Annual Coastal Cleanup Day is the premier volunteer event on behalf of the marine environment in the world. ACC Day engages people to remove trash and debris from the world’s beaches and waterways, to identify the sources of debris, and to change the behaviors that cause pollution. In 2006 358,617 volunteers from 65 countries across the world removed more than seven million pounds of debris from 34,560 miles of shoreline and rivers!

It’s never too early to start thinking about next year!  The 24th Annual Coastal Cleanup Day will be held on Saturday, September 20, 2008 from 9 am to Noon.

Getting Involved

Whether you're a regular beach cleanup participant or this is your first time, participating in ACC Day is exciting and easy.  Individuals and groups of less than 10 people do not need to register for Santa Cruz County sites, just show up at your favorite beach or consider going to one of our underserved sites.

If you would like to organize your neigborhood, boy scout troop, workplace, employees or civic club to participate, contact Emily at acc@saveourshores.org. 

All participants should arrive at their site at 9 am ready to get to work! You should wear closed toe shoes, work clothes, sunscreen and a hat or sunglasses You may want to bring water (we do not provide water at the sites), work/garden gloves and any other tools that you like to use (like shovels, rakes, etc.) Each site varies in the amenities that it offers. If you would like to learn more about a specific site you should visit the Beach Map on the Clean Beaches Coalition's website www.cleanbeachescoalition.org

At each site a Site Captain will be there to sign you in and distribute supplies. We will provide latex gloves, trash and recycling bags, marine debris information, data cards, pencils, a safety briefing and lots of smiles!

Our Site Captains

If you had fun being involved with Annual Coastal Cleanup Day in 2007 and would like to be more involved this year you should think about becoming a Site Captain!

The local impact of Coastal Cleanup Day depends on the leadership of the Site Captains who direct Santa Cruz County’s volunteer potential on the day of the event. Being a Site Captain is a rewarding way to be a leader in our community with only a minimal commitment.

Site Captains attend a brief information and training session. Then they arrive early on Coastal Cleanup Day to set-up the site, sign-in volunteers and hand-out cleanup materials. Group leaders are not necessarily Site Captains, although you can do both if you like.

Our Cleanup Sites

In 2007 there were 39 Annual Coastal Cleanup Day sites in Santa Cruz County. We are always looking for new sites for 2008, so take a look at the 2007 Site Map and if you don’t see your site, send us an email at acc@saveourshores.org

While you may participate at any of our sites, please consider participating at some of our underserved sites which typically have more garbage and less volunteers:

North Coast Beaches: Waddell Creek Greyhound Rock Scott Creek Beach Bonny Doon Beach Panther Beach Laguna Beach Four Mile Beach Three Mile Beach

Inland Waterway Sites: San Lorenzo River at the Water St. Bridge San Lorenzo River at the Laurel St. Bridge Soquel Creek behind Nob Hill Foods Aptos Village Park Struve Slough Pajaro River at River Park

Children’s Coloring Contest

The coloring contest showcases talented young artists and the local business sponsors that support the Santa Cruz County Annual Coastal Cleanup. The contest is open to all children in grades pre-K through 8th grade. To enter the contest, bring your completed entry with you to any cleanup site on Annual Coastal Cleanup Day and turn it in to a Site Captain or school teacher. Winners will receive cool prizes from local business sponsors and will have their entries on display at the public library during the month of October.

Teachers:

Get your students involved by distributing the coloring contest to your students, hosting a Save Our Shores Marine Debris presentation in your classroom or organizing a classroom campus or beach cleanup on Friday September 14th. For more information, to schedule a Marine Debris Presentation or to order copies of our Annual Coloring Contest please contact Emily at acc@saveourshores.org.

The success of Annual Coastal Cleanup Day depends on the support that Save Our Shores receives from our local government agencies and business community.  To become an Annual Coastal Cleanup Day sponsor and include your company logo on all ACC Day 2008 promotional materials, the SOS website and the Annual Children's Coloring Contest contact Emily at acc@saveourshores.org

Save Our Shores would like to thank the following agencies and organizations for their support, financial or otherwise:

2007 Platinum Level Sponsor:

City of Santa Cruz Public Works Department		City of Watsonville Public Works Department
Coast Santa Cruz Hotel

2007 Silver Level Sponsor:

	Coast Commercial Bank

Black China Bakery	Chaminade	Costco
Gayles Bakery	Marini’s at the Beach	O’Neill Surf Shop
Pizza My Heart	Watsonville YMCA	Geo H. Wilson
Monterey Bay Aquarium

2007 Coordinating Partners

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