With Coastal Cleanup Day just a few days away, we thought we’d give you a few more reasons why you should get up early on Saturday and join us to volunteer! If these reasons don’t motivate you to give back this weekend, we don’t know what will! Sign up now at www.cleanupday.org.
You should volunteer for Coastal Cleanup Day if…
…you think albatross’ stomachs shouldn’t be filled with plastic!
…you like free stuff, like reusable tote bags and lunch from Chipotle!
…you need community service hours for school or work!
…you can’t afford a gym membership, but you want to get a workout in – we’ve got tires galore to push up canyons!
…you’ve ever swam in the ocean with a cigarette butt!
…you want to keep San Diego America’s Finest City!
Today we introduce Johnathon Stone, one of our awesome site captains for ILACSD’s September 21st Coastal Cleanup Day. Read on to learn more about why Johnathon thinks CCD is such a great event, and why he thinks you should join!
This year, as he has years in the past, Navy service member Johnathon Stone will lead as a CCD site captain. Stone notes that ILACSD helps San Diegans enjoy a clean environment, and Coastal Cleanup Day is a huge part of this. It is important to ensure our communities, canyons and beaches are clean and safe for kids and those who use them,he says.Deciding to be a CCD site captain was an easy decision- Johnathon enjoys recruiting people to volunteer, get outside, and make the environment a better place. For Johnathon and thousands of other volunteers, CCD is a great opportunity to get out and about and help our communities!
Johnathon with his crew at a cleanup
This year, Johnathon’s cleanup site is Fiesta Island. It is centrally located and accessible to volunteers from all around San Diego County. Fiesta Island is a beautiful place and kid friendly; you can get kids to help and bring your dog! This year, Johnathon looks forward to seeing everyone out and about and having a good time while making San Diego County a cleaner, better place.
Join Johnathon at Fiesta Island or any of our other 90+ cleanup sites county-wide. Sign up today; we’ll see ya on September 21st!
Ever wondered about the secret life and thoughts of our site captains? Well, we had the opportunity to interview one of our MVSCs (Most Valuable Site Captains), Michael Page, about why he loves Coastal Cleanup Day, why he thinks YOU should get involved, and some weird things he has found during cleanups. (Interview has been edited).
Why do you think Coastal Cleanup Day is important for our local environment?
Coastal Cleanup Day raises public awareness of the interconnectedness of our creeks and oceans. People take a clean environment for granted; when you look around there are areas that aren’t clean and would benefit from community attention.
Why did you decide to become a CCD Site Captain?
I’m an environmental planner for AECOM and have a friend and co-worker who did canyon cleanups- he encouraged me to do one with ILACSD. I volunteered to be site captain for my second time volunteering. I like to volunteer at a different site each time
What is important or unique about your cleanup site?
This year, my cleanup site is the San Elijo Lagoon. This is a part of the coastline that is important for wildlife habitat, recreation and clean water.
What is your favorite part of Coastal Cleanup Day?
All the great people you meet! We bring a big group from our office who doesn’t usually work together. This is a great opportunity to work with people from other groups and neighborhoods and make connections with other like-minded individuals.
What is the most unique item you’ve found at a cleanup?
An unopened bottle of champagne in Sorrento Valley. (PS- Michael mentioned that no cleanup member partook; the bottle was recycled. However, we do encourage staying hydrated (with water!) during this cleanups).
Cheers to Coastal Cleanup Day!
Thanks Mike! We appreciate all your hard work and are excited to see you again for this year’s Coastal Cleanup Day on September 21!
Want to join? Sign up to volunteer! We have 90+ sites throughout San Diego County. Volunteers also get cool giveaways like tote bags and free Chipotle’s!
