This weekend is the last weekend of September's Coastal Cleanup Month.
The California Coastal Commission organizes the statewide event and the international event is organized by the Ocean Conservancy. Locally, Coastal Cleanup Day is being facilitated by Explore Ecology in Santa Barbara along with the County of Santa Barbara Resource Recovery and Waste Management, and the cities of Santa Barbara, Goleta and Solvang.
According toExplore Ecology, local parks, shores, creeks, streets, drainage areas, sidewalks, natural areas, and trails are great choices for cleanup efforts. Cleanups should be self-guided and close to home.
Explore Ecology asks for participants to submit their collection data through the CleanSwell app for smartphones. Under Group Name, type in “Explore Ecology” so EE can track the number of participants in Santa Barbara County. Clean Swell then uploads to the Ocean Conservancy’s global ocean trash database. For more information on data uploads, click here.
If you want to virtually connect with others participating in the cleanup, you can upload your photos, videos, and share what you find on social media with the hashtags #protectyourhappyplace and #coastalcleanup.
The California Coastal Commission urges individuals participating to practice physical distancing and strictly follow both local ordinances and the set of guidelines provided on their website to ensure a safe cleanup for individuals and their communities.
