On September 20, volunteers around the world will take to beaches in a massive effort to clean up our oceans and shorelines. I’ll be one of them.
International Coastal Cleanup is a project of The Ocean Conservancy. Each September, volunteers clear their local beaches of whatever garbage has washed ashore or been left behind. The genius of ICC events is in the data cards: volunteers don’t just pick up the trash, they record it. That’s right, each and every ketchup packet, paper napkin, and plastic bottle is actually counted. At the end of the cleanup, data cards are submitted to The Ocean Conservancy, whose staff tabulates the data and compiles it into an annual report. The information in ICC reports can then be used to help draft legislation–like the 2006 Marine Debris Research, Prevention, and Reduction Act–aimed at protecting our world oceans.
Revere Beach, 2005 © Loree Griffin Burns
Here are some tidbits from the 2007 ICC Report (which you can access here):
378,000 men, women and children in 76 countries took part;
six million pounds of trash were collected;
33,000 miles of shoreline were cleaned;
Getting involved is easy …
If you live outside of Massachusetts, visit The Ocean Conservancy’s ICC website to find a cleanup near you.
If you live in Massachusetts, consider attending the statewide kickoff event at Salisbury Beach State Reservation at 10am on Saturday, September 20. I’ll be there with gloves, trash bag, and data card in hand. You can find other Massachusetts events at the COASTSWEEP website.
One more thing …
Thanks to the generosity of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and the efforts of COASTSWEEP officials, each and every Massachusetts cleanup coordinator (there are more than seventy) will be receiving a signed copy of TRACKING TRASH in thanks for their efforts on behalf of our oceans. There is also a statewide raffle going on, with prizes that include a school visit from yours truly and several more signed copies of the book. (Find raffle information here.)
I am so proud to be part of this incredible effort; here’s to trash trackers everywhere!