Heal the Bay Blog

We did it, L.A.! More than 11,000 Angelenos removed 24,000 pounds of trash today, September 21, for Coastal Cleanup Day, the largest volunteer day on the planet. 

That amount doesn’t even include the bulky items that the city of Los Angeles will collect, weigh and report!

This year’s unsolved mystery is the origin of the five clay statues of the Hindu god Ganesha (pictured above) found throughout California, including a pair found near the Malibu Pier at Surfrider beach. 

A “No Swimming, Polluted Water” sign discovered underwater by SCUBA divers at Surfrider is the most ironic found item. The grossest item is a urine sample cup at Will Rogers Beach, while glow-in-the dark vampire teeth found in the Ballona Wetlands is the most Halloween-y.

See more images from today’s cleanup and join us for the next Nothin’ But Sand cleanup of Venice Beach on Oct. 19.

Great work, Los Angeles!

Volunteers protect the waterways of the Ballona Wetlands for the 2013 Coastal Cleanup Day.

As of this week, Gabrielle Harradine has raised $270 — $70 over her goal — to “help fund the fight” against pollution on Coastal Cleanup Day. Here she details why she’s “friendraising” for Heal the Bay and what she hopes to find on Coastal Cleanup Day.

This coming Coastal Cleanup Day on September 21 will be the first one since we started a family together. We’d done two cleanups with Heal the Bay before we had children. At the earlier cleanups, I remember finding a lot of cigarette butts; followed by small bits of plastic.

Now that my daughter is old enough to be able to really participate and understand what we are doing, I am looking forward to seeing her enthusiasm. She learned about trash in the oceans at Heal the Bay’s Aquarium in Santa Monica, so Coastal Cleanup Day will be a good follow up. 

The response to our fundraising has been exciting and much better than I expected! (Although we do have lots of beach loving friends and family.) A lot of people want to help; it’s just a matter of putting it in front of them so they can respond.

On September 21, I expect to find a group of like-minded people slugging through the sand for any bits of trash. Hopefully, we’ll get to see some thankful breaching dolphins from the shore!

— Gabrielle Harradine

What will YOU find on Coastal Cleanup Day?

Join the biggest volunteer action on the planet, Coastal Cleanup Day, on Saturday, September 21, 2013 from 9 a.m. to noon. Share your personal cleanup discoveries using Twitter, Facebook or Instagram with the hashtag #whatwillyoufind. Past volunteers have found love and a hundred dollar bill!

Anyone can create a fundraising page to support the effort to protect our local natural resources. Volunteers who raise $100 or more receive a Heal the Bay T-shirt.

Gabrielle Harradine sails the Bay.

Be part of the solution to pollution! Join your fellow Angelenos on Coastal Cleanup Day (aka the BIGGEST volunteer day on the planet!) on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2013 from 9 a.m. to noon. This year Heal the Bay will organize more than 60 cleanup locations all over Los Angeles County. A complete list of cleanup sites and more details will be posted on our website later this summer.

In an effort to create more sustainable events, we ask cleanup volunteers to bring their own reusable supplies. All that you need to clean is a bucket to share, one glove to pick up trash and your reusable water bottle to stay hydrated. The more reusable tools you bring to the cleanup, the fewer disposable supplies we waste in this effort.

You can use a lot of different items as a cleanup bucket, such as a sand pail, milk jug, car wash tub, old paint can or even a washable tote bag will do the trick. To be Zero Waste, you just have to get creative.

Last year more than 9000 Angelenos worked together to keep nearly 20 tons of debris from heading to the ocean. Check out more results from last year’s Coastal Cleanup Day.

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…Tiana Tinsley! Tiana’s photograph received a whopping 127 likes on Facebook and is our #CCD2012 Instagram Photo Contest winner! Tiana’s photograph will be exhibited at Heal the Bay’s Santa Monica Pier Aquarium and published in our Coastal Cleanup Day 2012 wrap-up book. Tiana and a guest will get to spend an afternoon exploring the aquarium with an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour! Congratualtions Tiana!

Second place went to Jacki Carr, whose photograph will be exhibited at Heal the Bay’s Santa Monica Pier Aquarium and published in our Coastal Cleanup Day 2012 wrap-up book.

Courtney Middleton’s photograph came in third place and will be exhibited at Heal the Bay’s Santa Monica Pier Aquarium.

Thank you to everyone who participated in the contest and who voted for the winners on Facebook.

Thousands of Angelenos braved the heat on Coastal Cleanup Day, ridding their neighborhoods and favorite waterways of harmful and unsightly trash while simultaneously capturing the moments on their Smartphones and cameras.

After many days of deliberation, we have come up with three finalists in the #CCD2012 Instagram contest. Now we need you to pick a winner. To vote on Facebook, click on this link, then click on your favorite photo, click “Like” and you’re done! The picture with the most “Likes” by Monday, October 15, 2012, wins. Thank you to everyone who submitted such beautiful photographs, the decision was a very difficult one!

Prizes:

• First Prize: The photograph will be exhibited at Heal the Bay’s Santa Monica Pier Aquarium and published in our Coastal Cleanup Day 2012 wrap-up book. You and a guest will also receive a private, behind-the-scenes tour of Heal the Bay’s Santa Monica Pier Aquarium!
• Second Prize (2): The photograph will be exhibited at Heal the Bay’s Santa Monica Pier Aquarium and published in our Coastal Cleanup Day 2012 wrap-up book.
• Third Prize (5): The photograph will be exhibited at Heal the Bay’s Santa Monica Pier Aquarium.