On September 15, 2018, over 35,558 lbs of trash was collected from California beaches in honor of Coastal Cleanup Day – that’s about the weight of three adult killer whales!  The California Coastal Commission hosts a Coastal Cleanup Day event every year to help clean up different beaches across California. This year’s event attracted over 12,560 volunteers. Grades of Green students and supporters joined in on the action at Dockweiler Beach organized by our friends at Heal the Bay.




Grades of Green volunteers mobilized and spent the morning filling up buckets with trash found at the beach. The usual suspects – cigarette butts, plastic straws, and food wrappers – were all tallied up and collected by volunteers. Similarly, polystyrene pieces, the tiny culprits from foam cups and containers, were found all along the shores of our beautiful beaches. Although it was disheartening to find so much trash in our beaches, we are grateful that so many Grades of Green and other volunteers were inspired to come out and help restore 54 miles of beaches to their natural beauty. Here’s what volunteers at the Dockweiler site location accomplished:

  • 500 volunteers recruited
  • 199 bags of trash collected
  • 530 pounds of trash removed from Dockweiler Beach

    • Grades of Green volunteers were thanked for their hard work with reusable bottles that were donated by Klean Kanteen.




    Are you interested in taking a stand against waste? Email info@gradesofgreen.org for more information on how you can join our Waste Campaign, a global competition to research local waste issues, develop solutions, and share the solution with your community! The Waste Campaign will kick off January 2019. Email us today to save your spot!

    Last month over 23,000 lbs of trash was collected from California beaches in honor of Coastal Cleanup Day – that’s about the weight of two adult killer whales!  The California Coastal Commission hosts a Coastal Cleanup Day event every year to help clean up different beaches across California. This year’s event attracted over 9,663 volunteers. Grades of Green joined in on the action at Dockweiler Beach by recruiting UCLA Environmental Law Society students and other Grades of Green supporters. Even Youth Corps Eco-Leadership students Lauren S., Penn C., and Carter C. rolled up their sleeves to rid the beach of pollutants.




    Grades of Green volunteers mobilized and spent the morning  filling up buckets with trash found at the beach. The usual suspects – cigarette butts, plastic straws, and food wrappers – were all collected by volunteers. Similarly, polystyrene pieces, the tiny culprits from foam cups and containers, were found all along the shores of our beautiful beaches. Although it was disheartening to find so much trash in our beaches, we are grateful that so many Grades of Green and other volunteers were inspired to come out and help restore 54 miles of beaches to their natural beauty. Grades of Green volunteers were thanked for their hard work with eco-friendly bathbombs that were donated by Lush.



    Are you interested in taking a stand against polystyrene? Click here to learn how you can help reduce polystyrene use in your community. Are you inspired to implement eco-activities in your school or community? Click here to join our webinar on October 12 to learn how you can start an environmental movement at your school or community!

    I am Johanna, a 13 year old student at Lincoln Middle School in Santa Monica, California. I have a passion for the environment, and for working to keep it healthy. In addition to being a part of the Grades of Green Youth Corps Eco-Leadership program, some of my spare time goes to working with Heal the Bay to fulfill this interest. I have helped volunteer at multiple beach cleanups, and I always notice that there is an incredible amount plastics, which contains an awful lot of straws. “In the past 15 years, Heal the Bay volunteers have removed nearly 100,000 plastic straws and stirrers from LA County’s beaches and watersheds” (Heal the Bay’s Marine Debris Database). And that’s only found on the sand. Many more straws and other plastics end up in the ocean. Many animals which live in the ocean mistake pieces of plastic for food. Plastic drinking straws can also get stuck in sea animals nostrils, which could cause the animal to not breathe well. Using straws has become an instinct when we go out to eat. We are automatically given a straw, and even though we are perfectly capable of sipping from a glass, it is natural to use a straw when we have the option. If customers and even employees really knew what simply using a straw could do, the decision to decline using a straw would start to become natural. After all, it is what we do at home! “Plastic straws and stirrers are the Number 7 most common item found on beaches worldwide on International Coastal Cleanup Day…” (Planet Experts: Open Letter to Starbucks). Who made straws number 7? We did. Who can change that? With the help of merchants we change change our mentality towards seeing straws as plastic pollution. Plastic Pollution Coalition recommends customers only be given straws by request, and further, the straws should be reusable such as stainless steel, or easily biodegradable such
    as paper based. The Last Plastic Straw states, “500 million straws are used and discarded every day in the United States alone. That’s 175 billion a year filtering into landfills (environment) and littering our waterways and oceans”. When we look at it this way it seems that we really have to try to skip the straw, or use compostable or reusable straws when we are out to eat.

    Interested in taking the pledge to skip the straw? Click here to learn more about Heal the Bay’s Strawless Summer Campaign.

    Want to become an eco-leader like Johanna? Click here to learn about Grades of Green’s Youth Corps Eco-Leadership Program!

    Want to help protect California’s coast? Click here to learn how you can join Grades of Green and Heal the Bay at Coastal Cleanup Day 2017.

     

    Although much of California has seen relief from its years of drought, much of the state’s rainfall also increases its urban runoff which can negatively impact water quality at beaches. Many Californians know not to go to the beach after a rainstorm due to the increased levels of bacteria and other contaminants which can cause skin rashes, gastrointestinal illnesses, hepatitis, and more – not to mention the increased levels of straws, plastics, and other trash!




    Want to help protect California’s coast? Whether you’re an individual or a corporation with enthusiastic employees, join Grades of Green at Dockweiler Beach on Saturday, September 16th for Coastal Cleanup Day – a day where thousands of Californians will volunteer to clean their waterways and help protect the ocean! All participants are invited to pack a trash-free lunch and stay after the event to get to know Grades of Green staff, students, and other supporters. Don’t forget your reusable water bottle and sunglasses!

    Date & time: Saturday, September 16 | 9am – 12pm


    Location: Tower 54 | 11999 Vista Del Mar @ Imperial Hwy, Playa Del Rey, 90293

    RSVP: For more information or to RSVP, please contact Jei Florentino at jflorentino@gradesofgreen.org or call (310) 607-0175. You can also RSVP on our Facebook event page!

    We’re teaming up with Jack Johnson on his 2017 Summer Tour and All At Once, a social action network connecting nonprofits with people who want to become active in their local and world community. Jack Johnson is currently MATCHING volunteer pledges to Grades of Green up to $2,500. And it gets better! Individuals who donate $50 or more and pledge to join us at Coastal Cleanup Day this September will be entered in a raffle to WIN TWO TICKETS to his concert on July 16! All donations will help Grades of Green inspire and empower kids and the broader school community to care for the environment.

    Click here to donate and learn more!