SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - Beachwear company Sand Cloud is expanding its business, not by adding any products, but by adding community service to its mission.
The company, which puts environmental sustainability at the forefront of everything they do, will now host monthly beach cleanup events at their store in Pacific Beach.
"Cleaning the beaches is the first line of defense because the trash we don't pick up at the beach, during high tide, that will get washed into the ocean," says Bruno Aschidamini, co-founder of Sand Cloud.
At the first event in January, Aschidamini says he and about two-dozen other people collected 200 pounds of trash and 5,000 cigarette butts from the streets and alleys around the store.
"Everybody thinks that somebody else is going to do it. But there is no somebody else. We are the somebody else," says Leslie Dufour, who volunteered to help at the cleanup.
"For a local company that takes it as their core, wants to give back, is something I want to participate in," adds fellow volunteer Russell Moore.
The cleanup events are the latest way Sand Cloud is helping the environment. Their most popular product is a beach towel and blanket that is woven from cotton mixed with recycled plastic. The design also helps avoid beach erosion because the towel does not collect sand, leaving it at the shore.
"Terry cloth towel has those loops on them that grab onto the sand. This towel is woven flat, so the sand rolls right off," says Aschidamini.
They also make shirts and hoodies with recycled plastic fiber and sell re-useable metal straws and glass water bottles.
The company motto is "Save the Fishies."
The success of their business has garnered national attention. Recently, Sand Cloud was featured on the ABC show "Shark Tank."
They were also named one of Forbes Magazine's 30 Under 30 companies for sustainability.
"We can make a difference," says Aschidamini. "We're gonna make a huge impact in this community."
The next cleanup event is scheduled for February 15th. Because it's the day after Valentine's Day, Sand Cloud is calling it their "Love the Beach" event. Anyone can volunteer by signing up at the store, which is located at 1033 Garnet Avenue.
