Befriending beaches in need in California & beyond

I’m part of a local group of families that has adopted a Los Angeles beach through Heal the Bay’s Adopt-a-Beach program, and we’re heading out this weekend armed with bags and gloves for the first of three annual cleanups. Our timing is good, I think. Thanks to a Memorial Day weekend full of revelers and picnickers leaving behind foam-cup crumbles, sandwich baggies and to-go containers, the beaches up and down our California coastline could use some real TLC.

A handful of other organizations offer opportunities to get involved in beach cleanups in the region, including Surfrider Foundation and the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium. If you happen to have an inkling to volunteer abroad, you can be sure that beaches internationally are also in need of allies; programs exist in far-flung spots including Phuket, Thailand, and Zakynthos, Greece, to help you help out.

There’s no doubt that every effort does count. However, it must be noted that folks being careless with their litter on the beach is just one of the issues plaguing the ocean and its creatures. In case you missed it, see L.A. Times staff writer Susannah Rosenblatt’s article “Pollution survey finds California beaches cleaner” for the scoop. Heal the Bay’s recently released beach report card does include good news, but storm water runoff continues to be a major issue in our state’s waters.

I’m going to keep working on the things I can do to help with the stormwater problem. This weekend, though, I’m tackling the trash.

— Susan Derby, Special to the Los Angeles Times

[Photo: HealtheBay.org]

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This entry was posted on Friday, May 30, 2008 at 5:21 pm by Susan Derby and is filed under Asia, California, Eco-Travel, Family & Kids, Islands & Beaches, Los Angeles, Summer. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a comment. Pinging is currently not allowed.