Filed under: Beach Clean-ups, Community Service/Volunteer, Dockweiler State Beach
Janelle Doi
Beach Clean-Up
On May 16, 2009, I participated in a beach clean-up at Dockweiler State Beach Park with a small group of students from the Environment 170 class. The club that three other students and I recently organized (the Green Social Network) was hosting the event as a kickoff, and it seemed only natural to invite people from the 170 class to join, considering that most of them are environmental science majors and needed to fulfill the volunteer requirement. After getting the word out about both the club and the beach clean-up, I put together a list of interested people and sent out emails to everyone. I organized carpools so that we could be more environmentally friendly in our transportation mode, and also to encourage everyone to get to know each other. After all, this was intended to be a social event as well as a productive one. We arrived at Dockweiler at about 5pm on Saturday, and the other club leaders and I provided all of the gloves and trashbags needed. We set out, and immediately realized that we had our work cut out for us!
Dockweiler is the only local beach that allows bonfires because it has designated pit areas. While this is great for the beachgoing public, it can be devastating for the marine life if trash is not disposed of in a safe manner. Sadly, we found that very few people clean up after themselves. As we walked along the sand, we picked up trash of all shapes and sizes. We found cigarette butts, plastic bottles, paper plates, napkins, childrens’ toys, balloons, straws, and Styrofoam containers to name a few of the more frequent items. It was unbelievable how much was scattered around, and we only covered a couple miles. We managed to fill at least six large garbage bags in the two hours that we were there.
Beach clean-ups are incredibly important for the health of our oceans. Small pieces of plastic can appear to be food to many fish and other marine animals, but once they’ve ingested them, their systems cannot digest them. Their stomachs fill with this plastic and eventually they starve to death because real food cannot fit. Large pieces of trash can trap small creatures, and some of the things that people discard contain toxins that can pollute the water. If we can catch some of these harmful pieces of rubbish before they make it into the ocean, we are saving thousands of lives. Clean-ups are also important in raising awareness. While we were combing the beach, people were paying attention to us. It’s not every day you see a group of college students volunteering and having fun while doing it! We set a really great example for all of the families who were at the beach enjoying their bonfires. In fact, I actually saw one woman turn back towards the pit that she was leaving and clean up her area after she saw us coming through. She even encouraged her children to help. It felt amazing to know that we were making a difference, and that we had just taught someone the value of picking up their trash. I sincerely hope that the next time her and her family decide to go to the beach, they will remember that experience and maybe even set an example for somebody else.
