International Coastal Cleanup

September is the month that millions of volunteers across the world will participate in the International Coastal Cleanup. 

Mission: This award winning program, coordinated by the Center for Marine Conservation, is:

1. to remove debris from the shorelines, waterways, and beaches of the world's lakes, rivers, and the ocean;

2. to collect valuable information on the amount and types of debris;

3. to educate people on the issue of marine debris; and

4. to use the information collected from the cleanup to effect positive change-on all levels, from the individual to the international-to reduce marine debris and enhance marine conservation.

The International Coastal Cleanup is about people.
...people all over the world, who care about the health of our planet and who put that care into action. Since the Cleanup began in 1986, over one million people-all volunteers-from more that 90 countries & 55 US states & territories have taken hands-on action to clean the ocean and shores of our planet.

The cleanups' effectiveness continue long after the last bag of trash is hauled away and the tired volunteers go home. Many cleanups spawn recycling campaigns, public education programs, adopt-a-beach programs, and even stormwater system overhaul and legislative reform.

Each cleanup creates ripple effects in all directions-jolting people awake to the magnitude of the problem, triggering new ideas for workable solutions, spreading interest, enthusiasm, and dedication. These ripples become great waves of change, altering forever the face of our planet.

The Cleanup is about cooperation and partnerships.
Sometimes even the most disparate groups will join hands across diverse backgrounds and work together for a larger common goal.  Beach cleanups bring people together-school children, fishers, boaters, government employees, port authority personnel, teachers, factory workers, scuba divers, and politicians, as well as members of environmental, cultural, and civic organizations.

Finding the Source.
Trash is hard to track. In most cases, the person who made the product is not the same one who throws it in the water, or drops it on the beach. Once it's in the water, trash can be sent even further from its source. Carried by prevailing winds & ocean currents, garbage literally travels the globe.

Carried by creeks, rivers and stormwater drains land-based debris travels downstream to settle on the shore of drift out to sea. Some debris is hand delivered by beach visitors who leave their trash behind. Overflowing sewer systems, another source of land-based debris, carry sewage, litter, street runoff, and medical wastes. And the debris that winds up on one country's shore may have originated half a world away.

People are the solution.
No matter where it began, human hands and a human face lie behind every piece of garbage that enters the marine environment. The responsibility for this world-wide problem does not belong solely to shipping companies, fishing fleets, and governments. Ultimately, some individual had to throw that trash overboard, into the street, down the toilet, or into the storm drain.

People are the problem, but people are also the solution. Marine debris is one pollution problem that individuals can solve by direct, individual action.  Cleanup is about individual solutions to a global problem.

For more information on cleaning up your local streams and lakes give Donna a call at 402-582-4233 or drop her an email at rdchristi@plvwtelco.net.