The California Coastal Commission recently announced the 29th Annual California Coastal Cleanup Day (the state’s largest volunteer event) to take place on Saturday, September 21st, 2013. The event is expected to draw more than 70,000 volunteers who will remove the trash and marine debris accumulated on California’s beaches and inland shorelines over the past year at over 800 locations.
COUNTDOWN TO TRASH EXTINCTION
To raise awareness and prompt volunteers to register for the Cleanup, the Commission will launch a “Countdown to Trash Extinction” campaign on Friday, August 23rd. In the 29 days leading up to Coastal Cleanup Day, the Commission will post information on its Facebook page and Twitter feeds to enlist Californians in learning about the trash that litters our coast and inland shorelines:
- what it is,
- why it’s so damaging to our aquatic and coastal environments, and
- what they can do to help keep trash out of our environment throughout the year.
“Some very talented volunteers developed our publicity campaign this year, which has the rallying cry ‘Let’s make trash extinct,’” said Eben Schwartz, Marine Debris Program Manager for the California Coastal Commission. “We want to build on this theme, not just for Coastal Cleanup Day but year-round. Over the course of the 29 days leading up to the Cleanup, we will give everyone in California a thorough education about simple steps they can take to join the battle against marine debris and plastic pollution.”
SPONSORS:
The Coastal Cleanup Day Program has long-standing partnerships with Crystal Geyser Natural Alpine Spring Water, Whole Foods Markets, and Oracle. These corporate partners have been the backbone of this event, enabling it to take place year after year. A new partner this year, Chipotle Mexican Grill, is planning on going a little further to help reward all the hard-working (and hungry!) Coastal Cleanup Day volunteers, by providing a free entrée currency card to each individual.
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The Commission is committed to protecting and enhancing California’s coast and ocean for present and future generations. It does so through careful planning and regulation of environmentally-sustainable development, strong public participation, education, and effective intergovernmental coordination. The Coastal Cleanup Day Program is part of its effort to raise public awareness of marine and coastal resources and promote coastal stewardship.