by Neil Panton
This year it's "BYO!" - Bring Your Own buckets, gloves and water bottles.
In an effort to cut down on the amount of trash generated on Cleanup Day, this year we're encouraging volunteers to bring their own buckets, gloves, water bottles etc. There will be plenty of supplies for folks to use if they don't have their own, but anything you can bring that is reusable will reduce the amount of trash utilized in our cleanup effort.
San Gregorio Environmental Resource Center (SGERC) will be site captains once again at San Gregorio State Beach. Parking is free for all volunteers. Come clean up the beach in the morning, then stay and enjoy it in the afternoon! There are many other cleanup locations too, if you prefer. Go to flowstobay.org for more information about the event and other cleanup sites.
Your school can get involved too. Friday, September 24th is a perfect opportunity for schools to involve their students in a cleanup event of their own. Once again, check flowstobay.org for info on this.
Planning for the event is easy. Either download a waiver form ahead of time or sign in at the site Saturday morning. Dress in layers since the weather is always unpredictable. Wear sunscreen and sturdy boots, bring a pair of gloves and and anything else you can think of that will make for a fun and safe day. We'll have a brief safety talk before heading out so we can protect ourselves as well as the environment while cleaning up.
Volunteers are provided with a data card to keep track of items collected. This allows the organizers to track the trends in trash (just made that up - pretty catchy!) so that resources can be directed at areas that need the most help.
This event gains in popularity each year. I believe the reason is the immediate reward and satisfaction volunteers get from seeing a beautiful area restored to a litter free environment. It becomes almost addictive to pick up trash when we see it - the results are immediately apparent! San Gregorio State Beach offers many opportunities for cleanup since it stretches long distances in either direction. The large parking area and entrance also need cleaning up, and for the intrepid, the parking area across the highway is usually pretty well littered.
Please join us on the 25th. We'll have refreshments and small prizes for the most unusual items found, most trash collected, and most innovative BYO item. Hope to see you there!