For Immediate Release: August 24, 2009
Earth Day Network Forms Unique Partnership with Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Cleanup -- World’s Largest Volunteer Effort for Ocean and Waterways
Trash is one of the most widespread pollution problems threatening our oceans and waterways –but it’s entirely preventable. Hundreds of thousands of people around the world will Start a Sea Change this September 19.
Washington, DC Earth Day Network has formed a unique partnership with Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Cleanup, the world's largest single-day volunteer effort to reduce trash in our oceans and waterways – a widespread pollution problem that is entirely preventable. As part of the new partnership, volunteer participation will be counted towards Earth Day Network’s Billion Acts of Green campaign that is engaging individuals around the globe in taking environmental actions in commemoration of the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day.
Nearly 500,000 volunteers participate in the annual International Coastal Cleanup, held on the third Saturday of every September. At the 2008 International Coastal Cleanup, volunteers removed and tallied 6.8 million pounds of debris, from 6,485 sites in 100 countries and 42 U.S. states and the District of Columbia.
“Trash on our beaches and in our ocean and waterways is more than an eyesore,” said Dianne Sherman, Director of the International Coastal Cleanup. “It threatens marine wildlife, undermines tourism and other economic activities, and poses a risk to human health.”
The event this year will be held on September 19. Volunteers not only remove trash and debris from their local beaches, lakes, and rivers, they also keep track of every piece of trash they find using standardized data cards. Ocean Conservancy uses this data to produce the world’s only annual country-by-country, state-by-state breakdown of marine debris. The annual report is shared with the public, industry, and government officials, and has inspired legislation to prevent marine debris, expanded community recycling programs, led to improved product packaging and design, and encouraged individuals to properly dispose of trash.
“Trash doesn’t fall from the sky,” Sherman continues, “it falls from our hands, and what falls from human hands – can be prevented. The Cleanup gives everyone a chance to be a part of an important global movement to end the tide of ocean trash." To find the nearest 2009 Cleanup site, visit: www.oceanconservancy.org and search on a world map or by town or zip code.
“In an effort to reach A Billion Acts of Green, Earth Day Network is working with Ocean Conservancy to engage individuals in taking steps to help overcome the significant environmental challenges in today’s world,” said Kathleen Rogers, President, Earth Day Network. “We applaud this initiative, and as we get closer to the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day in 2010, we hope that these efforts will bring additional awareness to the need for environmental action.”
For additional information about the International Coastal Cleanup, and to sign up to be a part of the next wave of volunteers visit: www.oceanconservancy.org/cleanup. For more information on Earth Day Network, visit www.earthday.net.
Earth Day Network was founded on the premise that all people, regardless of race, gender, income, or geography, have a moral right to a healthy, sustainable environment. Our mission is to broaden and diversify the environmental movement worldwide, and to mobilize it as the most effective vehicle for promoting a healthy, sustainable environment. Earth Day Network has a global reach with a network of more than 17,000 partners and organizations in 180 countries. More than 1 billion people participate in Earth Day activities, making it the largest secular civic event in the world. To learn more about Earth Day Network visit www.earthday.net.
Ocean Conservancy is the world's foremost advocate for the oceans. Through science-based advocacy, research, and public education, we inform, inspire and empower people to speak and act for the oceans. Ocean Conservancy is headquartered in Washington, DC, and has offices in Florida, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Pacific, with support from more than half a million members and volunteers. To learn more about Ocean Conservancy visit www.oceanconservancy.org.
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