I have been to Heal the Bay’s Nothin’ But Sand beach cleanups for the past 8 years or so… and, I’ve been a beach captain for 5 years maybe… and I’ve been a speaker for 2 years… So to me, “Oh, beach cleanup is a piece of cake, lol” …then I realized that I wouldn’t have as many veteran captains and speakers as the regular Nothin’ But Sand! That was when I started freaking out…

Now that I have 6 confirmed co-captains, one of them is Tom who is a super experienced beach captain and should have his own site next year, I am back to the “Oh, beach cleanup is a piece of cake lol” state

Wait. Where are the speakers? I’m back to a freaking-out state…

This goes on for the next two weeks. Please bear with me.

FYI, I have finally set up a state-of-the-art Facebook page for our site:
“Coastal Cleanup Day at Dockweiler State Beach“

If you have a Facebook account, please click the link and click “LIKE” and tell your friends : )

For Twitter peeps: sorry. I don’t tweet…but Heal the Bay does at www.twitter.com/healthebay

Coastal Cleanup Day 2010 is literally just around the corner. This year, the event will be on Saturday, September 25th from 9am to noon. Here at Heal the Bay we are extremely excited for the big day and are busy making all the preparations for our 62 sites in Los Angeles County. We have a lot of cool new things going on this year, so be sure to check out the “What’s New” section of the CCD website for all the info: www.HealtheBay.org/CCD. More to come, but we hope to see you all on the 25th!

More than 100 hours of preparations still didn’t make this event perfect.  But, to me, it was the best I could do.

I dragged two fully trained beach captain friends into my site.  They helped me so much and made so much difference.

But, still I feel that there was lots more I could have done.

Then, I couldn’t help but wonder — maybe Heal the Bay was not expecting me to do as much as I did…

This is very exciting to have this type of avenue to express my enthusiasm for Coastal Cleanup Day (CCD). Thanks for the opportunity.

I have to say it is very intimidating as well. This whole blog thing confused me and I think I created a separate blog by accident that now I don’t know how to remove. Blogging definitely requires a knack for writing.  I think I may be boring myself but anywayyyy…Ballona Creek in Culver City has always been a favorite spot of mine. The opportunity to help keep it clean and to engage as many new people to see the beauty of it is really a thrill.

Every year on CCD, several hundred plus volunteers descend on the creek path and bike-way to remove what ever debris is found.  This year has been no different in organizing. Jim Lamm with Ballona Creek Renaissance, Jenny Mascalo with Echo Horizon School and Christa and Aaron Chaison with Kiwanis are dedicated volunteers that commit to host a site in Culver City and are well organized seasoned pros. They make the event that much more enjoyable for me, because it is like watching a well oiled engine start.  No matter that it has been a whole 12 months since the last time since we all descended on the creek, everyone comes together (by email) in the preliminary talks and has good feedback and suggestions. There is an atmosphere of  camaraderie to the whole process.

It’s the night before the event, the port-a-johns, street sweepers, trash trucks, all the needed accessories, tents, tables, pencils, waivers, gloves and everything else have all been scheduled and loaded.

I have to say my part is miniscule compared to the hosts for each site that organize a small army to help them set up their respective registration tables. Complete with people to advise on the creek itself, to remind people to stay hydrated, to make sure everyone is prepared and most of all, to welcome the large groups of children and adults that show up to remove debris. It is a beautiful thing.

I am ready.  More tomorrow.

Beach Exploration Station

by Terumi Toyoshima

This is my first Pre-CCD Ed-Day (aka Coastal Cleanup Education Day).

I’m having a breakfast and getting ready for the day, hoping I won’t pass out on the sand.

I’m in my organic cotton Heal the Bay t-shirt, which used to be a crisp white.  Sometimes I’m embarrassed by the yellow and gray stains I’ve gotten from wearing it so often for my volunteer work with Heal the Bay.  At the same time though, I’m very proud of it.

How dirty is your Heal the Bay t-shirt?

The City of Malibu and Malibu Surfing Association will lead Coastal Cleanup Day (CCD) activities at two of Malibu’s premier beaches:  Westward Beach and Surfrider Beach.

WHO:

The City of Malibu was incorporated on March 28, 1991.  Malibu has 21 miles of coastline along the Pacific Ocean and has a population of 12,575.   Many residents volunteer on the annual cleanup day as well as throughout the year to maintain the beauty of these beaches.  Malibu City staff have forged valuable partnerships with community groups by working together towards environmental solutions.

One such group is the Malibu Surfing Association (MSA) is one of California’s first surfing clubs and is dedicated to the fellowship of surfing and to the stewardship of its home break, Surfrider Beach.  Through their participation in the Adopt-A-Beach program, MSA has removed more than 1,000 pounds of trash from Surfrider in 2008-2009.

WHERE:

Westward Beach – 7103 Westward Road, across from Sunset Restaurant

Surfrider Beach – 23060 Pacific Coast Highway, main parking lot just west of the  Malibu Pier

Hope you can join the City of Malibu and the MSA for this year’s CCD!

This blog is also a place where volunteers can share ideas about sustainability, tips and tricks on Heal the Bay’s many community action opportunities like Nothin’ But Sand, the Stream Team, Speakers Bureau, public hours at the Santa Monica Pier Aquarium or our Ambassadors program, or just random inspired musings on service, the environment and SoCal.

So don’t be shy — stop by to read, post or comment on the latest volunteer happenings at Heal the Bay.