Tiffany Paige of Green With Tiffany and Evox Television is at Dockweiler Beach in Playa del Rey California for the 24th annual “Coastal Clean Up Day”. It is the largest volunteer effort on the planet. The community comes together to pick up thousands of pounds of trash to keep our beaches clean and protect our marine life from the environmental impact of the 20% of trash that is left behind on the beach and the 80% that comes from inland and our storm drains.
It’s not just about picking up trash, but of educating as well. School kids get extra credit and everyone fills out a data sheet card to determine the most common items that are being picked up. This information is turned over to scientists, ecologists and law makers. Cigarette butts, styrofoam and small pieces of plastic are the top 3. You don’t have to wait for this annual clean up, you can do your part year-round. There are monthly clean ups on the 3rd Saturday of each month, you can adopt-a-beach, volunteer and put together a group or just take a stroll anytime on your own time to do a little beautifying. It is never not needed. Oceans are the largest part of our water cycle and it is imperative that we do our very best to keep our water and beaches clean.