Month: May 2023

Elementary Students Create the “Give Nature A Chance” Aerial Conservation Message at This Year’s Kids Ocean Day

Elementary Students Create the “Give Nature A Chance” Aerial Conservation Message at This Year’s Kids Ocean Day
I Love A Clean San Diego engaged students with ocean conservation education, a beach cleanup, and the aerial message for the 2023 edition of the annual event

San Diego, CA – May 26, 2023 – Kids Ocean Day, an inspiring event for youth that educates and engages elementary students in ocean conservation, took place yesterday and profoundly impacted the 1,000 participants with the beach cleanup and the extraordinary aerial art project. Mission Bay provided the scenic backdrop for the event where I Love A Clean San Diego hosted students from seven Title 1 schools from across the region. I Love A Clean San Diego joins four other California regions in connecting local youth to the environment for the annual Kids Ocean Day event.

“This year’s Kids Ocean Day is extra special, as it marks the event’s return to full capacity, which was previously held with limitations since 2019 due to the pandemic,” said Eric Dillemuth, Education Program Specialist at I Love A Clean San Diego.

The Kids Ocean Day program began weeks before yesterday’s culmination event, with educational presentations at eight elementary schools throughout the county. The beach cleanup provided students with first-hand experience in applying their ocean conservation knowledge. The students concluded their visit to the beach by creating a stunning aerial art message, spanning an impressive 230 ft.by 230 ft., which spelled out the powerful statement, “Give Nature A Chance,” along with a jellyfish. The artwork served as an homage to nature’s resiliency and perseverance that occurred during the pandemic.

By providing an interactive experience, Kids Ocean Day was a catalyst for youth to actively care for their environment, instilling a sense of responsibility and encouraging a lifestyle that fosters the well-being of our region. For many of these students, it was their first visit to the beach, creating a memorable experience that will inspire them to become lifelong stewards of the environment.

“We are proud to support Kids Ocean Day, a program that connects youth to the environment and demonstrates the critical role they play in preserving its health,” said Susan Day, President of Kiwanis San Diego.

This year’s Kids Ocean Day was made possible through the generous support of the California Coastal Commission, San Diego Kiwanis Club Foundation, Cox Communications, and Wells Fargo.

About I Love A Clean San Diego
Founded in 1954, I Love A Clean San Diego is an environmental nonprofit supporting residents and businesses of San Diego County through youth and adult education, and local action through impactful volunteer events and workshops. As San Diego’s most influential advocate for sustainability, I Love A Clean San Diego’s programs are an environmental catalyst, awakening passion and inspiring action to empower everyone to be leaders in conservation and waste-free living. Our community is passion in action to maintain and improve the health of the home we love. For more information, to volunteer or donate, visit CleanSD.org or call (619) 291-0103. Connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram , and LinkedIn.

I Love A Clean San Diego to Place 200 Temporary Bins Along San Diego Beaches Over Busy Holiday Weekends in 2023

I Love A Clean San Diego to Place 200 Temporary Bins Along San Diego Beaches Over Busy Holiday Weekends in 2023
Waste and Recycling Bins Will be Placed Along San Diego Beaches during the Memorial Day, Fourth of July, and Labor Day Weekends.

SAN DIEGO, CA (May 16, 2023) – I Love A Clean San Diego’s Clean Beach Coalition will place 200 temporary waste and recycling bins on San Diego’s busiest beaches and bays over long holiday weekends to handle the expected excess litter. Now in its 16^th year, these temporary bins placed by the Clean Beach Coalition have helped keep 3.5 million pounds of litter off of San Diego beaches and out of the ocean.

Over the busy holiday weekends, San Diego beaches see a spike in visitors, both locals and tourists and permanent trash receptacles often overflow with large amounts of litter. To alleviate the excess and reduce marine debris and pollution, the Coalition places bins along San Diego’s most heavily trafficked beaches: Mission Beach, Mission Bay, and Pacific Beach over Memorial Day, Fourth of July, and Labor Day weekends.

Marine debris poses a serious health threat to local wildlife and negatively impacts water quality. Single-use plastics are the most dangerous pollutant, which breaks down into microplastics. In turn, microplastics can be ingested by animals and humans. In 2022, nearly 70% of all the litter removed during I Love A Clean San Diego’s community and countywide cleanups was a form of plastic or single-use item.

Plan Your Visit to the Beach
Help prevent litter along our coast.

I Love A Clean San Diego encourages beachgoers to prepare ahead of time to reduce the amount of waste! You can help keep our beaches clean by replacing disposable single-use items with reusable items:

Instead of Styrofoam containers or single-use plastic cups of any kind, use hard plastic items, metal coolers, insulated bags, and beach-safe cups as alternatives.
Eliminate sandwich bags and food wrappers by shopping in bulk and packing reusable food storage containers.
Refuse plastic utensils and do not take them from restaurants. Instead, bring and use reusable options such as bamboo or silverware from home!
Avoid plastic bags, and swap them with a stylish tote or canvas bag.

The Clean Beach Coalition is possible thanks to our 2023 partners: The Coca-Cola Company, Think Blue San Diego, Pacific Beach Shore Club, San Diego County Board of Supervisors, and Bank of America. The Coalition is powered by I Love A Clean San Diego, Urban Corps, and the City of San Diego. Conservation, education, and workforce development blend for a program that provides a range of meaningful impacts. By employing Corps members, the Coalition supports Urban Corps’ mission to provide thousands of young adults the opportunity to improve themselves while improving their communities. Additional information about the Clean Beach Coalition is available at CleanBeachCoalition.org.

Looking To Move? Donation and Recycling Guide for Residents Moving Out of a Home

We all know moving can be stressful. Before you think about throwing items into the dumpster that will eventually find their way into our local landfills, we have some tips to make your move more efficient (and hopefully more stress-free)! The key is to stay organized and plan ahead.

Bedrooms & Home Offices

Donate your bedroom and home office furniture to your local thrift store and call to confirm if it offers bulky item pick-up. Bed mattresses and bed frames should be recycled through a participating Bye Bye Mattress recycling program location.

Donate clothes that are in a good/reusable condition to a local thrift store. Clothes, sheets, towels, etc. that are torn, stained, or old, should be recycled through a local textile recycling program.

Electronics that are no longer working (also known as electronic waste or e-waste) include items such as televisions, radios, telephones, cell phones, and printers. Many recycling locations will accept electronic waste at no cost and collection events are available for select neighborhoods on specific dates and times. Working electronics should be taken to a local thrift store.

Tip: Electronic waste does not include fluorescent light bulbs/tubes (they contain mercury) and any type of batteries.

Bonus Tip: Remove all sensitive information from hard drives before donating or recycling.

Kitchen

Working or newer appliances can be taken to organizations that reuse or resell appliances like Habitat for Humanity ReStore locations. For any non-working appliance, drop-off at a local scrap metal recycler.

If items like dishes, pots, pans, and silverware are in reusable/good condition, donate them to a local thrift store. If the item is stainless steel and is old/overused, take it to a scrap metal recycler.

Cleaning products like all-purpose cleaners, disinfectants, degreasers and stain remover are considered household hazardous waste and should be disposed of at a collection facility.

All non-perishable food should be dropped off at a local food bank.

Bathroom

Loose medication can be put into plastic bags then deposited at kiosks located at participating San Diego County Sheriff’s departments. Please ensure any liquid medication is enclosed in secure containers before depositing and please remove any personal information from medicine bottles. Prescription drug take back days occur twice a year. Permanent drop-off locations are available at participating sheriff’s stations or police departments.

Needles/sharps should be transported to a proper collection center in a rigid, puncture resistant, and tightly sealed container. Some examples of proper containers include bleach bottles, liquid detergent bottles, or coffee cans with lids. Containers should be no larger than 2 liters or 1/2 gallon. Label the container “Needles” or “Sharps” before disposing of it at an approved residential needles/sharps collection drop box or at your local household hazardous waste collection facility.

Garage/ Shed

Hand tools and power tools can be donated to a local thrift store or recycled at participating locations. Certain gardening tools powered by gasoline such as a lawnmower will have to be completely drained before donating or recycling.

The following products typically found in the household like gardening chemicals and automotive fluids are considered household hazardous waste:

Fertilizer
Pesticide
Herbicide
Insecticide
Motor oil
Gasoline
Antifreeze
Batteries
Flight bulbs/tubes
Paint Household hazardous waste should be taken to a designated household hazardous waste collection facility.

Additional Information

Looking to sell or give away an item? Donating and recycling are not the only options! Residents can host a garage sale or attend a swap meet to sell or trade items. Many websites and apps also allow users to post items to sell or to give away for free, including:

Tips on how to reduce the need for cardboard boxes

Remember to pack up your belongings in containers you already have such as reusable bags, dresser drawers, or suitcases
Start saving up cardboard boxes a couple of months ahead of time.
Check some of the donation sites listed above to look for any additional cardboard boxes.
Any reusable cardboard boxes should be donated. Find a location at WasteFreeSD.org
Remember to recycle leftover cardboard boxes in the blue recycling bin. Please break down the box before recycling it.

Plan early

All household hazardous waste collection facilities require proof of residency and an appointment. Have an inventory of everything you plan to drop off, including quantities and the condition of your items, before calling to make an appointment.
Some thrift stores offer free pick-up, but there may be a wait time of up to a month to receive service. Plan accordingly.
Remove all personal information from electronics, prescription medication bottles, sensitive documents, etc., before donating or recycling.

To review a list of what can go in the curbside recycling bin, find recycling centers, donation locations, and local household hazardous waste collection facilities, or for waste reduction guides, visit WasteFreeSD.org.