California Coastal Cleanup Day

 

California Coastal Cleanup Day is kinda like Valentines' Day for me. I am baffled that people need to be reminded to keep our beaches clean or rather that we have to have a specific day to have people go out and pick up trash from the beaches. Just like Valentines' Day...do we really have to have a designated day when we tell the people that we love that we love them?!? Oh, well, it doesn't stop me from participating, in both Coastal Cleanup and Valentines', but I will grumble a little bit that more people don't make these things a regular habit.

Today was the day. According to the California Coastal Commission webpage about the event, more than 80,000 volunteers flock to the coast - - lakes, creeks, and waterways, too - in 42 states across the country and 100 countries around the world to pick up trash. Not only do we pick it up, but we catalog it. I'm not sure where this data goes, but in less than an hour our small group of six adults and five kids collected: 183 cigarette butts, 3 cigar stubs, 17 beer bottle caps, cans, plastic bits, 6 plastic bags, 1 paper bag, some jewelry, and more. The kids were appalled by the garbage. I wish more people were.

I love that learning doesn't stop at the weekend for Riley and his classmates. When his teacher suggested that we participate in the beach clean-up there was no doubt in our minds that we would be there with her! I was a little bit surprised that more classmates didn't join us...this sort of activity goes hand-in-hand with the mission of their school - to create conscientious, compassionate, and responsible global citizens. For the kids that did attend, I think what they learned was invaluable...and maybe I'll give them an extra Valentine come February!