CANCELLED: Coastal Cleanup Day 2018 Packing Party

We’ve finished up packing early! Supplies are prepped and ready to go out to our Coastal Cleanup Day site captains. Thanks to all of our volunteers that have helped so far! Please be advised the Thursday and Friday Packing Parties are now cancelled as a result!

The 34th Annual Coastal Cleanup Day is coming up on September 15th!

At last year’s event, 6,686 volunteers removed over 128,168 pounds of litter from 105 sites throughout the county!

With an event of that size, we have to start prepping and packing very early, and we need your help! We are looking for volunteers to assist us in the preparation for the 2018 Coastal Cleanup Day at our Packing Party. At the Packing Party, we will be assembling boxes of supplies for our numerous cleanup sites (counting and bundling supplies, packing boxes, and double checking boxes). Some heavy lifting may be required. With your help, we can make this year’s Coastal Cleanup Day an even bigger success than the last!

Volunteers will report to our office in Liberty Station to help out on the days and times below:

MONDAY 8/20 10AM-4PM
TUESDAY 8/21 10AM-4PM
WEDNESDAY 8/22 10AM-4PM
THURSDAY 8/23 10AM-3PM
FRIDAY 8/24 10AM-4PM
**We will only meet Friday if necessary. We may end early or not meet at all if the packing is completed, so flexibility is appreciated. If you are depending on service hours, please sign up for an earlier day.**

Whether you sign up for a full day or just a few hours, we would love your help! Community service hours and Letters of Appreciation will be provided for any volunteers that need them. If you or anyone you know are interested in lending a hand, please sign up by contacting our Community Programs Coordinator, Carly Keen, by email at ckeen@cleansd.org with time and date preferences!

Coastal Cleanup Day 2018 Packing Party

The 34th Annual Coastal Cleanup Day is coming up on September 15th!

At last year’s event, 6,686 volunteers removed over 128,168 pounds of litter from 105 sites throughout the county!

With an event of that size, we have to start prepping and packing very early, and we need your help! We are looking for volunteers to assist us in the preparation for the 2018 Coastal Cleanup Day at our Packing Party. At the Packing Party, we will be assembling boxes of supplies for our numerous cleanup sites (counting and bundling supplies, packing boxes, and double checking boxes). Some heavy lifting may be required. With your help, we can make this year’s Coastal Cleanup Day an even bigger success than the last!

Volunteers will report to our office in Liberty Station to help out on the days and times below:

MONDAY 8/20 10AM-4PM
TUESDAY 8/21 10AM-4PM
WEDNESDAY 8/22 10AM-4PM
THURSDAY 8/23 10AM-3PM
FRIDAY 8/24 10AM-4PM
**We will only meet Friday if necessary. We may end early or not meet at all if the packing is completed, so flexibility is appreciated. If you are depending on service hours, please sign up for an earlier day.**

Whether you sign up for a full day or just a few hours, we would love your help! Community service hours and Letters of Appreciation will be provided for any volunteers that need them. If you or anyone you know are interested in lending a hand, please sign up by contacting our Community Programs Coordinator, Carly Keen, by email at ckeen@cleansd.org with time and date preferences!

Coastal Cleanup Day 2018 Packing Party

The 34th Annual Coastal Cleanup Day is coming up on September 15th!

At last year’s event, 6,686 volunteers removed over 128,168 pounds of litter from 105 sites throughout the county!

With an event of that size, we have to start prepping and packing very early, and we need your help! We are looking for volunteers to assist us in the preparation for the 2018 Coastal Cleanup Day at our Packing Party. At the Packing Party, we will be assembling boxes of supplies for our numerous cleanup sites (counting and bundling supplies, packing boxes, and double checking boxes). Some heavy lifting may be required. With your help, we can make this year’s Coastal Cleanup Day an even bigger success than the last!

Volunteers will report to our office in Liberty Station to help out on the days and times below:

MONDAY 8/20 10AM-4PM
TUESDAY 8/21 10AM-4PM
WEDNESDAY 8/22 10AM-4PM
THURSDAY 8/23 10AM-3PM
FRIDAY 8/24 10AM-4PM
**We will only meet Friday if necessary. We may end early or not meet at all if the packing is completed, so flexibility is appreciated. If you are depending on service hours, please sign up for an earlier day.**

Whether you sign up for a full day or just a few hours, we would love your help! Community service hours and Letters of Appreciation will be provided for any volunteers that need them. If you or anyone you know are interested in lending a hand, please sign up by contacting our Community Programs Coordinator, Carly Keen, by email at ckeen@cleansd.org with time and date preferences!

Coastal Cleanup Day 2018 Packing Party

The 34th Annual Coastal Cleanup Day is coming up on September 15th!

At last year’s event, 6,686 volunteers removed over 128,168 pounds of litter from 105 sites throughout the county!

With an event of that size, we have to start prepping and packing very early, and we need your help! We are looking for volunteers to assist us in the preparation for the 2018 Coastal Cleanup Day at our Packing Party. At the Packing Party, we will be assembling boxes of supplies for our numerous cleanup sites (counting and bundling supplies, packing boxes, and double checking boxes). Some heavy lifting may be required. With your help, we can make this year’s Coastal Cleanup Day an even bigger success than the last!

Volunteers will report to our office in Liberty Station to help out on the days and times below:

MONDAY 8/20 10AM-4PM
TUESDAY 8/21 10AM-4PM
WEDNESDAY 8/22 10AM-4PM
THURSDAY 8/23 10AM-3PM
FRIDAY 8/24 10AM-4PM
**We will only meet Friday if necessary. We may end early or not meet at all if the packing is completed, so flexibility is appreciated. If you are depending on service hours, please sign up for an earlier day.**

Whether you sign up for a full day or just a few hours, we would love your help! Community service hours and Letters of Appreciation will be provided for any volunteers that need them. If you or anyone you know are interested in lending a hand, please sign up by contacting our Community Programs Coordinator, Carly Keen, by email at ckeen@cleansd.org with time and date preferences!

How Do Expiration Dates Work?

Today’s blog post was written by High Tech Middle Media Arts 6th grader, Kaiya. Kaiya’s class studied the impact that humans have on our local water resources and their contribution to food waste on a global scale. The students looked into water and food waste issues locally, statewide, nationwide and globally. The class hopes to educate the local community about waste and pollution issues and inspire change.
Photo credits
Illustration by John Wagner

Have you ever wondered how expiration dates work? Wondered how important they are? Well, I certainly did. So to those who still do, let me explain.

Let’s start with a short history lesson. Expiration dates were introduced in 1950 at a store called Marks & Spencers. It wasn’t until 1970 when “Sell By” and “Best By” tags were added to most supermarkets. Now that our history lesson has concluded, let’s get to the interesting stuff!

Expiration dates aren’t supposed to show a fruit’s edibility, but the fruit’s “peak quality”; not when it’s expired. It’s because of this common misconception that people discard perfectly good food! So actually, expiration dates are optional. They are suggestions meant to assist. It’s more important to know your food and to simply throw it out because of the expiration date.

Oftentimes, grocery stores will throw away their produce once it turns brown.

Well, how and why were they made?

Americans discontinued making their food, but still wanted to be informed about how it was made. This caused the creation of expiration dates. The facilities did tests on fruit, seeing how long they usually lasted. The most common result would become its “expiration date.”

We are wasting food.

When shopping for fruits, people are usually attracted to the apple that has the least bruises, causing an unnecessary amount of food waste. The food that’s wasted converts to a brown lump and produces a white puss. That’s mold. Mold should be thrown out, but if it’s just brown, it should be fine. Brown spots on fruit are sugar spots, meaning they amplify the flavor. They are perfectly safe to consume, but if it’s a blob of brown, you should throw it away. These spots are discovered on bananas when they continue to ripen, due to ethylene. Supermarkets tend to throw away brown fruit because it doesn’t sell. Food is wasted for no reason.

As your bananas begin to brown, throw them in your freezer to make smoothies, or use them to make banana bread!

Why do they become brown?

Brown fruit is oxidized fruit, meaning that air made them turn brown. Brown fruit is still edible! Apples turn brown in recently bitten parts. The brown on parts on apples reduce taste, but it can still be consumed.

Is there anything I shouldn’t eat when expired? Yes. Infant formula loses its nutrients passed its expiration date. Expired deli meats give you food poisoning, as well as eggs. Dairy gets bacteria buildup when it expires, so it also shouldn’t be consumed.

What moldy food can I eat?

Cheese increases in value when moldy. It tastes more flavorful, which makes a higher profit when sold. However, only specific types of cheese are edible with mold. Cheddar, Colby, Parmesan, and Swiss should be fine to consume. Other soft cheeses like cottage cheese, cream cheese, and ricotta cheese with mold should be discarded.

About the Author

Kaiya is a 6th grader at HTMMA. Her blog was democratically selected by her peers to be featured on I Love A Clean San Diego’s website. Her work will be exhibited alongside other students at a community beach cleanup coordinated by the HTMMA students. 

Clean Cities Initiative: Imperial Beach Cleanup

Join ILACSD, SDG&E, and the Imperial Beach City Council at our Clean Cities Initiative cleanup on August 4th from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm! Volunteers will meet at the Red House Kitchen located at 775 13th St, Imperial Beach, CA 91932. Last year, we worked with over 200 dedicated volunteers and we are excited to hold another cleanup in this important neighborhood!

We will have cleanup supplies, snacks, and water. We also provide community service hours and Letters of Appreciation for volunteers. This is a great opportunity for students and families to protect our local environment!

We encourage volunteers to bring their own reusable items such as water bottles, work gloves, and buckets to promote zero-waste practices and help us in our mission to have a zero waste, litter free and environmentally engaged San Diego region!

All volunteers are required to fill out a waiver form to participate and anyone under the age of 18 needs a waiver signed by their parent or guardian.

See you there!

For a map and directions, click HERE.
For a waiver, click HERE.
Register today!

Watershed Warriors: Alpine Community Cleanup

Join ILACSD as we team up with the County of San Diego, Alpine Chamber of Commerce, and Back Country Land Trust for a litter cleanup in Alpine on Saturday, July 28 from 8:00 am to 10:00 am! Volunteers will meet at the Albertsons located at 2955 Alpine Blvd, Alpine, CA 91901. We will be doing a street sweep along Alpine Boulevard to divert waste from the San Diego Watershed and maintain the natural beauty of the community!

We will have cleanup supplies, snacks, and water. We also provide community service hours and Letters of Appreciation for volunteers. This is a great opportunity for students and families to learn ways to protect our local environment!

We encourage volunteers to bring their own reusable items such as water bottles, work gloves, and buckets to promote zero waste practices and help us in our mission to have a zero waste, litter free and environmentally engaged San Diego region!

All volunteers are required to fill out a waiver form to participate and anyone under the age of 18 needs a waiver signed by their parent or guardian.

See you there!

For a map and directions, click HERE.
For the waiver, click HERE.
Register today!

Watershed Warriors: Pine Valley Community Cleanup

Join ILACSD and the County of San Diego for a litter cleanup in Pine Valley on Saturday, July 21 from 8:00 am to 10:00 am! Volunteers will meet at the Pine Valley Village located at 28944 Old Hwy 80, Pine Valley, CA 91962. We will be doing a street sweep along Old Hwy 80 and the beloved Pine Valley Park to divert waste from the Tijuana watershed and maintain the natural beauty of the community!

We will have cleanup supplies, snacks, and water. We also provide community service hours and Letters of Appreciation for volunteers. This is a great opportunity for students and families to learn ways to protect our local environment!

We encourage volunteers to bring their own reusable items such as water bottles, work gloves, and buckets to promote zero-waste practices and help us in our mission to have a zero waste, litter free and environmentally engaged San Diego region!

All volunteers are required to fill out a waiver form to participate and anyone under the age of 18 needs a waiver signed by their parent or guardian.

See you there!

For a map and directions, click HERE.
For the waiver, click HERE.
Register today!

Watershed Warriors: Julian Community Cleanup

Join ILACSD as we team up with the County of San Diego, Julian Chamber of Commerce, and Nickel Beer Company for a litter cleanup in Julian! Volunteers will meet at Nickel Beer Company and pick up trash as we loop through downtown Julian, diverting waste from the San Diego watershed. Afterward, volunteers can return to Nickel Beer Company to celebrate with a free pizza party, courtesy of the Julian Chamber of commerce!

ILACSD will bring all the cleanup supplies and explain the impact of this cleanup on our watershed. We also provide community service hours and Letters of Appreciation for volunteers. This is a great opportunity for students and families to learn ways to protect our local environment!

We encourage volunteers to bring their own reusable items such as water bottles, work gloves, and buckets. This helps us work toward our vision of a zero waste, litter-free and environmentally engaged San Diego region!

All volunteers are required to fill out a waiver form to participate. Anyone under the age of 18 needs a waiver signed by their parent or guardian.

See you there!

For a map and directions, click HERE.
For the waiver, click HERE.
Register today!

Making Waves at Kids’ Ocean Day!

On May 24th, I Love A Clean San Diego celebrated its 20th Kids’ Ocean Day, fostering the next wave of environmentally informed and engaged students. Kids’ Ocean Day is not just an excuse for students to hang out at the beach during the school day. It actually begins weeks before in the schools with ILACSD staff facilitating educational presentations for local elementary school students! These students then join ILACSD and a team of volunteers at the beach for a litter cleanup and the formation of an aerial art piece.

During the assemblies, ILACSD educators teach students about the importance of marine life, how their actions affect the ocean, and how they have the power to protect the health our environment. “It was absolutely fantastic. We had kids eager to go to other beaches to clean them up. I can’t say enough good things about how much the kids loved the assembly,” said one teacher from Los Peñasquitos Elementary. The teacher explained how they loved their students being able to see others come together to make a difference for their community during the beach cleanup. The teacher was thrilled to have their students participate in Kids’ Ocean Day, saying, “Thank you so much for this incredible experience. We can’t thank you enough for this opportunity.”

Over the 20 years that ILACSD has hosted Kids’ Ocean Day, we have engaged 20,816 participants and removed approximately 7,280 lbs. of debris from San Diego’s coastline. 

Each year, the five participating California cities determine a statewide-theme for the artwork. The 2018 theme – “Waves of Change” – evokes images of our youngest generations propelling us forward towards a cleaner, safer, and more mindful future. It illustrates how our daily choices, including what we eat, wear, discard, and purchase, have far-reaching effects. This message is broadcast to the world through the art formation. It serves as a call to action for others to join the cause and be mindful of consumption and disposal habits. Check out the video below to see the final aerial art image being formed!

Students collected plastic debris on Mission Beach using re-purposed water jugs!  

“Kids’ Ocean Day is my favorite day of the year,” said Emily Nelson, Education Manager at I Love A Clean San Diego. “This entire event, from the assembly to the cleanup and aerial artwork, showcases the power of the individual, no matter their age. I hope each child realizes just how important and powerful they are.”

We would not have been able to make “Waves of Change” without the help of our sponsors, our volunteers, teachers, and students!

Thank you to all of our Kid’s Ocean Day sponsor for investing in a cleaner San Diego!

California’s Coastal Commission’s Whale Tail Grant Program and
the Protect Our Coast and Oceans Fund
Qualcomm Foundation
Cox Communications
Jack in the Box
Bumble Bee Seafoods
Alta Environmental
Wells Fargo
CRC CARES
U.S. Bank
ViaSat
Kohl’s
Einstein Bagels
Starbucks
Outside the Lens