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?