San Diego Coastkeeper

23rd Annual California Coastal Cleanup Day

San Diego, CA — Today marked the 23rd year of San Diego County’s largest volunteer event, California Coastal Cleanup Day, presented by the San Diego County Board of Supervisors through the support of Supervisor Pam Slater-Price and Supervisor Greg Cox. At this time, site captains reported an estimated 4,500 volunteers came out to help clean up local coastlines, beaches, bays, and inland areas. That number is expected to rise as only 70 percent of the totals have been reported from the cleanup sites. Coordinators anticipate that this will be a record setting year, as 5,600 volunteers pre-registered for this event.

Once again, San Diego Coastkeeper and I Love A Clean San Diego partnered with the California Coastal Commission to host the 23rd Annual Coastal Cleanup Day (CCD), organizing over 60 cleanup sites throughout the county from Fallbrook to Tijuana, including, for the first time, an underwater dive site in San Diego Bay. Coordinators estimate that volunteers removed over 40,000 pounds of trash and recyclables from an estimated 100 miles of land based sites, and about 400 pounds of trash from the San Diego Bay underwater dive site. Many inland sites that deal with illegal dumping have not reported their totals at this time; coordinators expect this number to increase dramatically as the final totals are calculated. Participants found some unusual items at the cleanup, including a roller skating trophy, panty hose, a lawn mower and action figure with a compass glued onto it.

In Ocean Beach, 302 volunteers attended the kick off where emcee Loren Nancarrow of 10 News applauded their efforts. Whole Foods Market and Newport Pizza & Ale House generously provided breakfast and lunch for the volunteers, rewarding all of their hard work. Cleanup Champion Awards were presented to County Supervisors Pam Slater-Price and Greg Cox for their continued support of Coastal Cleanup Day as this year marks their fifth year of sponsorship. Awards were also presented to Sempra Energy and Time Warner Cable for their gracious support of this event.

"Coastal Cleanup Day is a great opportunity for individuals and families to learn how our everyday actions directly impact the environment around us while helping to reduce the marine debris problem," Supervisor Pam Slater-Price said. "I am proud to sponsor such an important event." First organized in 1985 by the California Coastal Commission, California Coastal Cleanup Day began with just 2,500 volunteers. Over the years, in conjunction with the International Coastal Cleanup, the cleanup event has grown to become one of the world’s largest volunteer events in support of our oceans and waterways. Last year, over 56,000 Californians came together to participate in this annual event sending the message that removing marine debris from our resources is a priority.

Coastal Cleanup Day is a global educational experience that enlightens people of all ages about the importance of protecting our coastal and inland areas. All 50 states and nearly 70 countries participated in International Coastal Cleanup this year, making it the largest volunteer event in the world. In addition to collecting trash from the earth’s waterways, an environmental study is part of the event, setting it apart from other cleanups. Volunteers collect data during the cleanups, providing important information that is used to help educate the public, businesses, industry and government officials about marine debris issues and the importance of reducing pollution in our waterways. This study helps us to understand the problem, which is key to forming a lasting solution.

CCD is organized statewide by the California Coastal Commission and coordinated locally by I Love A Clean San Diego and San Diego Coastkeeper. The 23rd Annual Coastal Cleanup Day is presented by the San Diego County Board of Supervisors, through the support of Supervisor Greg Cox and Supervisor Pam Slater-Price. This year the California Coastal Commission announced a new CCD partnership with Whole Foods Market, who served as the presenting sponsor statewide. along with the generous support of countywide sponsors Sempra Energy and Time Warner Cable, media sponsors 10 News, KPRI 102.1FM Azteca America and Radio Latina, Cymer, Inc., City of San Diego’s Think Blue Program, Digiteers, Vulcan Materials Company– Western Division, Palomar Transit Mix, Hornblower Cruises & Events, SeaWorld Adventure Park San Diego, J & S Travel, Clif Bar, Vitamin Water, Birch Aquarium, General Dynamics NASSCO, City of La Mesa, Fitness and Wellness Insurance, Newport Pizza & Alehouse, KEEN Footwear and Dog Beach Dog Wash.

"I look forward to getting involved in Coastal Cleanup Day every year," said Supervisor Greg Cox, who is Vice Chairman of the Board of Supervisors. "This event is so important in removing debris from our waterways. It's great to see people from all walks of life get together to protect the environment." County coordinators San Diego Coastkeeper and I Love A Clean San Diego are encouraged by the remarkable success of this years Coastal Cleanup Day, and remind San Diegans of the importance of protecting the environment on a daily basis. To learn more about environmental opportunities in San Diego, visit www.cleansd.org or www.sdcoastkeeper.org.

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San Diego Coastkeeper: San Diego Coastkeeper protects the region’s bays, beaches, watersheds and ocean for the people and wildlife that depend on them. We balance community outreach, education, and advocacy to promote stewardship of clean water and a healthy coastal ecosystem. Dedicated to the belief that we all have a right to clean water, Coastkeeper is the largest professional organization dedicated solely to the monitoring and protection of San Diego’s coastal areas and waterways.

I Love A Clean San Diego: Through outreach, community involvement and example, I Love A Clean San Diego leads and educates our community to actively conserve and enhance the environment. As one of San Diego County's oldest and largest environmental education non-profit organizations, ILACSD promotes awareness of environmental issues including resource conservation, waste reduction, recycling, community enhancement, and pollution prevention.