The City of San Diego’s Environmental Services Department is hosting a FREE Recycling Event with support from the State of California Department of Resources, Recycling and Recovery, CalRecycle. Items that will be accepted at this event are: oil, antifreeze, oil filters, car batteries, household batteries, and fluorescent bulbs. This service will be offered from 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM on Saturday, January 27, 2018, at Qualcomm Stadium, 9449 Friars Road, San Diego, CA 92108.
Transportation Requirements: Maximum limit for transportation ~ 10 Gallons
Volunteers power all of our cleanups, like our two annual countywide cleanups, Creek to Bay and Coastal Cleanup Day.
As the days cool down, the chill in the air hints at the year coming to a close soon. At ILACSD, we are taking this time to reflect on yet another successful year working to keep our community clean and safe for everyone alongside a dedicated, committed team of volunteers, sponsors, and donors. Thanks to your generous support in the form of time, energy, and financial gifts, together we have accomplished some incredible things this past year.
In 2017, YOU came together with I Love A Clean San Diego to accomplish incredible feats. Together in 2017 we:
Removed 400,000 lbs of litter | Mobilized 32,000 volunteers | Educated 28,000 students
These are just a few of the tremendous outcomes we have carried out together, but that’s not all! As a direct result of your support in 2017, we conducted 265 countywide cleanup events and delivered 650 educational presentations on the importance of caring for the environment (we even managed to have a little fun while we were at it too!). Our efforts will have a lasting impact on future generations. We feel honored to be working alongside you to make our San Diego a place where everyone has the opportunity to revel in our countless majestic outdoor spaces.
Students at our Annual Kids’ Ocean Day love to enjoy the beach while they clean it up!
As we prepare for another year, we ask – will you help us do even more in 2018? Financial gifts to ILACSD ensure that our education, recycling, and community cleanup programs teams are able to reach all parts of San Diego County and provide this important work.
Every donation helps so much!
$50 can equip 25 volunteers at our cleanups with reusable work gloves.
$100 can supply the equipment to clean and beautify one community park.
$250 can provide 50 underserved youth with the transportation needed to participate in Kids’ Ocean Day.
We hope you will help us do even more for the community we all love in 2018! Visit CleanSD.org to make your tax-deductible gift today.
Oh, and don’t forget #GivingTuesday is coming up on Tuesday, November 28, 2017! Be sure to follow ILACSD on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Share you support on social media with an “UN-selfie” and use the hashtags #GivingTuesday and #ILACSD.
This year, I Love A Clean San Diego was selected as a recipient of the 2017 Keep America Beautiful/Lowe’s Community Partners Grant Program which has provided funds to conserve, protect, and enhance areas in Lemon Grove and Encanto.
The 2017 Keep America Beautiful/Lowe’s Community Partners Grant Program engages local volunteers to take action to benefit their community with projects that focus on critical needs. I Love A Clean San Diego’s grant program has already impacted both Lemon Grove and Encanto by supporting beautification and cleanup events in those communities. One final day of action for Lemon Grove is still to come on November 4th.
Lemon Grove Park volunteers had a blast while giving back in their community!
As a result of this grant program, on September 16th, we were able to expand two of our smaller Coastal Cleanup Day sites into large scale cleanups with additional projects to improve the parks! On this day, we had focused beautification efforts on Encanto Park and Lemon Grove Park. Between the two sites, over 130 volunteers removed 129 pounds of trash and 57 pounds of recycling from the areas. On top of the debris removed, volunteers accomplished impressive feats by removing brush, weeding landscape, planting 90 native plants, spread mulch, painting 9 structures, and removing graffiti.
Even with all the fun, those volunteers completed many beautification projects around the park!
On October 21st, we hosted the third event in Lemon Grove’s Civic Center Park. With a turnout of over 120 individuals, volunteers joined forces to remove litter – collecting 128 pounds of trash and 28 pounds of recycling, as well as some household hazardous waste like batteries and syringes. In addition to the cleanup, volunteers collected an unprecedented amount of cigarette litter from landscaped areas, spread new mulch over approximately 200 square feet of landscape, planted 95 various plants in that space, and painted the exterior of a nearby public restroom. Overall, volunteers made efforts to drastically improve the area surrounding the Lemon Grove Depot station, a landmark of Lemon Grove, and removed over 150 pounds of debris from entering the storm water system and flowing to the Pacific Ocean!
Volunteers completed painting and planting projects at Lemon Grove Park on October 21st!
The work isn’t done just yet! We’ll be in Lemon Grove once again for a final event as a part of this grant program. On Saturday, November 4th, we are slated to complete another cleanup featuring even more beautification projects for Lemon Grove’s Berry Street Park. Volunteers can still register for this event and become a channel for change in their community. So roll up your sleeves, and let’s get to work!
On Thursday, October 12th, I Love a Clean San Diego hosted our annual Fall Social fundraising event, Brews by the Bay, at the iconic Catamaran Resort and Hotel, overlooking Mission Bay. This outdoor soiree brought together some of the top environmental leaders and community members of San Diego for an evening of music, fun, and a celebration of those who are making a difference to better our environment.
Guests were treated to the musical styling of Peter Hall while they enjoyed picturesque views and a tasty drink!
Guests were treated to the musical talents of Peter Hall, who played a variety of folk and classic rock songs, as well as the special guest emcee talents of Fox 5 News’ Brad Wills. With delicious food provided by the Catamaran and lively libations provided by Barefoot Wine & Bubbly and Baja Brewing Company, the event was the largest fundraiser of the year, with all proceeds supporting environmental change in San Diego County. A diverse and interesting silent auction included fabulous items such as tickets to Disneyland, a signed Mark McGwire baseball, camping gear from REI, staycations at many of the finest San Diego resorts, fashionable clothes by Patagonia, and much more. Guests who wanted to try their luck in the opportunity drawing had the chance to purchase “wingspan” lengths of tickets, which was quite the sight!
Senator Toni Atkins presented ILACSD with a Proclamation recognizing our work leading environmental action in San Diego!
Senator Toni Atkins started the program off with a passionate speech on the importance of each individual taking personal responsibility for the health of our community and presented I Love a San Diego with a Proclamation recognizing our dedication to creating a zero waste, litter-free, and environmentally engaged San Diego region. Brews by the Bay also provided the opportunity for I Love a Clean San Diego to recognize folks who give their time and energy to improving our community. Each honoree was presented their award (made from recycled ceramics!) by our local elected officials. The 2017 I Love a Clean San Diego honorees are:
Corporate Employee Engagement
Patagonia (Small Business Honoree) presented by 78th District Assemblymember Todd Gloria SDG&E (Large Business Honoree) presented by 77th District Assemblymember Brian Maienschein
Volunteer of the Year
Jonathan Applebaum presented by County of San Diego Supervisor Ron Roberts
Leader of Tomorrow
Katrina Berge presented by City of San Diego Councilmembers Barbara Bry and Lorie Zapf
Zero Waste Innovation Award
City of Chula Vista presented by City of Chula Vista Councilmember John McCann
I Love a Clean San Diego would like to thank our following sponsors: Sycuan, SDG&E, Cox Communications, Sony, Senator Toni Atkin’s Office, San Diego County Airport Authority, Harrison & Associates, and Morgan Stanley who have made this event and the work we do around San Diego County possible. We also thank everyone who joined us for Brews by the Bay, making it our largest fundraiser ever! Thanks to your support we have the ability to perform even more cleanup and beautification events, to engage more volunteers, to bring more environmental educational programming to our schools and communities, and to provide important recycling information to thousands of San Diegans throughout the county. Now that’s something to celebrate. Cheers!
Thank you all so much from your ILACSD team! Cheers!
At I Love A Clean San Diego, we work to lead and inspire our community to actively conserve and enhance the environment so that our children can enjoy this beautiful region for future generations to come. That’s why we believe in engaging with local schools to instill in them environmental values and habits at an early age.
Did you know that the average elementary school student drinks 133 servings of milk or juice per year? For the average elementary school, that means students consume approximately 75,000 carton beverages per year – that means more than 6 billion cartons are consumed in schools every year!
With carton recycling now available in over 60% of the country, including San Diego, we want to spread the word that you can recycle your cartons and help everyone improve their recycling habits.
Congratulations to Teirrasanta and Cherokee Point Elementary schools for leading by example. Take a look at the great work they’ve already done:
Tierrasanta Elementary won the San Diego Unified School District’s Most-Improved Recycling Award for 2016-17 by boosting their recycling diversion from 10% to 25% (by weight) over the course of just one school year. Through increased classroom recycling efforts as well as lunchtime recycling of cartons, lunch trays, and other recyclables, Tierrasanta students were able to reduce trash service, dramatically improve recycling rates, and save the school money.
Tierrasanta students use a helpful recycling station set up to stay mindful of what goes where when lunchtime ends!
Diverting 95% of all lunchtime waste is an extraordinary feat, and that’s exactly what Cherokee Point Elementary of San Diego Unified School District accomplished last school year. Students and staff joined together to ensure liquids, cartons, lunch trays, and food scraps were kept out of the trash and out of our landfills. The school’s Green Team students encouraged other students to properly sort their waste and take on litter pickup to keep campus clean.
Cherokee Point Elementary’s Green Team helped students sort their garbage leading to a 95% diversion of lunchtime waste!
School recycling programs not only encourage children to learn about the importance of recycling, but they also enable communities to recover large quantities of valuable materials, like beverage cartons. To start or enhance carton recycling efforts at your or your child’s school in San Diego, visit cartonopportunities.org. Our partner, Carton Council, has created materials specifically to help parents, teachers, and administrators get started.
Join us for an informational and interactive workshop focusing on zero waste practices! On Saturday, November 4th, 2017, I Love A Clean San Diego will be partnering with the City of Chula Vista to host a Zero Waste 101 Workshop in the Chula Vista Hills Garden from 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM. We will identify the importance of a zero waste lifestyle, inform residents on resources the City of Chula Vista provides, and help attendees get started by sharing tips and tricks they can implement at home and on-the-go. Activities will include educational booths, a swap n’ shop (remember to bring items for this!), kids craft, and make-and-take station. All attendees will be entered in our raffle for sustainable prizes!
The San Diego County Water Authority unveiled a renovated demonstration garden at its Kearny Mesa headquarters designed to inspire more residents to create outdoor spaces that achieve multiple environmental benefits.
The four key principles of the Sustainable Landscapes Program.
The approximately 3,000-square-foot garden provides a tangible example of the recommendations of the San Diego Sustainable Landscapes Program, or SLP, and highlights four key principles of sustainable landscaping.
Here’s what to look for when visiting the garden:
Healthy, Living Soils: Healthy, living soils rich in organic content feed a complex soil food web. The soil holds water like a sponge and has nutrients for better plant health. Healthy soil may also play an important role in carbon sequestration. The garden has a 1.3 in layer of compost mixed into the soil and is topped with 3 inches of mulch to suppress weeds and reduce evaporation.
Climate-Appropriate Plants: A large selection of beautiful groundcovers, shrubs and trees is compatible with San Diego’s mild Mediterranean climate. These plants use less water and exhibit diverse colors, textures and shapes, while providing endless design opportunities. The garden uses more than 20 varieties of very low to moderate water-use plants, placed in hydrozones where plants with similar irrigation needs are grouped together.
High-Efficiency Irrigation: A smart irrigation controller adjusts water automatically in response to site and changing weather conditions. High-performance distribution components regulate pressure and are tailored to fit the exact watering needs of different plants in the landscape. The garden has inline drip irrigation and rotating nozzles to maximize water-use efficiency.
Rainwater as a Resource: Sustainable landscapes make the most of rainfall onsite. By slowing its flow, water is captured from rooftops and other hard surfaces so it can sink into the soil or be stored for later use. The garden demonstrates rainwater harvesting through a bioswale and detention basin next to the building and rain barrels along the entryway.
Visitors can check out the exhibit sign to learn all about key sustainable landscaping principles.
The garden also features an exhibit-quality sign to introduce visitors to key sustainable landscaping principles. The sign includes a QR Code that enables visitors to use their smartphones to quickly locate related SLP resources at sustainablelandscapessd.org.
Smaller signs throughout the landscape identify specific plant types. Free brochures on sustainable landscaping featuring the landscape’s design plan and plant palette are also available for visitors to take home.
Things are busy as ever at the I Love a Clean San Diego offices over in Liberty Station! While our tremendous Community Programs department winds down the final bits of our successful Coastal Cleanup Day, the ILACSD team is ramping up our efforts as we prepare for our biggest fundraiser of the year, our annual fall social – Brews by the Bay!
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On Thursday, October 12th, dedicated folks from all corners of San Diego will gather together for an evening to celebrate an incredible year of community building, volunteer action, and fun. Thanks to the hard work of over 33,000 San Diegans of all ages, we have removed over 310,000 pounds of harmful litter from our environment in 2017 so far, with more cleanup events scheduled through the end of the year. Now that’s something to celebrate!
In addition to celebrating our great accomplishments through the year, ILACSD will be honoring some of our neighborhood heroes for their tireless work to make San Diego a safe and healthy place for future generations. Our Brews by the Bay Honorees are:
Corporate Employee Engagement
Patagonia (Small Business Honoree) SDG&E (Large Business Honoree)
Volunteer of the Year
Jonathan Applebaum
Leader of Tomorrow
Katrina Berge
Zero Waste Innovation Award
City of Chula Vista
This evening soiree will take place on the bay view lawn of The Catamaran Resort and Spa in Mission Bay. Guests will enjoy delightful cuisine, a spectacular silent auction and raffle, networking with the top environmental advocates in our community, and hosted beverages from our generous partners at the Baja Brewing Company and Barefoot Wines. As this event is all outdoors, we recommend wearing comfortable shoes and bringing a light sweater for when the weather cools down.
Make sure to keep an eye on the auction bid sheets! With an impressive lineup of prizes including a family 4-pack of tickets to Disneyland, dining at the hottest spots in North Park, signed sports memorabilia, brewery tours, and even a 7-night Hawaiian vacation, the bidding is sure to be competitive!
ILACSD is thrilled to welcome Peter Hall as our special entertainer for the evening, who will treat attendees with his wonderful live musical talents. And of course, what San Diego evening would be complete without a signature craft beer or two? Be sure to stop by our Oktoberfest-style Bites and Brews station, presented by Karl Strauss. For a small donation, guests will enjoy a special beer tasting experience, with tasty sausage and pretzel bites too! A fun photo booth will be onsite as well so you and your friends can make memories that will last a lifetime. This event is not to be missed!
Tickets are going quickly and can be found online here. Advanced tickets are only $45 now through October 8th! A limited number of tickets will be available online and at the door and will cost $50 each. Pick up yours today and join ILACSD as we celebrate this awesome year!
We’d like to thank all of our sponsors for helping make Brews by the Bay possible!
While results continue to trickle in from this year’s Coastal Cleanup Day, one result we can’t overlook is the incredible time that was had by all of our participants! From volunteers picking up litter at the beaches to groups removing graffiti and refurbishing playground equipment, the volunteers expressed the immense joy they took away from the experience! As a direct result of all of that hard work, San Diegans are now able to enjoy more than 100 clean outdoor spaces free of litter!
ILACSD’s Pauline with our sponsors and speakers officially kicking off Coastal Cleanup Day by planting a tree.
For the past 30 years, I Love A Clean San Diego has coordinated Coastal Cleanup Day in San Diego County as part of a statewide and international cleanup effort to restore coastlines across the globe. The effort is coordinated statewide by the California Coastal Commission and internationally by The Ocean Conservancy. While international totals for 2017 are not available yet, in 2016, in 92 countries around the world 504,583 volunteers picked up more than 18 million pounds of trash!
A before and after look at the D Street Fill cleanup site in National City!
ILACSD team members woke up extra early on Saturday morning to lead more than 250 volunteers in beautification projects at Golden Hill Park. Even with volunteers spread out among various beautification projects including mulching, tree planting, mural paints, and storm drain stenciling, they still managed to clear out over 2,500 pounds of debris!
As for the entire county, preliminary totals for Coastal Cleanup Day in San Diego indicate that we had over 7,500 volunteers cleaning up 105 local creeks, canyons, beaches, and bays as part of this event! While the trash totals are still being compiled, we are expecting that more than 150,000 pounds of trash were removed from San Diego County. On top of the trash removal, volunteers also beautified and enhanced the local environment through painting murals, removing invasive plants, planting trees, mulching, and performing a variety of park maintenance projects.
Volunteers painted a mural at the Golden Hill Recreation Center!Volunteers preparing an area to be mulched.
Every year at Coastal Cleanup Day and Creek to Bay, our two annual countywide cleanups, we see that cigarette butts and small plastic items are our most commonly found items. While unfortunately, this information is not that surprising, we are often stunned by some of the unique pieces of litter that our volunteers find. Some of the favorites this year include a dish rack, costume vampire teeth, RV door, an elephant shrine, and a Charger’s jersey.
Volunteers at Spanish Landing found dentures during their cleanup.
Many thanks go out to all that donated their time and effort to volunteer with us on Coastal Cleanup Day. We feel lucky to put on such a beloved event with dedicated and wonderful participants every year! This year, we had individuals, groups, and corporate volunteer teams out all over the county representing various organizations including SDG&E, Wells Fargo, Lincoln Military Housing, Bank of America, San Diego County Water Authority, San Diego Metropolitan Credit Union, Illumina, Evans Hotels, and a large number of scout troops!
Bank of America volunteers winding down after cleaning up the Golden Hill site!
Volunteers from SDG&E excited to clean up at the Scripps Ranch site.
See more pictures from Coastal Cleanup Day and our other cleanups on Facebook and Instagram!
Looking to join us at our next event? We have a quite a few volunteer opportunities coming up. Visit our upcoming events page for more information on how to get involved!
Join us for an informational and interactive session focusing on zero waste business practices. On Wednesday, November 1, 2017, I Love A Clean San Diego will be partnering with the City of Encinitas to host a Green Business Solutions Workshop at the Encinitas Library. We will identify the importance of a zero waste lifestyle, how to implement these practices in your business, and the environmental and economic benefits of going green. Whether you work in an office, a restaurant, or in retail, we will have valuable information for all business models. This will be a great opportunity for you to network and share ideas for creating a more eco-conscious workspace.
