On Sept. 17, volunteers will gather to collect trash and recyclables from the beach and inland waterways in celebration of California’s 27th annual Coastal Cleanup.
Since 1985, California has hosted this event each fall to encourage people to get involved with the preservation of our fragile environment and demonstrate respect for the huge coastline that is California’s western border.
Lori Clark, professor of Environmental Science at Moorpark College, is an advocate for the program and urges both students and the community to participate.
“Actually getting out and being part of the community and improving the places that you visit and you live, gives you a sense of connection and ownership to your environment and an appreciation for it,” said Clark. “When we feel that connection, we want to take better care of it and become better stewards of the land.”
Clark explained that run off water does not reach a water treatment facility. The trash that collects in our streets flow into washes, then to rivers and eventually drain into the Pacific Ocean, which has become a huge receptacle for non-biodegradable waste.
California has one of the largest participation rates in the world for a trash clean up. Since its establishment, both the number of participants and the amount of trash collected has continued to increase. Last year, over 82,500 volunteers collected more than 1.2 million pounds of trash.
“When you’re not going there to look at the surf, you’re going there specifically to get rid of the trash, you see so much more than you would if you weren’t looking for it,” Clark said. “It kind of breaks your heart a little bit, but also makes you appreciate and feel like you can actually improve it.”
The Environmental Club at Moorpark College, “MERGE”, is meeting in Simi Valley at Rancho Simi Community Park for their half day of service, while the City of Moorpark hosts its event at Villa Campesina Park along the Arroyo on Saturday, Sept. 17, 2011 from 9am-12pm. Participants are asked to bring a bucket, gardening gloves, and a reusable water bottle to the event. Each person will be required to bring a volunteer waiver and those under the age of eighteen will need a parent/guardian’s signature.
Noah Kiedaisch, a 2nd year member of ‘MERGE’, will be participating in this year’s clean up.
“It’s just important for our own futures individually and as a whole because they’re both connected, and it’s important to get involved with something that’s going to benefit our society,” Kiedaisch said.
To print your waiver and find out about other sites, go to vccoastcleanup.org. To get involved with MC visit Moorpark Environmental Club MERGE on Facebook.
