Feeling Good Doing Good - Beach Clean Up Days
I am always glad to get the email invite from an earnest collection of friends in Malibu, who cast out a call to a group of us online about weekly nature hikes, full moon picnics and midnight meteor shower gatherings. “Yes!” I cheer to myself. “THIS is why I left the whirlwind life of New York City; to jog along our breezy ocean boardwalk, and glide a kayak over the undulating kelp beds of Pt. Dume.”
So when the call to arms in Malibu was for National Coastal Clean Up Day*, I rallied happily. Now I have to admit, this is the kind of thing that I usually need a bit of nudging to join. I love an excuse to get outside, but…picking up trash? Will there be snacks? A little social interaction? A burly, rugged conscientious single man noticing my altruistic diligence as I pick up the offending beer cans and used diapers? No act is selfless, people.
After a freeing zip up the Pacific Coast Highway to Malibu early one Saturday morning, sense of purpose bubbling up my spirits, I arrive at a central meeting point; the parking lot above El Matador, a truly breathtaking beach. One of my Malibu hiking buddies is at a table, coordinating the volunteering for beaches in the area. He doles out trash bags, (one for recyclables) thin surgical gloves and a card to record our findings for the Heal the Bay organization (who in turn report them to the government to encourage more funding for this sort of thing). There are only a few people assigned to work here, as the beaches are small and not as trafficked.
My friend Tony and I are assigned several little coves to the north by ourselves. Five minutes in, my need to pick up every little scrap has become compulsive, exhilarating and satisfying. I look up from stooping down and take in the beach. My god, this is beautiful! It’s right here - for all of us!!
The work is calming, quiet, and focused. We quickly fill two big trash bags. When I picture the families that have come down to enjoy the day, the water, the exercise and fresh air - and then see the debris they have left behind, the selfishness is astonishing. And I come to the muttering that I always do - if we each just did our part, just carried our own trash to a can that has been left for us and will be picked up for us, RIGHT OVER THERE, there would not be a SPECK of trash on this entire beach.
So, as it turned out, there were no snacks, no burly boys, no people, really (since we were assigned these beaches alone)…not what I had hoped for, but wow - I got a great photo of a little cove we cleaned, and at the end, hot and dirty, pulled on my wetsuit and took a freezing swim.
As that was a one-day annual event, I decided to bump it up a notch and hit Santa Monica for the Heal the Bay Monthly Clean-up, held on the third Saturday of every month. I can ride my bike there. (YAY; no burned fossil fuels, a little exercise and no paying for parking. Good news, all around.) I invited a few friends, who were all busy but commended me of my good deed.
I go to the designated beach spot, immediately find the little tents and an eclectic group of smiling folks, and team up with a great woman. We laugh and gossip the entire time, and are the first “group” back with a full bag. She informs me about this enormous floating trash dump in the middle of the ocean that has been growing for years. I Googled and read about it when I got home. Sometimes called the Pacific Trash Vortex, and estimated by some as twice the size of TEXAS, this garbage has been gathering for years where Pacific currents meet in the middle of the ocean, is consumed by unsuspecting sea life, and still growing. How could I not know about this?!
After a hug and a promise to meet again, my volunteer pal and I exchange cards, and she drives away in her Prius (natch!). Again, no snacks, no outdoorsy boys, but nice families, and a lot of teenage kids fulfilling their 30-hour annual community service requirements - but the breeze, the surf - and two hours of just hanging with the community doing a good thing was the best way I could imagine to spend a Saturday morning.
I am actually seeing someone now…but maybe we’ll make a date of it next month…and I will try (harder) to rally some friends to join us! Heal the Bay has great volunteer ideas on their website (healthebay.org) and a great hands-on Aquarium under the Santa Monica Pier. You can also do your bit by just grabbing up trash you happen to see, whenever you leave a campsite, park, picnic area, or beach. Make it a game with your kids. It just makes ya feel good! ☺
*Coastal Cleanup Day is held in conjunction with the California Coastal Commission and the LA Dept. of Beaches and Harbors.
At this particular clean up day, Heal the Bay reported that volunteers in the LA area (including rivers, lakes, creeks, wetlands and beaches) picked up approx. 35 tons of trash and 5,000 lbs of recyclables within three hours.
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Alicia Sedwick - Ecoist
Alicia is an actress, (stage work for 10 years in NYC) writer, producer, and has recently started new part-time careers in both teaching and private investigation. She loves living in Santa Monica, where she can regularly take advantage of communing with nature at both the mountains and ocean.
Tags: beach clean up, community service