ConservingNow Community Change

"Hawaii’s Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument, designated by President Bush, may be the next stop [for plastic bag waste]. Chris Woolaway, who coordinates the Ocean Conservancy's “Get the Drift and Bag It” international coastal cleanup, says ocean currents bring an estimated 57 tons of garbage and discarded fishing gear annually to the 10 islands and the waters surrounding them. That amounts to over 70 beach clean-ups!

Obviously, coastal clean ups are very important, but as the size of the problem grows, coastal clean ups are not going to solve the problem alone. We also need to change our plastic bag consumption. While we are making the small changes in our lives, volunteering for a coastal clean up is the perfect way to involve your entire family in these habit changes. Here is some information on this year's International Coastal Cleanup Day. If you happen to live by an ocean or bay - consider signing up for the clean up.

Last year on coastal clean up day, "nearly 400,000 volunteers collected more than 6.8 million pounds of trash in 104 countries and 42 U.S. states during the 2008 International Coastal Cleanup - the world's largest volunteer effort of its kind."

California/International Coastal Clean Up Day: September 19, 2009

For more information:
Coastal clean up in Los Angeles: http://www.healthebay.org/volunteer/ccd/
Coastal clean up in Santa Barbara County: http://www.lessismore.org/Programs/coastal_cleanup.html
International coastal clean up information: http://www.oceanconservancy.org/site/PageServer?pagename=icc_home

Official registration opens on August 3, 2009, register your community or involvement at the Ocean Conservancy website. The California Coastal Commission: http://www.coastal.ca.gov/publiced/ccd/ccd.html