More than 700 people from all corners of the globe, from Alaska and Russia to Hawaii and Uruguay, have signed up to be part of 100 Days of  Blue Mind already, are generating stories and photos, tweeting and posting, beach-walking, water-gazing, swimming, surfing, and getting thier "blue minds" on in so many different ways!

You have also sent many, many good questions our way. So, we thought we'd collect, summarize, categorize, and answer them right away for everyone's benefit.

Q: Will you be sending emails every day?

A: No. Sorry, we know you're so sad about that ; )

And while we realize this is the second email in 2 days, going forward emails will only be sent once or twice a week.

However, we willl post to my Blog daily during the 100 Days of Blue Mind Challenge and we'll share photos and notes we receive on social media.

Note that you have the power to opt out at any time (look down there in the lower left corner), though we hope you'll stay on board for all 100 Days.

You are on this list because you are a strong advocate for our blue planet, have a personal connection to oceans and waterways, are mentioned in the Blue Mind book, have attended one or more Blue Mind Summit, and/or have signed up.

The surprises along the way and at the Day 100 conclusion will be WELL worth the journey. We promise.

Q: Is your new book Blue Mind available yet? I'm eager to read it!

A: Yes and no. The book launched on June 12th in the U.K., Australia, and New Zealand and is availble at booksellers in those places. In the U.S. and Canada the book launch is July 22nd.

In the meantime, you can pre-order the book from dozens of booksellers. We suggest you support your favorite local bookshop, such as our fav - Bookshop Santa Cruz, or reserve a copy at your public library.

By the way, to underline our love and devotion to public libraries the U.S. book launch is being held the the Santa Monica Public Library, and to reiterate our committment to grassroots water/ocean conservation, protection and restoration efforts each book talk/signing will feature local leaders from the water movement.

We'll also strive to make ALL our events as close to Zero Waste as possible. 'Cuz that's how we roll. Yep, we (mostly) walk our talk. Except when we are flying, which we know burns sick amounts of fossil fuel. So, we plant a lot of trees and work as hard as anyone we know to promote the 'blue movement' when we do fly.

Speaking of travel, the first foreign translation of Blue Mind will be in Russian (they do have a LOT of water there), followed by several other languages. We'll keep you posted as they are announced.

We've also put a sneak preview of the book online (because we love you all so much). Watch for other book excerpts in the same place. We'll announce them in my Blog as they go live.

If you need to buy books in large quantities for any reason, please get in touch as the publisher has a super special price for you!

Q: Other than the books, how are you funded?

Thanks for asking. In addition to selling/lending books (which hasn't offically started in the U.S. yet, and--newsflash--doesn't pay all that well unless/until you hit that elusive "Best Seller" status) the Blue Mind message is shared  through a partnership with LiVE BLUE, a project of The Ocean Foundation.

LiVBLUE is funded by a small group of people called the LiVE BLUE Angels. These awesome individuals have pledged a monthly contribution of any size (from $2 to $100). Yes, you can thank them...and yes, they rock!

We'd be honored to count you among the LiVE BLUE Angels if that's your sort of thing.

Q: Can we help spread the word about 100 Days of Blue and Blue MInd in ways other than being a LiVE BLUE Angel?

A: Yes, please! You'll see the three options up there in the right hand corner (Like, Tweet and Forward), please use those each time you get one of these emails. Better than that, get near, in, on, or under your favorite water and share the story and photos.

Q: What about the book tour, readings, and other events?

A: We'll keep you up to date on all that in these emails and on the website. If you're interested in organizing a book group or other event, get in touch. If you have other wild, creative ideas, definitely get in touch!

You may also be interested in joining us on a very special Blue Mind Experience, floating down the Snake River Canyon in September. River Mind anyone?

Q: What's up with those blue marbles, I see them all over!?

A: The blue marble has become the symbol of Blue Mind thinking. We share blue marbles as small tokens of gratitude with people doing good and as a simple reminder that we share this unique, small, blue, water planet.

From a million miles away we look like a blue marble (or so our NASA friends tell us). Now, a million+ blue marbles are passing between people all over the world. We love to hear stories and see photos about where marbles have been.

Q: So, I've done my share of good stuff, how the heck do I get a blue marble?

A: You can wait until someone hands one to you (and thanks you for that good stuff you've done). You can also get a bag of blue marbles and starting spreading the gratitude yourself.

Q: Cool, how else does the blue marble connect with Blue Mind?

A: Thanks. Great question. There's also a blue marble on the spine of the Blue Mind book (to make it super easy to locate on the bookshelf) and the final chapter of the book is devoted to telling the blue marble story (you'll love it).

Pretty nifty, huh?

Q: How many questions are there?

A: That's it. We're done. Back to the water with you all!