Volunteer Oppotunity: Coastal Cleanup

Sept. 25, 2010, Saturday  Coastal Cleanup
Make our beaches proud by making them clean.  And then throughout the year when you visit a beach, clean up after yourself.  For another step forward also grab someone elses trash who unfortunately is ignorant or uncaring about our local beaches.

 

Per the website....

Berkeley residents are invited to join the tens of thousands of California volunteers who will help clean up our local beaches, bays, and waterways during this year's Coastal Cleanup Day.

The California Coastal Commission is working to make California Coastal Cleanup Day even "greener." What does this mean? The Cleanup brings out tens of thousands of Californians who remove more than a million pounds of debris from our beaches, rivers, creeks, lakes, and waterways - so, the net environmental impact of the event is tremendously positive. However, the event itself has an environmental footprint.

For example, in 2009, Coastal Cleanup Day volunteers used more than 130,000 plastic bags and 135,000 plastic gloves during Coastal Cleanup Day. Countless cleanup sites held barbeques, lunches or snacks for volunteers, and many of these generated additional packaging and food-related waste. Thousands of volunteers drove cars to their cleanup sites around the state.

The Coastal Commission is committed to reducing the environmental footprint of Coastal Cleanup Day, but we need your help to do so! Please join our efforts this year by turning out to the Cleanup with a "Bring Your Own" philosophy. Here's some quick tips on what you can do:

• Bring a bucket or reusable bag to the Cleanup for collecting trash (most Cleanup sites are equipped with dumpsters or roll-away bins so you can dump what you collect and bring your bucket or reusable bag back home).
• Bring a lightweight pair of gardening gloves from home, instead of using the disposable plastic gloves we provide.
• Bring a filled, reusable water bottle to the Cleanup.
• Use public transportation, bike, or carpool to your Cleanup. Use the pedestrian overpass and the Bay Trail to reach the staging area and the many locations we will be cleaning, or take the 51B bus to University Ave. and Frontage Rd.

Volunteers help compile data about garbage for the largest research project in the world. The data that is collected is used to change laws and to educate people about how to be conscientious consumers.
Only groups of 10 or more need to preregister by calling 510-981-6720.
Individuals and small groups, please arrive promptly at 9:00 a.m. to get some coffee, sign waivers, and receive an educational safety training. We will show you how to fill out the data card and where to put the bags when filled.
At the end of the Cleanup, when you return the filled out data card, you will get a raffle ticket for some great prizes from local businesses.
Meet behind the Sea Breeze Market and Deli on the corner of West Frontage Rd. and University Ave. in Berkeley.
Other Locations: If you are interested in cleaning up the Emeryville shoreline, show up at the Firehouse on Powell St. at 9:00 a.m. For Albany, go to Albany Beach at the foot of Buchanan St. in Albany at 8:30 a.m.