Heal The Bay Beach CleanUp A Success!This past weekend TMC took part in the 2012 Heal the Bay International Coastal Cleanup in Hermosa Beach, CA. TMC was joined by hundreds of other volunteers in Hermosa to make the beaches safer and more beautiful for everyone. The Heal the Bay beach cleanup was a huge success and TMC had a blast giving back to the Hermosa Beach community. TMC chose Heal the Bay for their most recent event because it directly impacts the area they live in. A good portion of the Technology Management Concepts team lives in the South Bay area in Southern California, so it was natural to give back to the area they live in.
Overall Heal the Bay‘s 23rd annual Coastal Cleanup Day led to the removal of 38,598 pounds of debris from Los Angeles County beaches. In record heat, more than 9,323 participants scoured local beaches, inland waterways, regional parks and urban neighborhoods at 58 sites throughout the county. They covered 56 miles of terrain. Sites spanned the entire county this year. SCUBA dive teams canvassed under the Santa Monica, Malibu and Redondo Beach piers and off Long Beach, while a flotilla of kayakers removed trash from Marina del Rey. A contingent of mountain bike riders went off road in Malibu Creek to haul away pounds of man-made detritus. Code Red” locations in need of special attention this year included Dominguez Channel and Ken Malloy Harbor Regional Park. These urban sites drain runoff from huge swaths of Los Angeles County and are overwhelmed by such litter as plastic bags and fast-food packaging.
Coastal Cleanup Day is an annual international event tied to Ocean Conservancy, which synthesizes volunteers’ findings to create a snapshot of the world’s treatment of trash.
The U.S. topped the list of participating countries in 2011, the year for which the most recent data is available, followed by the Philippines, Canada, India and the Dominican Republic to round out the top five.
Eighty percent of the debris found worldwide – which topped 9.18 million pounds last year – consists of the following 10 items, according to the Ocean Conservancy:
- Cigarettes
- Caps or lids
- Plastic beverage bottles
- Food wrappers, containers
- Cups, plates, forks, knives and spoons
- Glass beverage bottles
- Straws, stirrers
- Beverage cans
- Paper bags
More volunteer opportunities are available at healthebay.org.
Here are some pictures from the TMC team from the Heal the Bay Beach Cleanup:
