Community Corner

Register Now for Coastal Cleanup Day

The annual, worldwide volunteer event is Sept. 17, and local organizer Heal the Bay is looking for volunteers.

The Santa Monica-based environmental group Heal the Bay is seeking volunteers to help clean beaches and parks during the 22nd annual  Coastal Cleanup Day on Sept. 17.

People can volunteer at one of the approximately 60 coastal and inland sites throughout Los Angeles County to remove cigarette butts, cans, bottles, plastic bags and any other debris that eventually ends up on the beaches and in the ocean.

There will be two locations on Venice Beach, one at Rose Avenue and another at the pier/Washington Boulevard.

Find out what's happening in Venice-Mar Vistawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

In addition, the REI Santa Monica store is hosting a special kayak cleanup of Ballona Creek. The store is asking experienced kayakers to help out from 10:30 a.m. to noon and there are seven spots left, according to REI Santa Monica's kayak cleanup registration page.

If you feel like venturing a little farther south, Coastal Cleanup Day sponsor Ford Motor Co. will offer volunteers at the Dockweiler State Beach site in Playa del Rey test drives of its 2011 models and donate $50 to Heal the Bay for every test drive taken. Volunteers who test drive one of the vehicles will be automatically entered for a chance to win a new, eco-friendly Ford, with results to be announced at the end of the cleanup.

Find out what's happening in Venice-Mar Vistawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Last year, more than 14,000 volunteers in Los Angeles County picked up more than 137,000 pounds of trash during Coastal Cleanup Day, according to Heal the Bay. The local cleanup is part of the larger, international Coastal Cleanup led by the Ocean Conservancy. The Guinness Book of World Records has recognized the day as the world’s biggest 24-hour volunteer event.

Heal the Bay asks volunteers to bring their own bags or buckets to collect trash, as well as gloves and a water bottle. Volunteers are encouraged to register here.

“I love a clean street, noticing there’s no trash in the gutters or in the mouths of the catch basins, and I know my neighbors do too,” said Eveline Bravo, manager of Heal the Bay’s beach and Coastal Cleanup programs, in a press release. “On Coastal Cleanup Day everyone in Los Angeles gets a chance to clear their streets and neighborhoods of debris. Plus, it feels good knowing that whatever people pick up that day won’t end up in the ocean.”

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