Waves of Thanks for a Successful 30th Fall Beach Sweeps

On Saturday, October 24th, close to 3,000 volunteers hit the beaches to participate in Clean Ocean Action's 30th Annual Fall Beach Sweeps at over 65 sites from Essex County to Cape May County. Volunteers removed and catalogued each piece of debris, helping to document ongoing pollution issues. Robust crowds were reported up and down the coast. Many volunteers came as teams from local businesses, corporate and grassroots organizations, school and church groups, and families, all with personal ties to the Shore and some with decades of Sweeps participation.

Special thanks to the Beach Captains who helped make this event so successful. Beach Captains, lead volunteers who direct the entire group of participants at each Beach Sweeps location, are essential to the program’s success. They are the heart and soul of Beach Sweeps. These dedicated volunteers coordinate and manage all of the volunteers on the day of the event, answer questions from the volunteers about ocean pollution and serve as COA representatives.

On Sandy Hook alone, Beach Sweep volunteers picked up: 5,846 plastic pieces, 5,324 food/candy wrappers, 4,785 caps/lids, 2,206 straws/stirrers, 1,879 cigarette filters, and 1,047 plastic beverage/soda bottles.

The next Beach Sweeps will be on Saturday, April 30^th. In the meantime, join us at the Debris Free Sea Conference on November 11, 2015. 

Thousands of Beach Sweeps Volunteers Clean NJ Beaches and Waterways

Clean Ocean Action’s Annual Fall Beach Sweeps – Saturday, October 19

Atlantic City Beach Sweeps Volunteers and the band The Barenaked Ladies

On Saturday, thousands of volunteers hit the beaches to participate in Clean Ocean Action's (COA) 28th Annual Fall Beach Sweeps at over 60 sites along the Jersey Shore. Volunteers collected, tallied, and removed harmful and unsightly debris from New Jersey’s coastline, one year after Superstorm Sandy.

  

This year, Beach Sweeps has been folded into Clean Ocean Action’s Wave of Action For The Shore program, a monthly volunteer initiative started in December 2012 to help the people, businesses, habitats and waterways of New York and New Jersey affected by Superstorm Sandy. 

“Clean Ocean Action is excited to continue to integrate Beach Sweeps into the Waves of Action program, a year-long initiative to recover and restore the NY/NJ coastline after the devastation of Sandy,” commented Catie Tobin, Clean Ocean Action Ocean Advocacy and Education Fellow.  “With more than 1,700 volunteers pre-registered for Fall Beach Sweeps, it is evident that taking care of our shores a year after Sandy continues to be a priority,” she added.

“As we approach the one year anniversary of Sandy, COA's volunteers continue to provide invaluable assistance to the recovery of the entire shore area, and Sea Bright in particular. We are very grateful for their support and look forward to continuing our longstanding, positive relationship,” stated Sea Bright Volunteer Coordinator Frank Lawrence.

The data collected Saturday will be combined with data collected at Spring Beach Sweeps in April, and then analyzed and presented in an annual report. These annual reports identify pollution problems, educate citizens on the types and quantities of debris, aid legislators in passing and enforcing laws to protect the marine environment, and contribute to local and international efforts to combat marine pollution.  The data from the Spring and Fall 2013 Beach Sweeps will be released next spring.  Beach Sweeps Reports from previous years are available at www.cleanoceanaction.org.

Key to the program’s success are the volunteer Beach Captains that lead each of the Beach Sweeps locations. These dedicated volunteers coordinate and manage all of the volunteers the day of the event, answer questions from the volunteers about ocean pollution and serve as Clean Ocean Action representatives.

High School Student Peter Donnelly and Friend

“We would like to thank all the people who care enough about our oceans and beaches to come out and help make Clean Ocean Action’s Fall Beach Sweeps such a success. Sandy may have set us back but thanks to the hard work of people from all over we are coming back. We would also like to thank Union Beach's Public Works. Through everything they have had to deal with this year they still have time to help with supplies, tables and picking up the stuff that gets picked up on the beach,” said High School Student and Union Beach Captain Peter and Union Beach Captain Fran Donnelly.

“Over the last 20 years as the Sea Bright Public Beach Captain, it has been amazing to meet so many different people who have the same love of the ocean. It has been especially wonderful to see all the children from local schools growing up. My son has now taken over from me as Beach Captain, so we are in good hands,” said Sea Bright Public Beach Captains Mark and Cash Woldseth.

"I get a lot of support from the local girl scouts and their families, thanks to Erin and Nadine Foreman. I am so very grateful for them!" exclaimed Island Beach State Park Beach Captain Leah Savia.

The Fall Beach Sweeps were made possible by support from generous sponsors.  The Statewide Sponsors for the 2013 Beach Sweeps are Aveda, Bank of America, Comcast, TD Bank, and ShopRite Wakefern.

“Aveda’s focus on environmental leadership and responsibility has led to years of collaboration with Clean Ocean Action to protect clean water.  Our vision of connecting beauty, environment, and well-being is showcased through partnerships with local organizations like Clean Ocean Action.  We look forward to continuing to defend life’s most precious natural resource – water,” stated Aveda Earth Fund Director Katie Galloway.

“Through Beach Sweeps, our teams of volunteers have assisted in cleaning-up trash and debris on New Jersey beaches, lakes, rivers and streams,” said Bob Doherty, New Jersey President, Bank of America.  “Clean Ocean Action offers people a chance to improve their environment and be part of a global effort to drive positive change.”

“Comcast has been a proud supporter of Beach Sweeps since 2008 and hundreds of our employees have volunteered for the event as part of our Comcast Cares Day efforts. Clean Ocean Action does an amazing job of educating and engaging the public while building awareness of what it takes to keep our shoreline beautiful and our marine life healthy.  We love the Jersey shore and everything Clean Ocean Action does to protect it,” remarked Comcast Director of Community Investment Kimberly Smith.

Red Bank Regional High School Environmental Club at Sandy Hook

“Wakefern Food Corp./ShopRite is pleased with our 13+ year partnership with Clean Ocean Action.  As an environmentally and community oriented business, ShopRite respects when an organization can bring about effective change by involving more and more community member volunteers each year,” explained Suzanne Forbes, Environmental Affairs Administrator, Corporate Communications, Wakefern Food Corporation.  “Historically, and recently due to the devastation brought on by Superstorm Sandy, the Beach Sweeps event brings about the improvement of an important ecological habitat, and the creation of a greener generation,” Forbes added.

County Sponsors include Atlantic City Electric, BD, Brook 35 & West, Montecalvo Material Recovery Facility, The Grove, and United Teletech Financial. Site Sponsors include Adventure Aquarium - Ocean City 59th Street Pavilion, Baine Contracting - Brick Beach I, Brookdale Community College – Ideal Beach, Enterprise Rent A Car - Sandy Hook, Kohl’s - Sandy Hook, New Jersey Natural Gas - Belmar 1st Avenue, Paul V. Fernicola & Associates - Loch Arbour/Allenhurst, Surfrider Foundation/Jersey Shore Chapter - Asbury Park North Beach, Surfrider Foundation/South Jersey Chapter - In Memory of Tommy Kraemer - Avalon.

Spring 2013 Beach Sweeps Highlights and Unusual Items Found:

• AmeriCorps volunteers at Asbury Park Convention Hall removed over 1,000 cigarette filters from the boardwalk.

• At the Atlantic City Beach Sweep location, the band Barenaked Ladies pitched in alongside a group of their fans, followed by a short acoustic performance by the band for the volunteers. This is one of several of their service projects with the environmental non-profit REVERB along their national tour.

• The combined 200 volunteers at Belmar 1^st Avenue and 16^th Avenue found a large amount of cigarette filters and small plastic pieces.

• 40 volunteers in Loch Arbour found a plastic bugle, bikini top and a rubber snake.

• Over 450 volunteers at Sandy Hook found a baby binky and a rat costume.

• At Toney’s Brook in Glen Ridge, volunteers found plastic hot dog, Costco card, shopping cart, metal window frame, very old wood and metal wheel, plastic furniture cover with zipper, various baseballs, Nerf balls and a Frisbee, many tiny liquor bottles and cigar wrappers.

• Over 50 volunteers in Union Beach, led by high school student Beach Captain Peter Donnelly, found a message in a bottle.

Fall Into Action for the Jersey Shore Beach Sweeps

Over 65 Locations from Cape May County to Middlesex County

-Saturday, October 19, 2013-

Clean Ocean Action (COA) invites citizens and organizations to participate in the 28th Annual Fall Beach Sweeps as part of the Wave of Action on Saturday, October 19 at over 65 sites along the Jersey Shore.  A complete list of cleanup locations and times can be found at www.CleanOceanAction.org.

“Clean Ocean Action is excited to continue to integrate Beach Sweeps into the Waves of Action program, a year-long initiative to recover and restore the NY/NJ coastline after the devastation of Sandy,” commented Catie Tobin, Clean Ocean Action Ocean Advocacy and Education Fellow.

The Beach Sweeps is much more than picking up trash, it’s about collecting data to help reduce sources of pollution.  Volunteers are instructed to record the quantity and types of debris found.   The information collected at the Sweeps is analyzed and published into annual reports.  These reports help identify pollution problems, aid legislators in enacting laws to protect our marine environment, and inform local, state and international efforts to combat marine pollution. COA will release the 2013 Annual Beach Sweep report mid-April, just in time for the spring Beach Sweeps. All reports are available online at www.CleanOceanAction.org.

COA encourages participation from volunteers of all ages individually or from businesses, families, and organizations. Volunteers are requested to pre-register by using the online sign-up form at www.CleanOceanAction.org.  Volunteers should wear gloves, dress for the weather, apply sunscreen, and wear closed-toed, hard-soled shoes.  Volunteers can find a site near them from Cape May County to Middlesex County.  Click here for a complete list of sites.

A number of businesses partner with COA to sponsor the Beach Sweeps.  The Statewide Sponsors for the 2013 Beach Sweeps are Aveda and Bank of America.

“Aveda’s focus on environmental leadership and responsibility has led to years of collaboration with Clean Ocean Action to protect clean water.  Our vision of connecting beauty, environment, and well-being is showcased through partnerships with local organizations like Clean Ocean Action.  We look forward to continuing to defend life’s most precious natural resource – water,” stated Aveda Earth Fund Director Katie Galloway.

“Through Beach Sweeps, our teams of volunteers have assisted in cleaning-up trash and debris on New Jersey beaches, lakes, rivers and streams,” said Bob Doherty, New Jersey president, Bank of America.  “Clean Ocean Action offers people a chance to improve their environment and be part of a global effort to drive positive change.”

Statewide Sponsors include Aveda and Bank of America.  County Sponsors include Atlantic City Electric, BD, Brook 35 & West, Comcast Cares, Montecalvo Material Recovery Facility, The Grove, TD Bank, Shoprite Wakefern and United Teletech Financial. Site Sponsors include Adventure Aquarium - Ocean City 59th Street Pavilion, Baine Contracting - Brick Beach I, Brookdale Community College - Middletown Bayshore Waterfront Park, Enterprise Rent A Car - Sandy Hook, Kohl’s - Sandy Hook, New Jersey Natural Gas - Belmar 1st Avenue, Paul V. Fernicola & Associates - Loch Arbour/Allenhurst, Surfrider Foundation/Jersey Shore Chapter - Asbury Park North Beach, Surfrider Foundation/South Jersey Chapter - In Memory of Tommy Kraemer - Avalon.

FUNdraise

Support Beach Sweeps: raise $100 and receive a special gift.

Start your fundraiser at http://www.crowdrise.com/BeachSweeps.

Showcase Your Support for the Shore and Our Oceans

An update from Manager of Development and External Affairs, Diana Reinhardt Paradis:

“Seaside greetings from Clean Ocean Action!  Thanks to the generous support of friends like you, Clean Ocean Action has been working to assist our coastal communities as they recover from Superstorm Sandy and continue to improve and protect the marine environment.  

As we look ahead to fall, I am excited to announce three important opportunities for you to showcase your support for the shore and our oceans:

Seaside Sunset – October 10:  Our fall season will start with a benefit evening that will raise important funds for our youth education programs.  Join us for this special evening by the ocean for the ocean!

Fall Beach Sweeps – October 19:  The largest grassroots environmental event in New Jersey, with thousands of volunteers participating up and down the coast. State, county and individual sites sponsorships available. 

Waves of Action Conference and Awards – December 7:  Our continued response to Superstorm Sandy, the Waves of Action Conference and Awards will celebrate the achievements of the almost 12,000 volunteers (so far this year) who have worked to make improve and protect the marine environment.  


In recognition of the strong support for Clean Ocean Action from the community, we are also pleased to introduce a new benefit.  If your company is a premier level sponsor for an individual event, or sponsors two of the three events listed above, we are pleased to grant your company a complimentary Corporate Beach Sweep – a $1,500 value.  Corporate Beach Sweeps are the perfect team-building event, providing a day of service, learning, and fun in the sun at the shore.  Please visit CleanOceanAction.org to learn more about our Corporate Beach Sweeps.  

Your thoughtful participation as a sponsor would help to ensure that our fundraising efforts take off on a wave of success.  If you are a business owner, or know of a business who might be interested in supporting our ocean protection work and youth education programs, please feel free to contact me anytime.”

For questions about sponsorship opportunities with Clean Ocean Action, contact Diana Reinhardt Paradis at development@cleanoceanaction.org, or by phone at (732) 872-0111.