Largest Trash Cleanup in the World

Join The Watershed Project on Coastal Cleanup Day

By Rae Schindler

"America's new foundation will be built one community at a time, and that starts with you." President Obama's rallying call to action this year for his summer service project reminded us that we don't have to wait around for politicians to change the world. Change starts from the ground up. By starting in our own backyard, we can collectively make an impact in our global community. This "think global, act local" concept is exactly what International Coastal Cleanup Day is all about.

International Coastal Cleanup Day is the largest event of its kind - over 76 countries participate every year. This September 19th marks the 25th anniversary of the day when communities from around the world first came together to tackle the problem of marine debris. The very same day a boy from Richmond cleans up his shoreline, so too does someone from Sweden.

Marine debris is an issue that affects the entire world. We are polluting our shared resources. Trash that starts out inland ends up on the shore. From there, it is swept across international borders into the ocean. Excessive marine debris coupled with problems like pollution and overfishing puts undue stress on the ocean, our number one defense against global warming.

On a local level, the work individuals do to clean their local lakes, rivers, streams and oceans improves the beauty and health of our immediate environment. Richmond boasts the largest stretch of shoreline in the East Bay. Despite being a natural treasure, it has been treated as a dumping ground for years and is unhealthy. It needs to be cleaned up if we want any chance for our children to enjoy it without fear of sickness of injury.

Humans aren't the only ones in the equation. Each year thousands of marine animals are killed by marine debris. Birds, fish, and mammals mistake people's cigarette butts and small bits of trash for food and suffocate or choke to death. International Coast Cleanup Day raises awareness of the importance of recycling and the consequences of littering and beach pollution.

Last year along the coast of California some 73,461 volunteers at 750 locations cleaned 1.6 million pounds of trash, of which almost 200,000 pounds of debris was recycled. Volunteers record and tally the trash cleaned up at the shorelines for the Ocean Conservancy's database where it will be used to analyze the global crisis of trash in our oceans.

Volunteer-collected data acts as a scorecard city by city, state by state, country by country, so we know what kind of trash we're dealing with and how to target our cleanup efforts. Trend tracking helps environmental organizations like The Watershed Project adjust our campaigns and prioritize our projects. It also helps inform policy decisions.

In Obama's "United We Serve" program, we are invited to participate in something bigger than ourselves and believe that our individual action can create change. Join the Watershed Project this September 19th to help serve our community, our world, and our watersheds.

25th Anniversary of the California Coastal Cleanup Day

When: September 19, 2009; 9:00am-12:00pm
Where: Contra Costa County Shoreline and Creeks
Followed by various celebrations
Find a site near you and join the largest volunteer event on the planet!

Click here to view a map of the sites

Wear sturdy shoes, a hat and sunscreen; and bring your own water bottle and gloves if you have them. Celebration for volunteers at all sites will follow the cleanup. Children must be accompanied by an adult. RSVP for groups of 10 or more to volunteer@thewatershedproject.org.

Partners include: The Watershed Project, City of Albany, City of Richmond, Office of Supervisor John Gioia, Richmond Shoreline Citizen Response group, EBMUD, EBRPD, EarthTeam Environmental Network and Citizens for East Shore Parks

For further info e-mail us at volunteer@thewatershedproject.org