SAN DIEGO (CNS) - The city of San Diego and local nonprofit groups held coastal cleanup and educational events Saturday throughout the city.
The goal of the multiple events was to ensure clean water and beaches and to celebrate the 37th annual California Coastal Cleanup Day and the 20th anniversary of Think Blue San Diego.
"I want to thank the hundreds of volunteers who celebrated California Coastal Cleanup Day by doing their part to protect our water quality, communities and wildlife," Mayor Todd Gloria said. "Clean water and clean beaches are only possible through a clean stormwater system. If we each do our part, we can create a better San Diego for all of us."
Think Blue's main event in Ocean Beach featured a cleanup with Gloria, City Council President Jennifer Campbell and others, according to city spokesman Anthony Santacroce.
The cleanup was organized by I Love A Clean San Diego, which leads local efforts for Coastal Cleanup Day.
Every year for nearly four decades, volunteers remove hundreds of thousands of pounds of trash and debris from neighborhoods, creeks, canyons and the coastline, Santacroce said.
"We're pushing hard every day to create a zero waste, litter-free and environmentally engaged region," said Len Hering, I Love A Clean San Diego's executive director. "But we can't do that alone. It's going to take all of us to make sure that we create a cleaner San Diego now and for future generations."
Think Blue collaborated with other nonprofits throughout the region, including The San Diego River Park Foundation for a cleanup in the Mission Valley Preserve, Wildcoast to kick off Tijuana River Action Month with a cleanup in the Tijuana River Valley, and Coastkeeper for its annual Ride the Tide bike tour in University City to highlight watershed dynamics and other water issues.
"As the representative of many of San Diego's beaches and bays, I know firsthand the importance of events like the California Coastal Cleanup Day," Campbell said. "Thank you to everyone who pitched in, picked up and worked hard to keep San Diego beautiful."
