How To Be A Steward Of The Sea

Once a year, San Diego county comes together to clean up litter. At 100 sites, volunteers of all ages gather plastic wrappers littered on the coast, cigarette butts tossed in the park, and water bottles left in the gutter. Whether they’re 50 miles inward or standing on the shoreline, everyone is there with a single purpose: to be stewards of the sea.

Since the 1980’s, citizens have participated in the International Coastal Cleanup Day on the third weekend of September to remove trash from beaches, lakes, rivers, and other waterways, and cleaned 350 million pounds of trash. This year, over 200 sites worldwide hosted cleaning days on September 21, including the nonprofit I Love a Clean San Diego (ILACSD), who is mobilizing 5000-6000 volunteers this year for their 40th Cleanup. 

“These volunteer opportunities are, for some people, their first time where they get to feel how good it feels to give back to the Earth, and then they're in this reciprocal relationship with it,”  said ILACSD Marketing Director Jenny Barros. “That's how we're going to heal.”

The Scoop On Litter

The ocean covers over 70% of the earth’s surface, and plays a critical role in sustaining life and regulating the climate, but its health is at risk. As the result of poor waste management practices, millions of tons of plastic pollution enter our seas each year. They may float towards the one of several Garbage Patches, break down into microplastics, damage marine ecosystems, or wash back to shore. 

“We really try to educate people that inland locations play a huge role in keeping the coast clean,” Barros said. “So even if you live 40 miles inland, the trash there is going to make its way to the ocean. Inland trash becomes coastal trash.”

In fact, 80% of marine debris originates inland. According to Barros, San Diego hosts Coastal Cleanup Sites up to 50 miles inland because preventative practices are key to keeping the oceans clean. Each piece of trash that washes ashore tells a story: someone may have carelessly tossed that candy wrapper outside their car window miles away from the sea.

“All of the snacks that we eat, they're in plastic packaging, and those blow easily in the wind. So you can imagine, even if they are littered somewhere 100 miles from the coast, every single breeze kicks that closer to a storm drain, and then it goes from the storm drain into our waterways, and it empties right out into the coast.” says Baros.

Education Inspires Action

For over 40 years, ILACSD has been the official organizer of the city’s International Coastal Cleanup Day. Over time, they’ve expanded into an organization focused on both Environmental Action and Environmental Education, which helps citizens better understand the vital connection between our daily habits and the health of the environment.

“When people learn about where their trash goes and the effects that it has on the environment that they love and that they participate in, then they're highly motivated to change habits,” Barros said. 

With over 900 classroom presentations a year, ILACSD focuses on educating youth so they can begin forming climate-conscious habits from a young age. This includes reducing plastic use, understanding how to recycle, and properly disposing trash. Many young people return year after year to take part in site cleanups.