At last year’s event, 6,463 volunteersremoved more than 145,000 pounds of litter and debris from over 116 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 2019 Creek to Bay Cleanup at our Packing Party. At the Packing Party, we will be assembling boxes of supplies for our numerous cleanup sites. With your help, we can make this year’s Creek to Bay Cleanup 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:
THURSDAY 3/14
10 AM – 4 PM
FRIDAY 3/15
10 AM – 4 PM
MONDAY 3/18
10 AM – 4 PM
THURSDAY 3/21
10 AM – 3 PM
FRIDAY 3/22
10 AM – 4 PM
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. Volunteers aged 14 and up are welcome to participate. 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 your availability!
This past weekend, we celebrated Earth Day by hosting our 16th Annual Creek to Bay Cleanupwhere we empowered an estimated 6,000 volunteers to give back at 113 cleanup sites around San Diego County! Volunteers including residents, corporate groups, and civic organizations transformed their appreciation for San Diego’s environment into action for Mother Earth by putting in the time and effort to give back in their local communities. During this three-hour cleanup, volunteers enhanced the overall health and beauty of San Diego’s natural environment by removing more than 175,000 pounds of trash and debris from San Diego County.
Volunteers joined site captain, Brittany Novick (Miss Scuba International), to help celebrate her birthday and Earth Day by protecting the environment at the Mission Beach Belmont Park cleanup site!
Among the debris, there were several notable odd items collected during the cleanup including: 19 shoes at one site, a giant teddy bear, and a bathrobe.
Volunteers also restored the local environment through beautification projects such as painting park structures, planting native plants and trees, mulching, and weeding. Thanks to thousands of volunteers, 113 parks, beaches and community spaces received special care to keep the area healthy and beautiful for the community.
Painting was just one of many beautification projects that volunteers could take part in on top of litter removal at Creek to Bay!
Creek to Bay was an opportunity for the community to go green in more ways than one. With a push toward zero waste practices, we encouraged all youth and adult volunteers to be more sustainable by choosing to bring at least one reusable item for the cleanup like a water bottle, work bucket, or gloves. Many stepped up to the challenge! Volunteers could showcase their zero waste commitments in the Sony Photo Contest with the 2018 theme of “Rocking Reusables” or by entering the Bling Your Bucket Contest. Both contests offer prizes to the winners to celebrate their sustainability and creativity.
Gabriel used recycled items to decorate his bucket for the Bling Your Bucket Contest helping cut back on the waste created at the cleanup!
Creek to Bay also received attention from several of San Diego’s elected officials who visited cleanup sites in their respective districts including:
San Diego City Councilmembers Barbara Bry, Myrtle Cole, Mark Kersey, David Alvarez, and Georgette Gomez
Assemblymembers Todd Gloria and Shirley Weber
Councilmember Bry helps kick off the Creek to Bay at the Scripps Pier site!
The entire I Love A Clean San Diego team could not be more thrilled and inspired by the results from the Creek to Bay Cleanup. Joining the team this year as Community Events Coordinator, Nik Kennedy reflected on his first Creek to Bay Cleanup experience:
This was my first year planning Creek to Bay, and after months of preparing it was amazing to be a part of the event! From recruiting volunteers to organizing activities, I was excited to see so many neighborhood volunteers come out and beautify Azalea Park and all of San Diego County! This was such an undertaking, and it was incredible to watch all of our work pay off for a cleaner environment.
Major thanks go out to all of our sponsors for the Creek to Bay Cleanup!
Creek to Bay would not be possible without the generous support of our sponsors and partners! Thank you all for your commitment to a clean, green, and beautiful San Diego!
Thank you to all of our Creek to Bay sponsors for investing in a cleaner San Diego!
City of San Diego, Think Blue
Wells Fargo
CBS 8/CW San Diego
Republic Services
EDCO
Walmart
Cox Communications
County of San Diego
County of San Diego Watershed Protection Program
Project Clean Water
Anheuser Busch
City of San Marcos
General Dynamics/ NASSCO
Dart Container
Sony
Bank of America
Dudek
Teledyne Instruments, Inc
San Diego Regional Airport Authority
City of La Mesa
Port of San Diego
City of Imperial Beach
City of Chula Vista
Michael Baker International
U.S. Bank
BAE Shipyard
Brown and Caldwell
Mitchell Financial
City of Escondido (Utilities Department)
City of Escondido (Recycling Division)
Dog Beach Dog Wash
Power Crunch
From the entire ILACSD team, THANK YOU to every volunteer, partner, sponsor, and community member who made Creek to Bay such an incredible success! We couldn’t do it without you!
Our 16th Annual Creek to Bay Cleanup is fast approaching on April 21st!
At last year’s event, 6,588 volunteersremoved over 194,169 pounds of litter from over 112 sites throughout the county, a groundbreaking event!
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 Creek to Bay Cleanup at our Packing Party. At the Packing Party, we will be assembling boxes of supplies for our numerous cleanup sites. With your help, we can make this year’s Creek to Bay Cleanup 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 3/19
10AM-4PM
TUESDAY 3/20
10AM-4PM
WEDNESDAY 3/21
12:30PM-4:30PM
THURSDAY 3/22
10AM-3:30PM
FRIDAY 3/23
10AM-4PM
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 your availability!
Our 16th Annual Creek to Bay Cleanup is fast approaching on April 21st!
At last year’s event, 6,588 volunteersremoved over 194,169 pounds of litter from over 112 sites throughout the county, a groundbreaking event!
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 Creek to Bay Cleanup at our Packing Party. At the Packing Party, we will be assembling boxes of supplies for our numerous cleanup sites. With your help, we can make this year’s Creek to Bay Cleanup 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 3/19
10AM-4PM
TUESDAY 3/20
10AM-4PM
WEDNESDAY 3/21
12:30PM-4:30PM
THURSDAY 3/22
10AM-3:30PM
FRIDAY 3/23
10AM-4PM
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 your availability!
Our 16th Annual Creek to Bay Cleanup is fast approaching on April 21st!
At last year’s event, 6,588 volunteersremoved over 194,169 pounds of litter from over 112 sites throughout the county, a groundbreaking event!
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 Creek to Bay Cleanup at our Packing Party. At the Packing Party, we will be assembling boxes of supplies for our numerous cleanup sites. With your help, we can make this year’s Creek to Bay Cleanup 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 3/19
10AM-4PM
TUESDAY 3/20
10AM-4PM
WEDNESDAY 3/21
12:30PM-4:30PM
THURSDAY 3/22
10AM-3:30PM
FRIDAY 3/23
10AM-4PM
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 your availability!
Our 16th Annual Creek to Bay Cleanup is fast approaching on April 21st!
At last year’s event, 6,588 volunteersremoved over 194,169 pounds of litter from over 112 sites throughout the county, a groundbreaking event!
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 Creek to Bay Cleanup at our Packing Party. At the Packing Party, we will be assembling boxes of supplies for our numerous cleanup sites. With your help, we can make this year’s Creek to Bay Cleanup 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 3/19
10AM-4PM
TUESDAY 3/20
10AM-4PM
WEDNESDAY 3/21
12:30PM-4:30PM
THURSDAY 3/22
10AM-3:30PM
FRIDAY 3/23
10AM-4PM
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 your availability!
Be a part of one of our biggest cleanups of the year!
Join us on Saturday, April 21st, as we beautify 100 sites in San Diego County for the 16th Annual Creek to Bay Cleanup! Last year, a record breaking 6,588 volunteers came out to our 112 sites and successfully removed over 194,169 pounds of litter and debris. Instead of turning a blind eye to the abundance of litter found across San Diego County, our volunteers channeled their passion into action for San Diego’s environment to protect and enhance it.
Registration is now open! For more information or to select a cleanup site and register, visit CreektoBay.org.
Participate in our contests:
Show off your creative side and reduce the plastic we use by participating in the Bling Your Bucket Contest!
Capture a photo that shows off your zero waste cleanup habits and enter for the chance to win a Sony Cybershot Camera!
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.
Today’s blog was written by Marketing Intern, Noelle
Each year, I Love A Clean San Diego hosts the Creek to Bay Cleanup with over 100 cleanup sites throughout San Diego County. This large-scale annual cleanup would not be possible without the help of our volunteer site captains.
Coming into its 15th year, the Creek to Bay Cleanup will see both new and returning site captains. ILACSD has been so fortunate to have help from teachers who are committed to getting their students involved in activities that directly make an impact on their community. Today, we’re spotlighting Sydney Phillips.
Ms. Phillips first got involved with Creek to Bay as a site captain when she started teaching an 8th grade AVID class at Potter Junior High in Fallbrook 5 years ago. AVID is a class that prepares students for college readiness and success by providing academic and social support. With the general high school graduation requirement of students to volunteer in their community, the Creek to Bay Cleanup is a great opportunity for the students to receive service hours that go towards their graduation.
As an educator, Ms. Phillips is very passionate about empowering her students, both as individuals and as members of their community, and making them aware of the difference they can make. Her cleanup site at Live Oak Park in Fallbrook is close to the junior high where she teaches so the students are familiar with it and are invested in keeping it clean. She says that events like Creek to Bay are important for the community and the students because “living in a rural community, students (can) have a hard time to complete community service hours and coming into high school, hours are required so getting a jumpstart on it while they’re in 7th or 8th grade empowers them.”
Ms. Phillips favorite part about Creek to Bay is the bonding experience for the students, not only between 7th and 8th grade classes but also with the high schoolers that get involved in the event as well. There are high school AVID classes from the area who have volunteered in the past and she says that having the common experience is really special and “it’s exciting and fun because they get to do something they normally wouldn’t. At the end, they get to celebrate and commemorate the day with a picture together.”
This year, she’s looking forward to the Bling Your Bucket competition in which volunteers have an opportunity to decorate buckets to be used for cleaning. She says that each year the students love that activity and afterwards, the buckets get donated to the custodial staff at their school. To anyone who’s debating whether or not to volunteer for Creek to Bay, Ms. Phillips would say, “Absolutely do it. It’s empowering to see that you are having a direct impact on your community.”
By volunteering at the Creek to Bay Cleanup, we can help reduce our impact on the local environment. Keep San Diego beautiful and show it some love! Save the Date for the Creek to Bay Cleanup happening on Earth Day, April 22nd by registering today at CreektoBay.org!
A big thank you to Ms. Sydney Phillips for her work as a site captain and to Potter Junior High for supporting I Love A Clean San Diego’s Creek to Bay Cleanup!
Today’s blog comes from Annie, our new Hotline Assistant! She joined the ILACSD team in February and now that she has settled into her new role, we’d like to officially introduce her to all of you! Read on to learn more about Annie and find out what made her first Creek to Bay Cleanup so meaningful.
First and foremost, I would like to introduce myself, my name is Anais “Annie” Rodriguez. I have been with the ILACSD team for a couple months as the newest Hotline Assistant. I assist hotline callers with their recycling questions and help maintain the County of San Diego’s Recycling and Household Hazardous Waste Database, www.WasteFreeSD.org. Before joining ILACSD, I graduated from Humboldt State University with a degree in Environmental Science with an emphasis in Environmental Policy.
As a new team member at ILACSD, the Creek to Bay Cleanup was a completely new experience for me. I was eager to spend time with volunteers and to clean up my community. This year, the Creek to Bay media site was at Southcrest Community Park so this event really hit home for me, since I grew up a few blocks from the park and the areas we cleaned up.
The day started a bit gloomy but cleared up right before the cleanup kick-off, perfect timing! Volunteers at the site were ready to get to work right after registering. I helped volunteers sign up for service projects and handed out supplies.
Lots of large items and invasive plants were found in the creek bed but with the help of our amazing volunteers we removed a lot of it!Emily, Environmental Educator and Annie, strike a pose while sorting trash collected at our Southcrest cleanup site!
When registration was over I sorted out trash in the dumpster with other ILACSD staff. While sorting we found: toilet seats, car seats, metal frames, cans, and bottles. We went ahead and removed all recyclable items and placed them in the correct bin so unnecessary items didn’t end up in the landfill. We also received a few big items like a kitchen sink, a bed, and 3 shopping carts. Unfortunately, many of the big items were found in the creek bed, but with the help of our amazing volunteers we were able to remove it! I immediately saw the aesthetic difference of the creek and reflected on the importance of proper disposal of trash and recycling. One volunteer really stood out to me because he expressed such excitement about what we were doing there and how he is eager to make behavioral changes that will benefit his community.
Besides picking up trash, there were opportunities to participate in a few other service projects at Southcrest Park. Volunteers removed invasive plants from the creek bed, stenciled storm drain along the nearby streets, as well as painted park benches and other areas to remove graffiti. The park was left looking as good as new!
We’re thankful for the ongoing support of County Supervisor Greg Cox! Here he is lending a hand by painting picnic tables to help beautify the park!
I had an amazing time getting to know our volunteers, working with the ILACSD team, and cleaning up my community! It was also so inspiring to see my nieces and their friends get excited about cleaning up our community. It was also a great example of the importance of not littering! The whole experience left me feeling empowered and motivated; I can’t wait for the next clean-up!
But before we start talking about our next cleanup, we’d like to debut our preliminary totals for this year’s Creek to Bay Cleanup! Drum roll please……..
left to right: Moriah, Community Program Coordinator; Natalie, Senior Director of Operations; Lexi, Community Program Manager.
We would like to thank all of our 5,700 volunteers who took the time to make their communities clean and ensuring that our local waterways stay free of trash and pollutants! Thanks to your help, we cleaned and beautifieda record number of 106 outdoor spaces and successfully removed approximately 125,000 pounds of debris countywide!
We would like to also thank our event sponsors and partners for all the help and a special thanks to Lexi Ambrogi and Natalie Roberts for coordinating such an awesome event.
Be sure to save the date for our next countywide cleanup, Coastal Cleanup Day, happening Saturday, September 19th, 2015! More information can be found at www.CleanupDay.org.
The ILACSD team hopes to see you at our next countywide cleanup, Coastal Cleanup Day, happening Saturday, September 19th!
