Ten million tons of plastic are dumped into our oceans every year! That’s like putting 2.5 million elephants in the ocean. And worse yet, an estimated one million marine animals are killed by plastic pollution in any given year. But we can do something about it. We can fight back! And participating on International Coastal Cleanup Day is a great start. This Saturday (September 18th) will you help our planet and take part in a coastal cleanup? So How Do I Get involved? It’s pretty simple. Either on your own or with a group of friends and family, head to your nearest beach. It can be a beach at an ocean or lake. If you don’t live near a beach, head to a stream, river, or watershed. And if you can’t get to the water, just head out into your community. Once you’re at your destination, simply pick up and clean up the trash you find. And if you’re wondering how cleaning up a stream or your local neighborhood can help the ocean, listen up! Even trash that isn’t near water often ends up in water because of wind and rain. What you do matters no matter how much you pick up! If you want to join an organized group for a clean-up, check out the Ocean Conservancy website and find a clean-up near you! Safety First As always, please think about your safety when doing any clean up. This means wear a mask if you are in a group of people, don’t picking up anything sharp like broken glass or needles (ask a parent for help!), and wash your hands really well after your done. Take A Deeper Dive As you clean up, make sure to record what you find and how many of each item you find. It is as simple as taking a piece of paper and pencil with you and tallying up how many plastic water bottles, cigarette butts, food containers, etc you find. You can also track your finds on the app Clean Swell - Learn more here. When you’re done, make sure to share your finds on social media and show everyone your hard work! Make sure to use the hashtags #connectandcollect and #trashpirates! How Did It Start? International Coastal Cleanup Day was started in 1986 by Linda Maraniss and Kathy O’Hara from the Ocean Conservancy in Texas. From there it grew into a national and international movement stretching across the states and into more than 100 countries. In its 35 years this event has attracted over 16 million volunteers that have collected more than 340 million pounds of trash! Our oceans need you! Will you help? Who do you want to bring with on your cleanup? Comment below! Article Sources: PlasticOceans.org & Ocean Conservancy
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