While it's easy enough for any beach-goer to clean up their own trash, it can be a little overwhelming to look down a beach and see it littered with cigarette butts and pieces of styrofoam. How can my picking up a few pieces of trash make a difference in cleaning this place up? Attending an organized beach cleanup day is a great way to ensure safer beaches. The community effort is just the fuel we need to motivate us to get involved and do our part, and to truly make a difference.
After taking part in helping cleanup Swami's beach, a popular North San Diego County surf spot, it was easy to see the benefits of taking part in an organized beach cleanup. For one thing, it's easy- a California Coastal Cleanup day the organizers where there to hand you your trash and recycle bags, along with a glove to wear and data card to fill out as you pick up. There was aslo donated coffee and snacks to fuel you, along with the educational information, like the Monterey Bay Aquarium's guide to eating seafood and a pamphlet on ways to help clean the ocean safe. And finally there was the feeling of community as you looked down the beach and saw the others with whom you're working together, carrying around their orange and white bags as well.
Don't get me wrong, it's very beneficial to pick up a few pieces of trash every time you go to the beach, but working with a group is a very effective and enjoyable way to get involved. If you missed California Cleanup Day on September 19, it's not too late. You can always organize your own cleanup with the Ocean Conservancy to help you out, or take part in another organized cleanup.
Here are a few tips for enjoying one of these cleanups with your family:
Go in a group. Taking my toddler was a great idea-- the earlier we instill values like taking care of the beaches we love, the better. But it would have been helpful to have another adult with me. If my husband had come, we could have taken turns helping our daughter along and gotten more actual cleanup accomplished. Other groups, like a boy scout troop for example, worked together with one kid holding the trash bag, one with the recycle bag and one keeping track of the data.
Bring a few toys. One family I watched at the cleanup was smart enough to bring a few beach toys for their youngest to play with while the parents and the older kids could look around nearby for trash.
Put your kids in a bathing suit and load on the sunscreen. We all know that September in San Diego often means Santa Ana conditions, not cool fall weather. Plus, avoid the wet pants syndrome that a sneaky wave can inflict on your toddler, promptly ending your cleanup due to being her too uncomfortable to go on.
Enjoy your surroundings. Look at your cleanup experience as a chance to not only cleanup the beach you love, but also a time to take it all in. Point out the surfers or the fishermen sitting out in the water on their big boards. Let your child chase the birds a little and learn to distinguish between trash and seaweed. Above all, try to make it an enjoyable experience for your kids, so they continue to grow to appreciate doing good for the environment and having fun at the same time.
For more info: Visit the Ocean Conservancy to organize a cleanup day, or Surfrider's San Diego Chapter for scheduled cleanups coming up.
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