Environmental efforts to clean, protect beaches mark major milestones

It’s a year to toast the coast, a perfect excuse to celebrate major environmental milestones aimed at protecting one of the state’s most valued resources – and also an opportunity to give a helping hand this weekend.

The annual California Coastal Cleanup Day campaign and the Surfrider Foundation are both marking 40 years in 2024, while Orange County Coastkeeper celebrates 25 years since it was founded.

All were started by passionate people who saw a growing problem – water-quality issues and pollution plaguing the coast – and wanted to find ways to galvanize the public to help.

As the statewide Coastal Cleanup Day approaches on Sept. 21, here’s a bit of history from each of the environmental efforts and ways you can get involved:

Coastal Cleanup Day celebrates 40

In 1984, Oregon resident Judy Neilson organized the first statewide beach cleanup event in the U.S., calling it the “Plague of Plastics.” California followed the next year, when the California Coastal Commission organized its first statewide cleanup event and dubbed it the California Coastal Cleanup Day.

That first year, about 2,500 Californians participated and since then, more than 1.6  million volunteers have removed more than 26 million pounds of trash from beaches and inland waterways across the state.

In 1993, California Coastal Cleanup Day was recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the “largest garbage collection” ever organized, with 50,405 volunteers.

In the years since, Coastal Cleanup Day has continued to grow, expanding inland to include the trails, rivers, lakes and parks where trash and debris collect and is flushed to the ocean when the storms come.

Data collected during the cleanups helps policymakers and the public make informed decisions and helps track what plastic products are making their way to California’s beaches, rivers and creeks.

“With these numbers, policymakers, businesses and the public can begin to take actions to reduce both plastic production and pollution,” Coastal Commission officials said in an online statement. “This data has been vitally important in developing and monitoring debris reduction policies, such as bans on single-use plastic grocery bags, plastic straws, and polystyrene foam foodware.”

This Saturday, tens of thousands of Californians will gather along beaches, shorelines and inland waterways to pick up trash and prevent it from becoming marine debris.

More than 750 cleanups will take place, with events planned in nearly every county of California. This is said to be the state’s largest annual volunteer event.

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

Each year, the cleanup includes a number of contests, and this year will have a competition for who can find the most unusual item.

For more information, visit coastalcleanupday.org.

Surfrider turns 40

In 1984, city officials in Malibu started discussing a plan that would drastically impact – if not destroy – the iconic local wave dubbed “First Point.”

Surfing had hit the mainstream and was an important part of a growing number of people’s lives, especially in this coastal town where some of the best surfers at the time flocked to the rolling waves.

Protecting that Malibu wave was the Surfrider Foundation’s first fight, and though successful, the battle for the beaches was just getting started.

The group, now based in San Clemente, does everything from organizing beach cleanups to advocating for policy change.

Locally, the fight most people are familiar with is its “Save Trestles” campaign, which squashed plans for a toll road that would have cut through San Onofre State Park, and threatened one of the country’s best surf breaks.

In that fight, 4,000 people showed up to protest at the deciding public meeting several years ago and it became a major milestone in the environmental group’s history.

“We believe that with constant pressure, endlessly applied — anything is possible. Our network of dedicated activists are at beach cleanups, rallies, city council meetings, and even the halls of Congress advocating for our ocean, waves, and beaches,” Surfrider Foundation officials say in an online statement. “Surfrider stands as a trusted beacon of guidance, mutually respected by our peers in environmental conservation as well as by decision-makers. We hold industry giants and our government accountable while championing your voice and amplifying your impact.”

There now exists 22,500 chapters and student clubs worldwide, and 1 million pounds of trash has been cleaned off the beaches through the group’s efforts in just the last 7 years.

One of the goals for this year is to launch a climate action program as a first line of defense against changing climates, as well as planting more native vegetation along coastal dunes and wetlands for preservation.

Another goal for 2024, the group says, is to hold 1,000 cleanups with 30,000 volunteers, with the hopes of removing 200,000 pounds of trash from the U.S. coastline.

Coastkeeper turns 25

Garry Brown, founder and president of Orange County Coastkeepter, started the nonprofit for a simple reason – he wanted his sons to enjoy swimmable, drinkable, fishable waters like he did as a kid.

But ensuring the waters stayed clean wasn’t a simple task.

In 1999, Brown looked up water-quality reports and saw there had been 1,365 high-bacteria warnings and closures along the Orange County coastline.

So he started Orange County Coastkeeper to protect the region’s water resources, challenging projects and developments with the potential to impact the quality of nearby beaches.

As the nonprofit grew, it started to take on issues far from the coast, looking to curb the impacts downstream. Inland Empire Waterkeeper was started in Riverside, keeping an eye on run-off upstream and teaching home and business owners about drought-tolerant landscaping.

The group regularly tests water quality following rain storms and holds beach cleanups throughout the region. Each year, the group brings thousands of elementary-age  students to participate in a beach cleanup for Kids Ocean Day.

“Since our humble beginnings in 1999, we’ve remained dedicated to safeguarding our community’s waters and coastline through innovative programming,” Brown said in an online statement.

Now 25 years later, the nonprofit’s team includes educators, attorneys, advocates, researchers and scientists, “all collaborating to protect our precious waters.”

“In this milestone year, we reflect on the positive impact our community has helped us achieve,” Brown said. “Whether it’s restoring marine ecosystems, battling pollution, educating students, advocating for water policy, or ensuring public access to our beloved beaches – your support has been the driving force behind our success.”

For California Coastal Cleanup Day, Orange County Coastkeeper helps organize more than 40 cleanup sites.

Coastkeeper is also hosting a “Toast to the Coast” celebration to mark its anniversary at 5:30 p.m. on Sept. 26 in Newport Beach. Tickets are $245. For more information, visit orangecountycoastkeeper.org