Water Is Everything The Daily Drop #TBT to International Coastal Cleanup Day
#TBT to International Coastal Cleanup Day
September 26, 2019
Our store teams and corporate HQ took to the beaches and other areas in need of help for a roll-up-your-sleeves event on September 21, 2018, collecting more than 309 pounds of trash. From California to Texas, it was an experience that left us all even more committed to making a change.
"Picking up 10 lbs of trash in a short time proved that small changes can make a big difference"
Fort Myers, FL
"We need to look at the articles we use in our everyday lives to participate in the solution."
Venice Beach, CA
"It was a great chance to bring people together to create a better lake for generations to come."
Dallas, TX
"What stood out was seeing how trash impacts our oceans. Three people collected over 200 cigarette butts!"
Plymouth, MA
We also closed our Orlando headquarters for the day and headed to New Smyrna Beach, an area that's seen an excessive amount of trash collect due to hurricane tides. We spent time combing the beach and kayaking in a mangrove swamp, collecting 211 lbs of trash (including a fuel barrel that had been caught in the mangroves).
We were lucky to have Fill A Bag founder Manny Rionda lead the outing. His organization creates beach stations that make it easy for people to turn beach walks into beach cleanups, providing reusable bags and buckets and trash and recycling areas to handle what is collected. There are currently 14 stations, with more planned in South Florida.
While International Coastal Cleanup Day is an annual event, we are committed to making a difference throughout the year. Get involved with us and learn about Water is Everything, our initiative to fight the health crisis facing our seas. From changes to what we do at our stores to the upcycled and recycled brands we are proud to carry, every action counts. Beyond helping to make the planet a healthier and more beautiful place, there are extra benefits. Studies from the National Institute of Health indicate that people of all ages, races, genders and backgrounds benefit from the connections with others that come when engaging in environmental activism. Beach cleanups also make all of us more aware of the crisis of plastic pollution and observant of marine life.
