Coastal Cleanup Day Turns 40 This Year

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Santa Barbara: What if you could protect our coastline, improve the lives of marine animals, and shape policies to combat plastic pollution—all in a single morning? On Saturday, September 21st, from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm, Santa Barbara County community members will have that opportunity during Coastal Cleanup Day.

For forty years, Coastal Cleanup Day (CCD) has inspired people around the globe to take action for a healthier, cleaner environment. The state’s largest volunteer event is expected to draw more than 50,000 people across hundreds of locations from the ocean to the Sierra Nevada. In Santa Barbara County, sites ranging from beaches, to parks, to creeks will be cleaned.

Since the event’s launch in 1985, about 1.8 million volunteers have helped remove more than 27 million pounds of trash from thousands of miles of California’s beaches and inland shorelines. The most common items found  include cigarette filters, food wrappers, plastic straws, and other utensils.

Statewide, Coastal Cleanup Day is presented by the California Coastal Commission. In Santa Barbara County, the event is organized by Explore Ecology and the County of Santa Barbara Resource Recovery and Waste Management, with support from the Cities of Santa Barbara, Goleta, and Solvang.

“The support that Californians have demonstrated for our coast over these past decades has been incredible,” said Coastal Commission Executive Director Kate Huckelbridge. “It’s amazing that volunteers who turned out to the earliest cleanups are now bringing their children or even their grandchildren out to
participate.”

The cleanup has proven so successful that the Coastal Commission introduced a self-guided program in 2020 to allow participation across the entire month of September. Last year, more than 45,000 volunteers turned out over the course of September, including at over 600 cleanup sites on Coastal Cleanup Day itself.

“It’s a testament to the strength of the cleanup movement that it has thrived for so long,” Huckelbridge said. “We can see the impact year-round. Thank you California for protecting our coast for the next generation!”

Coastal Cleanup Day takes a lot of planning and preparation. Thirty community members donate their time to volunteer as Site Captains who are in charge of distributing cleanup materials, managing volunteers at local sites, and reporting data on the day of the event. 2024 Site Captains include: Pyp Pratt, Paul Pratt, Elsa Winter, Jasmin Tupy, Heather Hudson, Meg DeCoite, Lily Strange, Tessa Cafritz, Dylan Otte, Dawn Brews, Darren Brews, Melissa Erickson, Julie DeAngelis, Barbara Haig, Julie Randall Colbert, Matthew Cogorno, Allison Armstrong, Katie Pointer, Lyn Moore, Eddie Oros, Ashley Hollister, Karissa Otero, Bodhi Crawford, Jan Silk, Lori Lee Collins, Henry Eckold, Ryan Power, Ryan Wong, Micaela Oleson, Johnny Alonzo, Anne Burdette, Janet Koed, Robert Byl, Brian Trautwein, Kaia Kababik, Brandon Kaysen, Cash Upton, Denise Alvarado, and Veronica Moran.

How can community members volunteer to cleanup up their favorite beach, creek, or park? It’s easy! Visit ExploreEcology/Coastal-Cleanup-Day.org. Everyone who pre-registers will be entered in a drawing to win prizes from local businesses dedicated to clean beaches and waterways.

Explore Ecology Coastal Cleanup Day intern Elsa Winter who is helping coordinate the Santa Barbara County event says, “I’m so excited to attend my first Coastal Cleanup Day! I feel so lucky to be involved in such an important international volunteer event. Let’s give back to our beautiful beaches and show them the love and care they deserve!”

Becoming part of the solution to ocean pollution is easier than ever on Coastal Cleanup Day, Saturday, September 21st, from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm. Community members are invited to get outside, enjoy nature, and have fun participating in the largest cleanup event of the year!

More information can be found in our 2024 Media Kit.

About Explore Ecology: Explore Ecology empowers our community to protect and preserve the planet with innovative environmental education and nature-based learning. Located in Santa Barbara, Explore Ecology is an environmental education nonprofit that educates over 38,000 children a year, inspiring them to engage with the natural world, think critically, and experience the value of environmental stewardship. Programs include the Art From Scrap Creative Reuse Store, the Watershed Resource Center, the EE Makerspace, Environmental Education, and the School Gardens Program. For more information, visit ExploreEcology.org.