The annual Coastal Clean Up day is this Saturday September 15. With over 51 trillion micro-plastic particles in the ocean plus miscellaneous shoes, textiles, boogie boards, floats, bottles, shipping containers, chairs, refrigerators, boats, plastic bags, kayaks, oars.. the ocean and the land needs serious cleaning up and everybody can do something.
Since 80% of ocean litter comes from land.. it is important, that not just coastline are cleaned. Those streets and storm drains all lead to water.. and your drinking source.
This is a global event and even if it wasn’t so what.. just Clean It Up!
- In California, it was found that: 25% of all fish, 33% of all shellfish, and 67% of all ocean species contain plastics, primarily micro-plastics. .. UGH!
- 1 million birds and 100,000 marine mammals and sea turtles die each year when they become trapped in plastic or eat it.
Even if you do not want to sign up for an official clean up group, one can still go and clean an area around their home or office, on a hike, in a park and even at a friends house. There are lots of areas to choose from, as I would guarantee, you will not be wasting your time.
To find a location near you:
Ocean Conservatory is the or one the the linchpins of the Clean Our Oceans. You can find links and resources on their website.
Surfrider: You can visit the site and find a chapter near your home or office.
California: California Coastal Commission , The site lists all the locations.
- 2017, volunteers removed 800,000 pounds of trash and recyclables from California’s coast and inland waterways in only three hours.
- Orange County: 7000 volunteers removed 70,850 pounds of trash. www.coastkeeper.org
- San Diego: 6,686 volunteers at 105 coastal and inland cleanup sites. 128,168 pounds of litter from San Diego County. CleanupDay.org
- Santa Barbara County: volunteers picked up 4,635 lbs. of trash and 1,433 lbs. of recyclables.
Personally: I will be doing my standard beach clean up and then focus on cigarette butts in the streets and alleyways.
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