Clean Ocean Action (COA) invites residents and organizations to participate in the 26th annual Spring Beach Sweeps on Saturday, April 30, at 69 sites along the New Jersey coast.
The Beach Sweeps begin at 9 a.m. and end at 12:30 p.m., rain or shine.
Clean Ocean Action Beach Sweeps is one of the longest-running cleanup programs in the nation, and after 25 years of sweeping success, the effort has resulted in the removal nearly 4.5 million pieces of trash, according to a press release from COA.
More importantly, more than 83,000 residents have been educated about the harmful effects of litter and have been motivated to make a difference.
Volunteers are given data cards to record the quantity and types of debris they find. The information collected at the sweeps helps identify pollution problems, aids legislators in enacting laws to protect the marine environment, and informs local and international efforts to combat marine pollution.
Clean Ocean Action encourages participation from volunteers of all ages, individually or from businesses, families and organizations.
Volunteers should bring gloves, dress for the weather, apply sunscreen, and wear closed-toed, hardsoled shoes.
Beach captains will be available for volunteers at each site to distribute cleanup materials and give instructions throughout the event. For a list of sites, a group sign-up form and other information, visit www.cleanoceanaction.org and follow the links for Beach Sweeps.
In preparation for the Beach Sweeps, groups and volunteers are encouraged to rally their friends online via Facebook, Twitter and blog. Clean Ocean Action has established #2011sweeps as the twitter hashtag to follow. People are encouraged to follow the ongoing dialogue on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Clea n-Ocean-Action/126163971494.
Clean Ocean Action is a coalition of 125 boating, business, community, conservation, diving, environmental, fishing, religious, service, student, surfing and women’s groups. Based on Sandy Hook, COAis the only fulltime regional coalition that works exclusively for a clean ocean off the coasts of New Jersey and New York.