Join I Love A Clean San Diego and Think Blue San Diego for a Valentine’s Day weekend litter cleanup! Meet like-minded people while showing love to our local watersheds.
Our staff will have check-in ready for you on site. Be sure to wear comfortable clothes, closed-toed shoes, some form of sun protection (sunscreen or a hat) and bring a water bottle or two! Staff will be providing everything else you will need!
Please click the registration button below for more information on this specific cleanup location.
Join I Love A Clean San Diego to be a part of the largest Earth Week cleanup in all of San Diego county! Volunteers are invited to grab buckets and work gloves and make a difference!
This year, our countywide Creek to Bay will have around 100 + locations for volunteers to choose from, inland and coastal. Each location is hosted by a site captain (a specially trained volunteer) and they will be in charge of managing the volunteers on site, properly disposing of the trash and reporting back totals.
Click the registration link below to see our main page for more details and the map of locations to choose from. Sites are still being finalized and will not be uploaded on to the map on the CreekToBay.org webpage until registration opens on April 1.
It’s officially back to school season! For many incoming college students, it means packing up to live on their own for the first time as they head to campus dorms and apartments. Whether you are a freshman or heading back for another fun-filled year, moving into a college dorm is the perfect time to start implementing zero waste habits into your lifestyle. To help you get started, here are a few tips to live a zero waste lifestyle in your dorm!
Waste Less, Save More
While packing for college, think about what you already have! You probably own most of the items on your packing list. Start by packing your favorite blankets and pillows from home; this will help if you get homesick. Most campuses and residential communities have online, “Buy and Sell” Facebook groups where students can purchase used furniture, clothes, and books. Whether you are moving in or out of your dorm or apartment, make sure to check out these resources to reduce curb waste and save money. If you are unable to sell your furniture, donate it to a second-hand store instead of discarding it.
Bar soap and package-free shampoo are not always ideal options. However, metal tins (like these from Lush) are the perfect solution! These containers will help keep your soap clean in communal showers and reduce your plastic consumption. Also, consider purchasing multi-use products to reduce the amount of rigid plasticin your bathroom caddy. For example, coconut oil can be used as a conditioner, body lotion, and lip balm. Make sure to skip out on purchasing plastic loofas. Plastic loofas accumulate tons of bacteria and end up in landfills. Instead, DIY your own body scrub using natural alternatives! Lastly, make sure to switch out your plastic toothbrush for a biodegradable bamboo one!
Go from Fast Fashion to Sustainably Stylish
It’s a new year! Maybe your style changed, or maybe it’s time for an upgrade. Before shopping at fast-fashion retailers, think about the 26 trillion pounds of clothing and textiles that end up in landfills each year. Instead of falling victim to this growing trend, check out flea markets and thrift shops to maintain your zero-waste lifestyle.You can even plan a clothing swap party with your hometown friends before moving out! This is a great way to repurpose items that would have ended up in a landfill. While packing for college, make time to go through your entire wardrobe. Determine what clothes you wear regularly, and donate the rest. On your way to orientation, drop off old clothes at a second-hand store!
Remember college can be messy, so don’t invest in clothing you wouldn’t mind getting dirty. Also, don’t forget that you can share clothes with your roommate(s) (just make sure to ask before borrowing)! Lastly, bring a few old t-shirts! Instead of using paper towels, use old t-shirts as rags to wipe down your desk or clean windows.
Pass on the Plastics
What is every college student’s best friend? COFFEE. Unfortunately, most disposable coffee cups are lined with plastic, making them hard to recycle. Investing in a reusable bottle, such as a HydroFlask, is a great way to reduce this type of waste and save money! Most on-campus coffee shops will even give students discounts for bringing their own mugs.
Cooking in college can be a struggle. If you do not have access to a full kitchen, see if you can bring reusable containers to the dining halls. This way, you can avoid Styrofoam and plastic packaging, while saving money and helping the environment! If you like to snack while studying, try making these no-bake granola bites. These granola bites are not only the perfect study snack, but they are also healthy and waste free!
Rethink How You Write
We continue to live in an increasingly digital world. Instead of buying new notebooks, try going paperless next semester! Taking notes on a laptop can make studying and collaborating with your classmates easier. However, if you learn better by handwriting your notes, consider investing in a Rocketbook. These notebooks can digitally transcribe text.
College textbooks can be crazy expensive. One easy way to save money and reduce your waste is to purchase used textbooks, borrow old textbooks from your friends, or use an e-book. Another tip is to ask your professors if you can reuse blue books that still have blank pages in them!
Take Action!
Remember, in college, people won’t make fun of different lifestyle habits. Instead, they will want to ask questions, learn more, and educate themselves on zero waste habits! Meet friends starting their zero waste journey by joining clubs or volunteering at your campus’ sustainability center.
Unfortunately, not all college lifestyle habits can be easily translated into zero waste practices. For example, cheap ramen will normally be packaged in plastic (however, there are meal prep options when you are further along in your zero waste journey). What is important is that you are taking steps towards a more sustainable lifestyle and contributing to a healthier and greener future!
For more inspiration on how to find zero waste ideas, resources, and other waste reduction techniques, our one-stop database WasteFreeSD or calling our staff at1-800-237-BLUE (1-800-237-2583)for incorporated residents or 1-877-R-1-EARTH (1-877-713-2784) for unincorporated residentswill help answer any of your questions.
Join I Love A Clean San Diego to help prep for several upcoming events. Staff will prepare workstations in our parking lot.
16th Annual Clean Beach Coalition – I Love A Clean San Diego partners with the City of San Diego and Urban Corp to put out additional waste receptacles to help support the additional waste produced on Memorial Day, Labor Day and the 4th of July around Mission Bay, Mission Beach and Pacific Beach. For this to be possible, we need the help of volunteers to sticker the 200 temporary bins with labels for trash and recycling. Volunteers will be given quick instruction on how to easily apply the stickers and where they go on the boxes.
39th Annual Coastal Cleanup Day – I Love A Clean San Diego hosts over hundred cleanup locations around San Diego county on a single day. We organize supplies for every location to host their volunteers. For this to be possible, we need the help of volunteers to bundle gloves and trash bags. Volunteers will be given quick instruction and a station to work at.
25th Annual Kids’ Ocean Day – I Love A Clean San Diego hosts over a thousand kids to cleanup the beach and pose in an aerial art photo to inspire all. For this to be possible, we need the help of volunteers create bus kits full of supplies. Volunteers will be given quick instructions and a station to create this prepacked kits.
This is a simple and relaxing way to volunteer for your community and meet some new people!
Join I Love A Clean San Diego, Fallbrook Beautification Alliance, and the County of San Diego for a litter cleanup in Fallbrook! We will divert litter from the San Luis Rey Watershed and keep it from traveling to the Pacific Ocean.
Our staff will be set-up with a check-in table and supplies at Fallbrook Branch Library. Join us at 9am for a talk about our watersheds and recycling right, then grab supplies and help us clean up!
We will sort and dispose of collected litter, and after the cleanup you can receive community service verification in your Community Hub dashboard. We encourage social distancing and masks.
This event requires a signed release-of-liability waiver for all volunteers, and anyone under 18 needs a waiver signed by a guardian. Please download and print the waiver below, sign, and bring with you to this cleanup.
Join I Love A Clean San Diego, Council District 8, and SDG&E for a street sweep in Sherman Heights! We will divert litter from the community and keep it from traveling to the Pacific Ocean.
Our staff will be set-up with a check-in table at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church. Join us at 9am to meet the Councilmember, grab supplies and help us clean up the neighborhood!
We will sort and dispose of collected litter, and after the cleanup you can receive community service verification in your Community Hub dashboard.
This event requires a signed release-of-liability waiver for all volunteers, and anyone under 18 needs a waiver signed by a guardian. Please download and print the waiver below, sign, and bring with you to this cleanup. No printer? No problem! We will have waivers at the check-in table for volunteers. If you are under 18 please have your guardian check-in with us at the cleanup to sign-off on your participation.
The Ocean Conservancy and the California Coastal Commission partners with volunteer organizations, such as I Love A Clean San Diego to create the largest, international cleanup day. I Love A Clean San Diego leads the efforts for this day in San Diego County for the 39th year in a row. Data collected from this event feeds into the world’s largest database on marine debris. Join our efforts this year to be apart of this global event!
This year, our countywide Coastal Cleanup Day will have around 100 + locations for volunteers to choose from, inland and coastal. Each location is hosted by a site captain (a specially trained volunteer) and they will be in charge of managing the volunteers on site, properly disposing of the trash and reporting back totals.
Click the registration link below to see our main page for more details and the map of locations to choose from. Sites are still being finalized and will not be uploaded on to the map on the CleanupDay.org webpage until registration opens on September 1.
Thank you to our presenting sponsor, Think Blue San Diego, for supporting this event!
For Earth Day, join I Love A Clean San Diego to be a part of the largest Earth Week cleanup in all of San Diego county! Volunteers are invited to grab buckets and work gloves and make a difference!
This year, our countywide Creek to Bay will have around 100 + locations for volunteers to choose from, inland and coastal. Each location is hosted by a site captain (a specially trained volunteer) and they will be in charge of managing the volunteers on site, properly disposing of the trash and reporting back totals.
Click the registration link below to see our main page for more details and the map of locations to choose from. Sites are still being finalized and will not be uploaded on to the map on the CreekToBay.org webpage until registration opens on April 1.
Join I Love A Clean San Diego, the Escondido Creek Conservancy, and the County of San Diego for a litter cleanup in Escondido! We will divert litter from the Carlsbad Watershed and keep it from traveling to the Pacific Ocean. Our staff will be set-up with a check-in table at Escondido Creek in Harmony Grove. Join us at 9am for a talk by our Education Team about our watersheds and recycling right, then grab supplies and help us clean up! We will sort and dispose of collected litter, and after the cleanup you can receive community service verification in your Community Hub dashboard.
This event requires a signed release-of-liability waiver for all volunteers, and anyone under 18 needs a waiver signed by a guardian. Please download and print the waiver below, sign, and bring with you to this cleanup.
Service project: volunteers will be loading branches, weighing between 5 and 25 pounds, into the provided 40 yard dumpster. Gloves, long sleeves, and sturdy shoes are recommended, as branches can be scratchy and the ground is uneven.
Join I Love A Clean San Diego, Council District 6, and SDG&E for a street sweep in Mira Mesa! We will divert litter from the community and keep it from traveling to the Pacific Ocean.
Our staff will be set-up with a check-in table at Mesa Verde Park. Join us at 9am to grab supplies and help us clean up the neighborhood!
This event requires a signed release-of-liability waiver for all volunteers, and anyone under 18 needs a waiver signed by a guardian.
