Take Back Your Beach
Last week while staying in Long Beach, I’d take a long walk on the beach every day. Unfortunately, this wasn’t a particularly pleasant experience due the trash the littered the sand—from plastic bags to bottle caps to bits of styrofoam containers. It was ugly!
I was so distressed by the state of the beach that I had considered buying a pair of gloves to tackle the problem myself. Luckily, I wasn’t alone in my dismay.
Keeping Long Beach Beautiful
A small community group led by a faithful group of volunteers are dedicated to tackling the Long Beach trash problem. Long Beach Clean Up was founded to combat the refuse that flows downstream from the LA and S. Gabriel rivers and collects in the beach’s breakwater.
Every second Saturday of the month, from 10:00 – 11:00 am, neighbors join forces to pick up debris. Recycled trash bags, gloves and trash pick-up tools are provided, along with some refreshments.
Individuals Making a Difference
I actually found out about the group and their good work while out walking on my last morning. I spied a young women picking up trash and went over to thank her for her service. That’s when she told me about the beach clean-up event and the organizing tent at the other end of the beach.
I headed that way, excited to be able to help out. Alas, they were just closing up shop when I arrived, but I learned that the volunteers had removed close to 200 lbs. of garbage that morning (all during a 90 degree heatwave). Impressive!
Ongoing Beach Clean Ups
Long Beach Clean Up holds their beach beautification events once a month. They meet at the Junipero Ave. access point and there’s free parking. Want to participate? The next few dates are:
- April 11
- May 9
- June 13
Join in the fun!
- Volunteer the 2nd Saturday of each month
- Receive community service hours (with certificates of completion available)
- Subscribe to the newsletter
- Like on Facebook
Let’s lend a hand and help keep the places we’re visiting (and live) pristine! Good work Long Beach Clean Up! Kudos to all who are giving a bit of their time once a month to keep their environment safe and clean.
Just ’cause
And now for more good news on the environmental front:
- San Francisco become first city to ban sale of plastic bottles
- European Union plans to cut plastic bag use by 80% by 2025
- Baby Tortoises found in Galapagos Islands for the first time in 100 years
Photo credit: Swell Blog
Tags: beaches, Long Beach Clean Up
This entry was posted on Thursday, March 19th, 2015 and is filed under Hot Orgs.