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International
Coastal Cleanup
On the third Saturday in September, hundreds of thousands of people
will descend on beaches, lakes, and streams all over the world to
clean trash and debris—on land and under the water. Volunteers of
all ages and from every continent will form the largest one-day volunteer
event on behalf of clean oceans and waterways—the International Coastal
Cleanup (ICC). Held annually since 1986, the International Coastal
Cleanup engages people to remove trash and debris from the world's
beaches and waterways, to identify the sources of debris, and to change
the behaviors that cause pollution. In 2002, the annual Cleanup recorded
more than 391,000 volunteers from 100 countries. Volunteers combed
over 12,400 miles of shorelines and waterways which is equivalent
to more than ¾ of the Earth's circumference. ICC volunteers
collected 8.22 million pounds of trash; the same weight as 37 blue
whales, the Earth's largest living creature.
In the past Cleanups, the “Top Ten” items found from the International
Coastal Cleanup were (1) cigarettes/cigarette filters (2) bags/food
wrappers; (3) caps, lids; (4) beverage bottles (plastic); (5) cups,
plates, forks, knives, spoons; (6) beverage cans, (7) beverage bottles
(glass); (8) Bags, (9) Straws, stirrers, (10) Cigar Tips.
Keep Beatrice Beautiful sponsors the local International
Coastal Cleanup efforts to help cleanup waterways in Gage County each year. Keep Beatrice Beautiful, Inc. is enlisting
the assistance of Girl Scout Troops, Boy Scout Troops, 4-H Clubs,
or Church Youth Groups to join the hundreds of thousands of people
worldwide who plan to spend a few hours working toward cleaner waterways.
Keep Beatrice Beautiful has $50 mini-grants available; trash bags
for collection and tallying sheets so that the amount and type of
trash can be evaluated to find out the source. When we volunteer with
a group of friends, we have the knowledge that we are part of a world-wide
event. Our statistics join those of others in far-off places we may
never get to visit. That's what volunteerism is all about—having fun
and making a difference!”
To register for a ICC clean-up or for further information, please
call Keep Beatrice Beautiful at 228-4576 or for more information on
International Coastal Cleanup activities contact 1-800-262-2322 or www.oceanconservancy.org .
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