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The Watershed Project

marine debris

Coastal Cleanup Day 2014 | How to Get Involved in the Largest Cleanup Event on the Planet

Kids2014 marks the 30th anniversary of California Coastal Cleanup Day, and you can be a part of this momentous event!

Last year 58,158 volunteers from around the state came out to pick up 674,234 pounds of trash and another 75,089 pounds of recyclables, totaling the removal of 375 tons of debris from our creeks and shorelines. Everyone can help make a difference!

This year, YOU can join The Watershed Project and many other local organizations from all over Contra Costa County for Coastal Cleanup Day. Bring your family and friends to help clean up our shorelines and creeks.

Date:

Saturday, September 20, 2014

Time:

9am – 12 noon

Who:

You, your family, your neighbors, your friends + 5000 other volunteers around the county.

Where:

Richmond Shoreline @ Shimada Friendship Park –Click here to register

Albany Bulb – Click here to register

As well as multiple locations throughout Contra Costa County, including other sites in Richmond, Albany, Orinda, Pinole, Pittsburg, Bay Point, and many more. – Click here to register


View Coastal Cleanup Sites in Contra Costa County in a larger map

Supplies:

All cleanup supplies are provided—however, in an effort to make this event as waste-free as possible we encourage everyone to bring their own refillable water bottle, bucket and gloves. For safety, wear closed-toed shoes to avoid stepping on anything sharp. And be sure to remember a hat and sunscreen for proper sun protection.

Small sifters and rakes are great for kids so that they can spend time looking for marine debris around the beach area.

In addition to the cleanup, we also provide data cards, which are used by volunteers to indicate which type of trash they come across most often. The data is then collected and sent to the California Coastal Commission who uses the information to help generate ways to reduce certain types of marine debris. We will have great prizes donated from local businesses for volunteers that fill out a data card.


Call to Kayakers! We are looking for 10 experienced kayakers to join the Flotsam Flotilla and help clean up the mess that has already reached the Bay. Many thanks to REI for their generous support for the event by providing us with Outdoor School staff and kayaks for a handful of ‘yakers’ on a first come, first served basis. Experienced kayakers are welcome to join us in their own boat. If you are interested, please contact us Sigrid Mueller or call (510) 665-3430.

Waiver forms: Each volunteer must have a signed waiver form to participate. Children must be accompanied by an adult. To save time at the registration table, print and complete waiver here (English | Espanol).

For further information, e-mail Vanessa Gayton, visit one of the event pages listed above, or call (510) 665-3430.

Support for this event is provided by The Watershed Project. Major sponsors include: the California Coastal Commission, the City of Albany, the City of Richmond, Contra Costa Resource Conservation District, EBMUD, REI, Wareham Development, Steve’s Auto Care, and Daniel Winkler & Associates Inc.

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The Mindless Use of Plastic | The Fight Against Microbeads

By Vanessa Gayton

micro2Have you ever wondered what those tiny little exfoliating specks in your face and body wash were made of? I was always curious as to why some dissolved in my hands while others simply washed away down the drain. Come to find out, those tiny exfoliating particles are microbeads, and they are the most egregious use of plastic products yet!

A single personal care product with these exfoliating specks can contain thousands of these microbeads! They become an environmental issue as soon as they rinse down the drain, and eventually make their way to a wastewater treatment facility. Unfortunately, current systems at treatment plants are not designed to catch these micro-bits of plastic, and what fails to get filtered out is reintroduced to the San Francisco Bay or Pacific Ocean. The microplastics may remain in our local waters or travel great distances, like into the North Pacific Gyre. Plastic microbeads are usually made of polyethylene or polypropylene, which are infamous for their inability to biodegrade, and may persist in the environment for tens if not hundreds of years.garbabepatch

Over time, as these plastics fail to biodegrade, they float around collecting various pollutants from the surrounding water. Toxins like DDT, PCBs, and other chemicals make microbeads exponentially more harmful. Frequently, smaller organisms confuse highly toxic bits of plastic for food. The toxins and plastic continue up the food chain, when larger predators feed on these smaller species. And of course, we are also in danger of ingesting these chemicals when we order our favorite seafood.

MICROPLASTICS-570So how can you stop using these products with senseless plastic pieces in them? Fortunately, large corporations such as Johnson & Johnson, Unilever, the Body Shop, and L’Oreal, in additional to several others, have already made pledges to stop the development and production of personal care products containing microbeads. They believe that they can still provide consumers products that deliver similar results, but rather use natural alternatives to microbeads such as nut shells and salt crystals, just to name a couple. While this is a great start reducing microplastic pollution, products with microbeads are not set to be discontinued until 2015 or later. In the meantime, checking the product’s ingredient for polyethylene and polypropylene is a great way to avoid microbeads, although let’s be honest, those are difficult terms to remember every time we shop! An app, Beat the Microbead, will help do the work for you, by identifying which products currently on the market do or do not contain beads.

Another helpful way to join the fight is to support legislation that prohibits the sale of cosmetic/beauty products that contain microbeads. Recently, legislation has been introduced in New York and California that will do just this. After California environmental groups and politicians experienced their local waterways being choked by microplastics, they came together to draft AB 1699. Assemblymember Richard Bloom of Santa Monica has introduced the bill. You can voice your support here! Legislation is but one step toward eliminating our outrageous overuse of plastics. So the next time you are purchasing a product, consider the amount of plastic that is used, then consider whether you can live without it or find an alternative.

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Lessons Learned and Looking Forward to Healthier Watersheds | 3 New Steps that are Shaping the Pollution Prevention Movement

By Juliana Gonzalez

Are we becoming increasingly disconnected from one another because we spend hours in front of our digital devices? I think the most important lesson I’ve learned this year is that in order to promote change, we need to connect on a personal level and harness the influence of the market economy. I want to highlight three lessons to transform the actions of community members that I believe will shape the marine debris and plastic pollution movement in 2014.

1. Spread your message person to person:

ccd20131Environmental educators and stewards have a lot to learn from viruses! The Watershed Project is looking to spread the behaviors that can help local Bay Area communities save water, be more energy efficient or protect their natural resources. Just like a virus, the most effective way to spread this information is person to person. The most influential sharers or story tellers are well connected individuals from a group. People tend to believe information to be true when is confirmed by a peer or a friend. Even though different social media platforms have the potential for helping people change behaviors and inspire individuals to become environmentally conscious, word of mouth and grassroots campaigns told on a personal level are just as compelling to community members.

2. Use the market to get to your environmental objective:

Many times, the environmental movement is pitted against the market. However, it is not only possible, but perhaps necessary, to work within the market to create real change in our communities. Policy makers use fines, taxes, bans and incentives to help modify the behavior in the community around all sorts of issues, and plastic pollution is no exception. In the last few years, a series of incentives has been promoted by NGOs and entrepreneurs with environmental principles.

Several companies have started paying a refund for their products and their packaging. That way, the company is responsible for its product from cradle to grave— the disposal of the bottle, garment or wrapping— and the consumer is refunded a few cents per item. By combining market and environmental interests, consumers are given more opportunities to make decisions that are environmentally beneficial.

3. Combine social and market recognition:

Convincing the masses to use less water, produce less trash, and be more mindful of our watersheds is a daunting task. However, an innovative app called TraX is fusing market incentives with social recognition to promote behavioral change. The general idea of the app is for people to take pictures of themselves while they are avoiding the use of a “single use” item such as a disposable bag, cup or straw. After the photo is tagged, TraX adds a few cents to the user’s bank account. The money comes from a pool of companies interested in increasing the use of reusable products. trax

I felt inspired by the creativity of this app, and I hope that more innovative strategies and stories will bring us real change in our quest to reduce plastic pollution and marine debris in communities, our watersheds and San Francisco Bay. So stay on track this New Year by TraXing!

And tell your friends how easy it is to Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Refuse (excess packaging).

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Living with Less Stuff | Making Trash Extinct by Thinking Beyond the Consumer Mindset

By Linda Hunter

less
When my son was a baby and I had just graduated from college at the ripe age of 21, we moved to Latin America to fulfill a longing that I had to live on a desert island. We traveled through Panama and settled into a little village on the Guanacaste Coast of Costa Rica where we lived in a house on stilts with no running water or electricity no more than 100 yards from the coastline. The village was accessible only by bumpy dirt roads and the nearest store or pharmacy was more than 50 miles away.

Despite its remoteness, we managed to live quite well, cooking rice and beans and tortillas and fishing in the ocean or buying fruit and vegetables from the locals. In the mornings, we walked 2 miles to a local finca to buy milk for my son’s cocoa and my cafe con leche. One Christmas, so long ago, when my family lived so simply, my son was given the following gifts – one rubber ball, some seashells and a book. I was thankful he was so excited about his gifts, because he had not been exposed to the constant commercials on television telling him that he needed some expensive toy or gadget.

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My son is now grown, but to this day, we keep our holiday and birthday gift exchanges simple and meaningful. We find value in sharing experiences, like a trip or a nice meal instead of finding value in stuff. I admit that we have more things in our lives now than we did when living in Latin America, but we try to only buy quality things. Items that will last and can be used for a long time and can be recycled, upcycled or disposed of in ways that are not detrimental to the health of humans or the planet. Over the years, I’ve found that the more thoughtful I am about my purchases, the more I appreciate what I have and don’t feel the need to buy as much stuff. Here’s a few easy ways I’ve been to think beyond the consumer paradigm:

  • Always ask yourself, do I need this or is this merely something I want but may not want in a few days?
  • Is this something that will last and is made of high quality material?
  • Is this item I am buying made sustainably?
  • Will this item contribute to the plastic scourge polluting our waterways and our ocean?
  • Is the item delivered in packaging that is a waste of resources and contributes to the trash stream?

I am hoping to see you at one of our sites on Coastal Cleanup Day on September 21st where we will pick up tons of trash on our shoreline. I am also hoping that you will consider where and why this trash gets into our ocean and Bay in the first place. We can all help make trash extinct by purchasing less stuff so that it won’t end up in next year’s trash.

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We Found Everything | INCLUDING the Kitchen Sink

Kids
By Juliana Gonzalez

We all know what it is like to go through spring cleaning. Getting rid of stuff is part of keeping our lives in order. The annual exercise of purging things that clutter our daily lives is normally associated with new beginnings and more room to grow (or acquire more stuff).

However, the process can sometimes lead to illegal dumping and large volumes of trash going to the landfill. Things that could have been diverted to the reuse or recycle markets instead end up in the creek, ditch, or the municipal dump.

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This spring, volunteers all over the county have teamed up with The Watershed Project to remove trash from our creeks at multiple locations. So far, more than 250 volunteers have removed over 150 cubic yards of trash from the environment (enough trash to fill FIVE garbage trucks). At one of the creek sites in Bay Point, we removed an astounding 106 tires, a bed, a couch and even a kitchen sink.

On the bright side, other sites that The Watershed Project and volunteers have been cleaning every Earth Day for the last four years showed some signs of improvement. At those sites, the volumes of trash that originated from dumping were significantly smaller, but the trash that comes from littering has remained mostly the same. We know this because we still find as many food wrappers and plastic bags as we did a few years ago.

trash2
I want to take the opportunity to thank the volunteers that participated in the spring cleanups around the East Bay, in particular to those that came out for the Willow Creek clean up at Bay Point, Wildcat Creek staging area, Verde Elementary, the Albany Bulb, Miller Knox Regional Park, El Sobrante Library, Fred Jackson Way, Rodeo Creek, and Riverside Creek.

Creek cleanups are the last chance to prevent trash and marine debris from entering the bay and the ocean. But the sad truth is that there really is no “away”. Once trash reaches the ocean, it becomes marine debris and starts its journey into one of the multiple trash gyres that afflict our planet. It’s clear that we are facing a trash pandemic. By cleaning up creeks, we are getting to the root of the problem by recognizing that trash is a water pollutant that is choking our creeks and oceans.

Knowing how to dispose of our unwanted stuff can be an opportunity to do our part to improve water quality. But more importantly, not having so much stuff can be the beginning of real change. Here are five things you can do to help reduce the amounts of trash we make:

1. Buy durable goods, ideally made with natural materials (not plastic) and buy less.

2. Donate your old clothing and usable items to thrift stores or charitable organizations and buy used goods whenever possible. Reusing has a low carbon foot print and gives items a second life.

3. Recycle recyclables and take hazardous waste to the municipal transfer stations and collection centers (this includes old compact fluorescent light bulbs and batteries).

4. Call your City for to find out if you have a free large debris removal day.

5. Volunteer to clean up the creeks and shorelines.

On a related note, I was very moved by a child volunteering at a cleanup who reminded me of the movie WALL-E. This young boy told me that he had come to volunteer because he did not want to have to move to another planet because ours is so trash-filled. We may still have some way to go before we’ll need another planet, but it is very sad to know that our children can envision a waste-covered Earth not far in the future. So let’s celebrate our volunteers’ spring cleaning and act today to ensure a cleaner future.

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Coastal Cleanup Day 2011 | Thousands Rally to Reduce Marine Debris


By Juliana Gonzalez

Saturday, September 17th was our largest volunteer event of the year. We want to thank the thousands of volunteers from Contra Costa County and the City of Albany who came out for California Coastal Cleanup Day.

Highlights:

– 2,729 volunteers cleaned up creeks and shorelines in Contra Costa County and the City of Albany.

– 37 cleanup sites from mountaintop to marsh, stretching from the Albany Bulb to the Antioch Marina and inland from Baxter Creek to the Marsh Creek watershed.

– 17.4 tons of trash and 0.4 tons of recyclables picked up by volunteers over the course of three hours.

The most popular sites this year were the Marsh Creek watershed with 490 volunteers hosted by Friends of Marsh Creek, followed by the Antioch area with 450 volunteers hosted by the City of Antioch, and Shimada Friendship Park in the South Richmond Shoreline hosted by the Watershed Project and Supervisor John Gioia with 425 volunteers. The trashiest site this year was Breuner Marsh, hosted by East Bay Regional Park District. Volunteers at the marsh hauled large amounts of dumping materials such as tires, electronics.


At Shimada, the Flotsam Flotilla took to the water with a group of 15 kayakers that intrepidly cleaned the South Richmond shoreline. The Flotilla removed over 300 pounds of trash from the Bay and were still able to meet the land-based volunteers in time to greet State Assemblyperson Nancy Skinner, Contra Costa County Supervisor John Gioia and Richmond Mayor Gayle McLaughlin.

All public officials and hundreds of volunteers signed The Watershed Project’s pledge to reduce their individual plastic footprint by bringing their own canvas bag to the store, their coffee mug to work and pursuing other simple individual actions that collectively will turn the tide on marine debris.

The Watershed Project seized the opportunity for public education by bringing educational displays to many cleanup sites. We joined the Coastal Commission campaign to promote “Bring Your Own” practices during the cleanup, successfully reducing the environmental impact of the event. Approximately 30% of the volunteers at Shimada used reusable buckets instead of plastic trash bags.


Lastly, volunteers enjoyed lunch BBQ celebrations all over the county. At Shimada, the lunch was provided by County Supervisor John Gioia. Volunteers had a chance to reflect on the surprising amounts of small pieces of plastic and Styrofoam found along the shoreline. This year the most commonly found items along the South Richmond Shoreline were food wrappers, followed by plastic cap lids, plastic bags and Styrofoam pieces.

Volunteers also took my challenge to look for my little mermaid doll, and despite the fact that nobody found her, volunteers did find many treasures including a eulogy message in a bottle– a solemn reminder that the Ocean is sacred to all of us and we must work together to care for it.

There were 37 locations in Contra Costa County and as the designated Coastal Cleanup Coordinator for the County, The Watershed Project coordinates with many partners to make the event bigger each year. Partners for the 2011 event included: California Coastal Commission; Office of Supervisor John GIoia, Friends of Marsh Creek Watershed, East Bay Municipal Utility District and East Bay Regional Park District; the cities of Albany, Antioch, Pittsburg, Oakley, Bredwood, Richmond, Martinez and Pinole; Alhambra Watershed Council, Citizens for East Shore Parks, Friends of Rodeo Creek, Contra Costa Public Works, EarthTeam Environmental Network, Los Medanos College, Making Waves, REI, and many merchants and individuals from all over the county that support and volunteer to manage all the events around the County.

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Lost Princess | Volunteers Needed to Look for Her on International Coastal Cleanup Day


By Juliana Gonzalez

In the fading summer sun, I took my family for one last picnic along the East Bay shoreline. My daughter brought her little mermaid doll “Ariel” for a splash, and placed her atop a sand castle decorated with colorful pieces of plastic and shells she had found on the beach. As the tide rolled in, a large wave swept Ariel away. My six-year old daughter started to scream, “Mommy! Save my Ariel from ending up in the Pacific Garbage Patch or by being eaten by a large fish!” I sprinted through the frothy tide, searching for the lost princess, but it was too late. The little mermaid was gone– her fate uncertain.

On the way home, I could not stop thinking about the mermaid princess. I blamed myself for buying the little plastic toy, and allowing my daughter to bring it to the beach. I was also proud and amazed at the fact that my six-year old knows that plastic taken by the waves will likely end up in one of the multiple plastic patches that swirl in our oceans, or that it could end up in the belly of a fish or other sea creature. I also felt heartbroken that I am raising my child in a planet trashed with marine debris.


As I day dreamed about the fate of the plastic toy, I realized that Ariel could end up anywhere on the planet. She could have washed ashore in a local marsh just a few miles away, or she could have made her way under the Golden Gate into the Pacific. From there, she could make her way to Japan or any other shore in the planet. Just as likely, she could get trapped in a whirlpool in one of the 5 Gyres or garbage patches in the ocean, where she would slowly break into smaller and smaller pieces, traveling deeper and deeper into the water column, offering toxic bites to the ocean’s wild life.

But in the fight against marine debris, little toys are not the most commonly found item along the shores and creeks of the planet. The Ocean Conservancy has been collecting information about the types and amounts of trash reaching our oceans for years. According to their latest report, cigarette filters make over 30% followed by food wrappers, caps/lids, disposable foodware (plates, cups and utensils), plastic bottles and plastic bags. According to the Ocean Conservancy, “during the 2009 cleanup, 60 percent of the debris collected and cataloged consisted of single-use, disposable items. Volunteers picked up 1.1 million plastic bags. And enough cups, plates, knives, forks, and spoons for a picnic for 100,000 people.”


As September approaches, I am ready to take my pledge to help reduce marine debris. I promise to never forget my re-usable water bottle, to bring my own canvas bag to the store, and to stop buying disposable foodware. I will also look for Ariel during the international Coastal Cleanup Day and will bring out as many friends as possible to look for the little doll and to help eliminate the load of trash that will reach the ocean this year. Please help me. Come out to a creek or shore near you and join me, and the millions of volunteers that will be turning out to clean on September 17th. For information regarding the Cleanup at Shimada Friendship Park, the Albany Beach or at other sites around Contra Costa County go to The Watershed Project’s event website and register today. I will even offer a reward for the little princess.

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Grassroots Activism Triumphs over Corporate Lobbyists | Cities, Counties, Citizens Take Action to Ban Single Use Plastic Bags

By Linda Hunter

Plastic bag manufacturers were dealt a critical blow last month when California’s highest court upheld a ban on plastic bags in Manhattan Beach. In its unanimous decision citing “substantial evidence and common sense” the California Supreme Court said that Manhattan Beach was not required to conduct a costly environmental review when it passed an ordinance prohibiting the bags in 2008.

The plastic industry used this requirement mandating an environmental impact report as a tactic to thwart the growing movement to ban single use plastic bags– you know, the ones that blow around everywhere– polluting our watersheds and our ocean, littering beaches, strangling wildlife and clogging landfills.

But it wasn’t the only weapon in their bag of tricks. The most prominent plastics lobby group, the American Chemistry Council, spent 1.4 million dollars to defeat a plastic bag tax in Seattle and another two million to defeat legislation that would have banned plastic bags throughout the state of California. When San Francisco proposed a tax on plastic bags four years ago, the plastic lobbyists headed straight to Sacramento and convinced the legislature to pass a law making it illegal for local municipalities to tax plastic bags. That didn’t sit well with the sponsor of the bill, San Francisco Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi, so he amended his legislation to ban plastic bags outright, making San Francisco the first City and County in the nation to do so. Unfortunately, when other municipalities like the City of Oakland tried to get on board, they were told that they would need to find a way to pay for the costly Environmental Impact Report. The Council has gone so far as to pressure California schools to adjust educational curriculum to include positive messages about plastic bags– a truly despicable strategy, and a punch in the gut to those working to protect our watersheds.


According to their website, “The Progressive Bag Affiliates of the American Chemistry Council promotes the responsible use, reuse, recycling and disposal of plastic bags and creates positive change in our communities by promoting the increased recycling of plastic bags as well as their proper use, reuse and disposal. We work to create solutions to reduce the number of plastic bags that end up in our landfills and, sometimes, as litter. Together with policy makers, businesses and community members, PBA is dedicated to implementing new ideas and improving existing programs that make a difference.” PBA’s members include the leading manufacturers of plastic bags and polyethylene resins: Advance Polybag, Inc., Dow Chemical Company and Exxon Mobil.

But despite the cheery optimism coming from their spin strategists, this type of greenwashing http://plastics.americanchemistry.com/Sustainability-Recycling is simply not working anymore. In fact, the industry and their lobbyists are looking more and more ridiculous as evidenced by their David and Goliath lawsuit against Chicobag, a successful local company that makes reusable bags; and who is, according to the lawsuit, irreparably harming the plastic bag business. Well, that’s the point, right?


I am heartened by the success of small grassroots efforts to protect the environment from the damage caused by marine debris (including a recent effort by West Contra Costa County to ban plastic bags). In particular, Washington D.C. managed to pass a tax on plastic bags with the help of the local Surfrider Foundation‘s campaign: Skip the Bag, Save the River that focused on the pollution that locals could see firsthand in the troubled Anacostia River. And it worked– in just the first month plastic bag use plummeted to 3.3 million per month, down from an average of 22.5 million per month in 2009.

When plastic bags have been banned throughout the country and the planet, people will go back to doing what they did before there were plastic bags– simply bringing a reusable bag, putting smaller items in one’s pockets or purse. There will be so much less clutter in our lives and our creeks, rivers and watersheds will thank us.

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