Date: September 2, 2022
District: Headquarters
Contact: Tamie McGowen
Contact: Loren Magaña
Phone: (916) 710-2003
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Caltrans and California Coastal Commission Celebrate Coastal Cleanup Month with Events Throughout September
Orange County residents are invited to participate in Huntington Beach event
SACRAMENTO — Caltrans and the California Coastal Commission are joining forces for the 38th-annual California Coastal Cleanup Day on September 17 and are inviting the public to participate in cleanup and litter prevention activities throughout September.
“The California Coastal Commission’s Coastal Cleanup Day and Caltrans’ Let’s Change This to That stormwater public education campaign are collaborating to create even more awareness to help reduce litter and water pollution,” said Caltrans Director Tony Tavares. “We’re asking people to join us this month to clean up the waterways and beaches that belong to us all.”
Caltrans and the California Coastal Commission invite Californians to participate by cleaning up their neighborhoods, parks and local areas during the month of September. The monthlong effort is focused not only on the coastline but also along rivers, creeks and lakes. Trash from inland areas can flow downstream, so cleaning up neighborhoods can prevent litter and debris from ever reaching vital waterways.
“We are excited to expand our long-standing partnership with Caltrans this year,” said California Coastal Commission Executive Director Jack Ainsworth. “By emphasizing the impact trash can have on stormwater and the potential for that litter to eventually pollute our waterways, our two agencies are working together to emphasize that these waterways, like the ocean, are downhill from all of us.”
Orange County residents who want to join the effort can participate in “Trash-Free Jubilee” in Huntington Beach, 22355 Pacific Coast Hwy. (Brookhurst and P.C.H. entrance) from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Volunteers can RSVP here.
In addition to help cleaning up the beach, visitors can learn more about common stormwater pollutants and ways they can take action to keep California’s water clean. California artists Richard and Judith Lang will create “Trash Castles,” an art representation of common stormwater pollutants on California’s lakes, rivers, streams, and ocean.
In 1993, California Coastal Cleanup Day was recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the “largest garbage collection” ever organized, with more than 50,000 volunteers. Since then, the reach of Coastal Cleanup Day has steadily spread inland, where most of the debris found on California’s beaches starts as urban trash or litter.
Established by voter initiative in 1972, the California Coastal Commission is committed to protecting and enhancing California’s coast and ocean for present and future generations. It does so through careful planning and regulation of environmentally sustainable development, rigorous use of science, strong public participation, education and effective intergovernmental coordination. A map of events throughout the state is available on the Coastal Cleanup Day website, and information is updated regularly as events are confirmed.
Let’s Change This to That is a three-year public education campaign led by Caltrans to raise awareness and increase understanding of the sources and pathways of stormwater pollution throughout California. The campaign provides resources for people who live, work and play in California’s unique communities to spur behavior change in ways that lead to improved water quality.
For more information about the campaign, please visit CleanWaterCA.com.