Sandbags, Earth Day, March Stats and More!

Great Green Idea in Action -

Remember my post earlier this year where I asked for ideas on how we might "green our clean up efforts"? And do you recall the idea that was proposed by Mark Chavez to reuse city supplied sandbags instead of single use plastic bags to collect debris?

Never one to let a great idea go to waste, I found the perfect opportunity to pilot Mark's idea when I helped out at Surfrider's Global Ocean Initiatives event. With permission from the local chapter, volunteers were provided sandbags instead of the single use disposable bags typically used for large scale cleanups.

Results - overall, the results were encouraging. No complaints - the volunteers seemed to enjoy participating in the pilot and helping us test out the use of the sandbags. We handed out approximately 40 sandbags -resulting in keeping 39 single use bags out of the landfill! All but 4 bags were returned to us - one volunteer was still out cleaning when we packed it up, and 2 people asked if they could hang on to the sandbags and use them for future cleanups. We did decide to "retire" (dispose of) one of the bags because of its contents - a dead bird. :(

Next Steps - expect to see the bright yellow sandbags out in full force on Earth Day in San Clemente. The Watershed Task force is partnering with the local chapter of Surfrider and the city will be supplying the sandbags for the event. And to think - it all started with an observation, a request, and a great idea...

Note - Corn based plastics bags are typically handed out at large group clean up events. They are often viewed as a “greener” alternative to petroleum based plastic bags – but they are still designed to be a single use disposable item (inherently NOT GREEN) and there are other issues associated with their production and disposal. They are promoted as biodegradable, however most people don’t realize that it can take these PLA plastics as long as 1000 years to biodegrade in a landfill because they don’t receive the air and water necessary to break them down.

Earth Day 2009
Speaking of Earth Day, I hope to see you all at the festivities this Saturday. The fun starts at 10:00am and runs until 2:00pm. There will be music, informational booths, cool giveaways, and more at the park area above the pier. This year will be even more special because...

Two of the Adopt a Beach teams are up for awards! I know who they are but I'll keep it a surprise - so plan to be near the stage at 12:55pm to hoop and holler and whistle and applaud with me. Who knows - maybe it will be your team!

March Totals
Activity was slow for March. Spring Fever? An extra dose of gratitude to the Steadfast Six:

- Joe Zoller Team
- Miller Wood Team
- F.I.S.H. - St. John's Youth Group
- Weller Family
- Seaview Pharmacy
- Beach Master

ThankyouThankyouThankyouThankyouThankyouThankyouThankyouThankyouThankyouThankyouThankYouThankYou...

Here is the link to the report for March:
http://greenwaveleadership.com/Adopt%20a%20Beach/AdoptABeachMonthlySummaryMarch.pdf

I have more news to share with you, but it will have to wait until my next posting. Maybe a special post Earth Day edition? To be continued...

It's Time to Pass the Baton

The Search is on for the next Adopt a Beach Program Manager/Volunteer Coordinator!

Yes, my wonderful friends, neighbors and fellow ocean advocates – it is true. I am preparing to take on some new responsibilities/ adventures and feel that this is the best time to turn the program leadership over to someone new. I was just getting ready to contact my friends at Surfrider and ask them to post something on their website (after all – that’s how you got me :). Then I thought, hey, wait a minute – there is probably someone already on one of our Adopt a Beach teams that would be perfect to take this on.

Might that someone be you?

If so, shoot me an email to let me know of your interest ASAP. And just so you know – it is a voluntary gig. Personally rewarding – yes! But, alas, no monetary compensation.
My plan is to have our new program manager/volunteer coordinator in place (and filling my Rainbow sandalsJ) no later than May11th.

Now, on to the the business at hand...

The February Data is In

And it was another successful month! Have I told you guys lately how much I appreciate you? A gold sea star and a big round of virtual applause for all the vounteers on these dedicated teams:

- Joe Zoller Team

- F.I.S.H. - ST. John's Youth Group

- SC Sunrise Rotary Club

- SC Green

- Wicks Family

- SC Historical Society

- Lemly Family

- Weller Family

- Seaview Pharmacy

- Beach Master

Awesome! For a look at the full report click here: http://greenwaveleadership.com/Adopt%20a%20Beach/AdoptABeachMonthlySummaryFebruary2009.pdf

Quote of the Month:

In closing, I thought I would share with you another one of my favorite quotes.

"Only when the last tree has died and the last river has been poisoned and the last fish has been caught will we realize that we cannot eat money." Cree Indian Proverb

Happy New Year!

Welcome Team Lemly

Last week I had the pleasure of meeting Don and Kathy Lemly in front of the pier and getting them all set up to join our happy crew. Here is a photo of them with bucket in hand ready to take on the world...or at least their selected section of beach. Expect to see their names reflected on future monthly summary reports for Section 13 (Restrooms to Boca del Canon).

FRESH START - STRONG START!

Here it is - 2009 and the Adopt a Beach Program is already off to a strong start. All 22 sections of beach were covered in January. An auspicious beginning indeed!

Here are the NINE TEAMS that came through for us in January:

Joe Zoller Team
Miller/Wood Team
Jefferson Family
F.I.S.H. - St. John's Youth Group
SC Sunrise Rotary Club
Wick Family
SC Historical Society
Weller Family
Beach Master

Click here for the January Report.

Year End Wrap Up

And to each and every team who turned in a data sheet last year, thank you for your part in making 2008 an amazing year for the Adopt a Beach program. I just finished the final summary report for the year and I think you will be proud of what we accomplished together. Take a look!

Click here for the Year End Summary Report for 2008.http://greenwaveleadership.com/Adopt%20a%20Beach/AdoptABeachAnnualSummary2008.pdf

GO YELLOW to GO GREEN

As you all know, I am always on the lookout for ways we can improve our processes, reduce waste and go greener. Mark Chavez (Beaches Parks and Recreation Division) has come up with a very creative yet practical idea to help us reduce the number of plastic non-reusable bags being used for beach cleanups. SANDBAGS. Yep, those bright yellow city supplied sandbags could be just the ticket to helping us go green. If you or members of your team are currently using plastic bags for your cleanups, I strongly encourage you to use (and reuse) a sandbag instead. You can pick them up from Marine Safety. By the way, if your team is taking steps to "green their team" I want to hear from you. Who will be the first team to send me a photo of the sandbags in action?

Special Presentation This Thursday

Captain Charles Moore from the Algalita Research Foundation will be presenting at the Coastal Advisory Meeting on the effects of plastic in the ocean, now commonly known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. It's on Thursday, February 12th, 7:00pm at the Community Development Building, 910 Calle Negocio, 2nd Floor South Entrance. Sure to be an eye opener and there is no charge to attend.

More to Come

Plans for another team get together is in the works and there will be more in the way of information and announcements coming your way in the weeks ahead. I'll save those for another time to avoid info overload. For now, I will leave you with this thought:

It's a new year - stretched out before us like a beautiful empty beach. Where will you leave your footprints this year?

December Data is IN.

IMPRESSIVE ENDING
FOR 2008

Wow.
You guys are full of surprises.

In spite of the holidays and competing commitments, the activity reports for December were some of the strongest ever.

Here's a special salute to the 12 teams who made it happen:
Joe Zoller Team
Flotsam & Jetsam Crew
Miller Woods Family
Jefferson Family
F.I.S.H. - St. John's Youth Group
San Clemente Green
Wicks Family
San Clemente Historical Society
Weller Family
Lasuens Boardrider Club
Citro Family
Beach Master

Again, an extra salute to Mark Aubrey (Beach Master) who managed to cover the entire 22 sections of beach/trail several times this month. Although not quite as exciting as saving a drowning man, he did report finding a new watch on the beach which he was able to return to its rightful owner. What other interesting things were found? Click on the following link to find out:

AdoptABeachMonthlySummaryDecember2008.pdf

SEAsons Greetings!

Taking a break from all the festivities to wish all of you a happy, healthy holiday.

Peace to you and all you love - Sherry &Vernon

December 18th - Day without a Bag

Paper or Plastic? Neither!
The Watershed Task force is teaming up with San Clemente Green and other local environmental groups to participate in Heal the Bay's outreach effort of A Day Without a Bag.

Tomorrow (Thursday, December 18) we'll be asking holiday shoppers to "bag the disposable bag habit" and choose reusable bags - even if just for a day. The hope is that as people become more aware of the environmental impacts they will opt to BYOB (Bring Your Own Bag) all the time.

Volunteer members of our reusable bag coalition will be stationed at various locations in San Clemente. We'll be out raising awareness & gifting shoppers with free reusable bags and the opportunity for positive action. I'm signed up as site captain/team leader for the Ralph's Camino de Estrella location. We will be there from 4:00 to 6:00 pm -so if you are out in that area, please stop by to say hello. Other ways you can lend your support is to pass the word to your friends and family.

Choose Buckets over Bags!
Not so much for shopping (although it certainly earns you points for flair and thinking outside the bag!). No, in this case I am referring to our beach clean up activities. While on one hand we are working to keep plastics and other debris out of the ocean (and doing a mighty fine job of it I might add!), we are inadvertently adding to the landfill problem whenever we use plastic bags to collect and dispose of the trash. Do you see the irony in all this? How about a visual. Picture, if you can, 463 bags of trash piled into a landfill. That is the total number of bags of trash that our Adopt a Beach teams have collected and disposed of over the past 8 months. Compare that with the 226 buckets that were collected.

I know that you'll agree that we would like to see less of what we collect during our clean ups going directly to our landfills. Our founder, the late Stephanie Dorey, had that in mind when she created this program. You see we are unique from other clean up efforts in that we provide each team with a reusable bucket and calipers (vs disposable plastic bags and latex gloves). I think the challenge is that we have grown so much and have added larger teams with a rotating number of volunteers. Still, with a little awareness, creativity, and leadership from all of you - it can be done.

RAISING THE BAR - GOING GREEN(ER) in 2009
So, I propose that we shoot for greatly reducing (if not eliminating) the use of disposable bags and gloves during our clean ups. Are you up for the challenge? What are your thoughts on this? Get in touch with me (either by commenting on this blog, sending me an email, or writing/typing a comment on your next data collection sheet) I will compile the info that I receive and we can identify your challenges and come up with solutions. To jump start your creativity, here are some suggestions that have come my way already:

- gardening gloves, rubber dish washing gloves, or work gloves instead of disposable latex
- large canvas shoulder bags (like city workers use) and just reuse each time
- large mesh bags (like those used to wash lingerie) can be hosed off or laundered
- city could provide empty sandbags to use for collections, dump and return post cleanup
- team leaders set the tone/educate and request volunteers bring their own reusable materials

Looking forward to hearing what you come up with! It's fun to explore possibilities. Need inspiration? Then check out this video - http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=3320169

And the Gold Sea Stars for November Go To...

The Twelve Teams
Who Showed Up & Cleaned Up!
Joe Zoller Team
Flotsam & Jetsam Crew
Jefferson Family
F.I.S.H. - St. John's Youth Group
SC Sunrise Rotary Club
Wicks Family
SC Historical Society
Weller Family
Lausuens Boardriders Club
Chapman Family
Headrick Family
Beach Master

Thanks to these teams (with the usual above and beyond efforts of Mark Aubrey/Beach Master) over 15,848 pieces of trash were removed from our beaches and trail this month. So even though most of the tourists have gone home and the beaches appear relatively clean this time of year, your clean ups are still making a huge difference.

Catch of the Month
The Most Unusual Item of The Month goes to our newest team - F.I.S.H. (St. John's Youth Group). In addition to the usual plethora of cigarette butts, styrofoam, and bottle caps this team found a switch blade (!) on their adopted section. What?! You just never know what you'll find. Anyway, we're all glad that's outta there. Nice job, kids! On a lighter note, if you need some last minute items for holiday gift giving see the Beach Master. He netted 2 cell phones, 3 swim goggles, 1 dive mask and several items of clothing. : )

To see the Summary report, click on the link below.
AdoptABeachMonthlySummaryNovember2008.pdf

I'll be blogging again soon to tell you about an important event that's coming up on December 18th. Hints: Sea Turtles Don't Shop / Ban the Bag Monster! Until then, I will leave you with my favorite star fish "story". There are many versions out there. I believe all are adaptations from the Star Thrower by Loren Eisely (1907-1977). No doubt you already know of it, but it is a good reminder of how our seemingly small efforts can make a big difference. Hopefully this link will work - if not just copy and paste into your browser. Here it is:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GunVwl6K4M