Parents and children everywhere are getting ready to head back to school; in fact, some eager school districts are already open for educational business. But it’s not too late for you to squeeze in one last trip to the shore to enjoy a day of family fun in the sun. Why not make this year’s beach trip one that can have a lasting impact far beyond when that last bit of summer tan has faded? Organize a family or community beach cleanup day!
This year, the International Coastal Cleanup will take place on September 19, 2015. This cleanup is an organized global effort to remove marine debris from beaches, waterways, parks, and even roadsides. Last year more than half a million volunteers in 91 countries collected over 16 million pounds of trash!
Your efforts can be as simple as taking a walk in the park, literally. Collect any trash you find in your own bags. Promote a little friendly competition among the kids by offering small prizes to the person who gathers the most trash, the one who collected the most recyclable litter, and the one who found the biggest piece of garbage.
Plan a picnic lunch over which to inventory your items (wash your hands before eating, of course!). Making a log of what you found and reporting it to the right agency is another vital step on the conservation trail. Different types of plastics and other debris found can be reported via e-mail or snail mail to the Ocean Conservancy, who collect and analyze the data.
Dispose of your collected trash in the proper containers, or at your local trash collection facility. Any recyclable materials (aluminum cans, plastic bottles, etc.) can be delivered to a local recycling station rather than sent to the landfill. Be sure to promote your “Look what we did!” moment with friends and family by sharing photos and stories through letters and social media. This can be a fun bonding experience for the whole family or a whole community, and the perfect way to promote a love of the environment to your little ones.
Featured Image from OCG Saving The Ocean/Unsplash
