Coastal Cleanup Day is around the dune
The California Coastal Commission is sponsoring the 27th Annual
California Coastal Cleanup Day on Sept. 17, from 9 a.m. to noon in
most locations.
Coastal Cleanup Day is around the dune
The California Coastal Commission is sponsoring the 27th Annual California Coastal Cleanup Day on Sept. 17, from 9 a.m. to noon in most locations.
California Coastal Cleanup Day is the state’s largest volunteer event, annually drawing more than 80,000 volunteers out to more than 800 cleanup sites along the state’s coast and inland shorelines. These volunteers combine with others around the world to create the world’s largest volunteer event dedicated to the marine environment, the International Coastal Cleanup organized by Ocean Conservancy.
“California Coastal Cleanup Day is an opportunity for every Californian, no matter where they may live, to take part in a dramatic act of coastal stewardship,” said Mary Shallenberger, chair of the California Coastal Commission. “Eighty percent of the debris that washes into the ocean off California originates on land, so we need volunteers throughout the state to do what they can to help us stop trash where it starts, and keep our oceans free of debris.”
As in past years, the commission is supplying all of the materials needed for volunteers to clean our beaches and waterways. But it is also asking volunteers to do their part to limit the amount of debris created by the event itself.
Find your cleanup location and register (if requested) by visiting www.coastforyou.org or by calling 800-COAST-4U.
2) Prepare your reusable cleanup supplies – locate a bucket or reusable bag you can wash after the event, grab some gloves, fill up a reusable water bottle, and pack a waste-free lunch.
3) Bring your bucket: Decorate your bucket before the cleanup, and then take a picture of it in use on Coastal Cleanup Day. Post your picture to the Commission’s Facebook page, www.facebook.com/CaliforniaCoast or Twitter feed, www.twitter.com/cleanupday, and you’ll be eligible to be selected for a California Coastal Cleanup Day prize package.
DURING THE CLEANUP:
1) Show up to your selected location with your cleanup supplies, and bring some friends.
2) Remove all the trash you can find and collect data on what you pick up. The data provides a vital snapshot of what is littering the beaches and waterways of California, helps inform educational and policy efforts, and acts as a baseline to evaluate the state’s marine debris efforts throughout the year.
3) Keep an eye out for any unusual items. If you find one, report it to your site captain to be eligible for the state’s annual Most Unusual Item Contest.
AFTER THE CLEANUP:
1) Log on to Ecoplates.com to enter your name in a drawing to win a $1,000 gift certificate to Whole Foods Market or one of several destination prize packages, supplied by partnering convention and visitors’ bureaus across the state.
2) While on Ecoplates.com, purchase a new whale tail license plate. Funds from the sale of the newly redesigned plate support Coastal Cleanup Day, grants to local efforts throughout the state, along with a host of other critical coastal and marine education efforts.
3) Make Coastal Cleanup Day more than a once-a-year event. You can participate year-round by signing up for our Adopt-A-Beach Program. Details can be found at www.coastforyou.org.
