It’s almost that time of year—time for the International Coastal Cleanup (ICC)! This annual event, put on by the Ocean Conservancy and supported by the NOAA Marine Debris Program (MDP), works to bring people together from across the globe to clean up marine debris in their local communities. Last year’s cleanup resulted in more than 10,000 tons of trash collected by over 789,000 volunteers covering almost 18,000 miles! With so many miles covered, you can bet there will be a cleanup near you. Find your cleanup and sign up here.
This event is a great way to become an ocean superhero just by putting on a pair of gloves and helping to clean up some litter. In fact, here at the MDP we love the ICC so much, we get out there and clean up too. To get ready for this year’s ICC, we asked our team why they #suituptocleanup.
"I believe each of us plays a significant role to reduce the global impact of marine debris. Whether it's picking-up debris see floating in the ocean or trash you see on the sidewalk, we can all do our part to prevent debris." - Christy Kehoe, Meeting Planner and Facilitation Specialist
“Marine debris is a man made problem; if we don't clean it up, who will?” - Mark Manuel, Pacific Islands Regional Coordinator
“I #suituptocleanup to share my passion for a clean environment with others and to demonstrate that every little bit counts or helps.” - Sarah Lowe, Great Lakes Regional Coordinator
“I suit up to clean up to do my part and nerd out about marine debris data collection!” - Sherry Lippiatt, California Regional Coordinator
“Because of the great find, the plywood heart with LOVE, that I re-used and it now adorns my office.” - Nir Barnea, Pacific Northwest Regional Coordinator
"It's really dirty here, and can hurt the animals. Someone should clean it up." - Andrew Rolfe (left), son of Jason Rolfe, Mid-Atlantic Regional Coordinator
Find a cleanup near you and sign up to clean up today! The 2018 International Coastal Cleanup is Saturday, September 15th—we’ll see you there!