26th Annual California Coastal Cleanup Day

What: The 26th Annual California Coastal Cleanup Day. Tens of thousands of Californians will gather along the beaches, shorelines, and inland waterways of the state to clear away the debris that has been deposited over the past year. Coastal Cleanup Day is also the kick-off event for “COASTWEEKS,” a 3-week celebration of our coasts and waterways.

Last year, 80,622 Coastal Cleanup volunteers (a new record) collected almost 1.4 million pounds of trash and recyclables. Covering over 2,400 miles of coast and inland shoreline in 52 counties around the state, the 2009 cleanup also had the largest geographic reach ever achieved.

In Santa Barbara County last year over 730 volunteers cleaned 23 sites from Rincon to Guadalupe Dunes collecting almost 4,700 pounds of debris. Partnership with Creek Week, Project Clean Waterways and other local events brought the grand total to 15,743 pounds of debris collected by over 860 volunteers!

For 2010, the Coastal Commission is introducing a “BYO for CCD” Initiative, asking Cleanup volunteers to bring their own bucket or reusable bag and gloves from home, instead of using the single-use disposable supplies that are provided at every site. The Commission is attempting to reduce the waste created by the Cleanup to improve the environmental impact of the event. In 2009, Cleanup volunteers used more than 130,000 plastic bags and almost 150,000 plastic gloves, all of which became more trash. The Commission hopes to reduce these numbers significantly over the next two years.

When: Saturday, September 25th, 2010 from 9 AM to noon in most locations.

Where: Cleanups will take place at over 800 sites on California beaches, bays, rivers, creeks, parks, roadsides, and highways. Call the local Santa Barbara County coordinator Jeff Simeon at (805) 882-3618 or visit www.LessIsMore.org/beach for local locations and other site-specific information.

Why: “Stewardship of our coast and oceans should not take place only once a year. The Coastal Commission is hoping that our new BYO campaign will help educate our volunteers about how easy it is to make simple behavioral changes that can have year-round impact,” said Eben Schwartz, Outreach Manager for the California Coastal Commission. “Through social networking, the Commission will foster an ongoing conversation about how we can all make simple changes that positively affect ocean health. These small changes have an huge impact on the health of our environment.”

How: Call 1 (800) COAST-4U or visit www.coast4u.org for more information from the Coastal Commission.

For local Santa Barbara County sites and information, contact Jeffrey Simeon at (805) 882-3618 or visit www.LessIsMore.org/beach for clean up sites and www.LessIsMore.org/coast for general event information.

Who: The statewide event is presented by the California Coastal Commission with major statewide support from Crystal Geyser, Oracle and Whole Foods Market. Additional support comes from Nature’s Path and Waste Management. Other sponsors include Natracare, KPMG, and Fairmont Hotels and Resorts. Northern California media sponsors include KFOG Radio and KPIX/CW Bay Area TV. Northern California media support also comes from the San Francisco Department of the Environment, Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, and Marin County Board of Supervisors.

California Coastal Cleanup Day 2010 is supported by the California Coastal Commission, California State Parks Foundation, and the Ocean Conservancy. This event is made possible by the hard work of hundreds of local nonprofits and government agencies throughout the state and tens of thousands of volunteers annually. In Santa Barbara County, the Public Works Department’s Resource Recovery & Waste Management Division organizes the event.