Beach Sweeps Intern Shares Her Experience with COA

Chelsea Dow - Beach Sweeps Intern

From Left to Right: COAST Intern Macailagh McCue,
 Beach Sweeps Intern Chelsea Dow and Science
and Policy Intern Rebecka Flynn at the
fracking wastewater ban rally in Trenton

"As my time with COA comes to an end, I look back on all the knowledge and experience I have gained working with an organization committed to protecting coastal environments. Working with COA and studying the issues currently plaguing our waterways has made my passion for the environment stronger. I look forward to bringing that passion for sustainability with me to my last year of college as an Environmental Studies major in NYC.

My time at COA was spent mainly organizing and running the Corporate Beach Sweeps program.  Businesses came to Sandy Hook for the day throughout the summer to help clean debris from the beach.  The employees were able to learn the importance of ‘reduce, reuse, recycle.’ I enjoyed explaining to them that their every day habits have a lasting effect on our shorelines and offering them solutions to minimize their impact on the environment. Cleaning debris was a rewarding experience for the businesses, and I was rewarded by being able to spread my knowledge about ocean pollution.

My internship with Clean Ocean Action also exposed me to New Jersey environmental politics. We traveled to Trenton, New Jersey, for a fracking wastewater ban rally and Long Beach, Long Island, for a public hearing about Port Ambrose. I had never before felt so empowered and proud of all the environmental organizations along the Jersey Shore speaking out against ocean industrialization. In the future, I'm going to use this newfound knowledge and confidence and continue to speak publically on environmental and social issues.

I can’t thank COA enough for all they have done for me. My internship has helped me discover new aspects of environmentalism that I may pursue in the future. After working on the corporate beach sweep program, I have discovered a passion for environmental education. I hope to possibly pursue this as a career, either by attending a masters program for outdoor education or finding a job in helping others see the beauty of nature. As I move forward, I will implement all I have learned this summer into my education, relationships, and future jobs! Thanks Team COA!"   

Chelsea Dow will complete her Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies at Pace University in New York City in May 2014.