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.

Restore the Shore Intern Reflects on Her Experience with COA

Restore the Shore Intern - Jaime Frungillo

"Unfortunately, my internship with Clean Ocean Action has come to a close. My time spent here has allowed me to apply my background knowledge of marine sciences and research to current coastal issues present in New Jersey and New York.

Most of my work has focused on reviewing and analyzing NJDEP’s water quality data with respect to current and proposed EPA criteria as well as investigating the Floatables Action Plan implementation and reviewing EPA’s surveillance flights data. This work helped with my review of Rutgers University’s Barnegat Bay nutrient study. I have also helped with the 2012 Annual Review.

Through my help with writing scoping comments for the Draft EIS to be completed for Liberty’s proposed Liquefied Natural Gas Port, COA has taught me about liquefied natural gas and energy issues. Although I did not get to participate in many Corporate Sweeps, the two I participated in taught me about New York and New Jersey’s combined sewage system, the ecology and oceanography of the NY Bight, and the decomposition of different materials found on our beaches. The Corporate Sweeps present a great way to get involved with making our beaches cleaner while still learning about the environment. At every Corporate Sweep, I learned something new. It is a great outreach activity and I encourage everyone to get involved!

I am very grateful for the opportunity to have interned with Clean Ocean Action this summer and will bring more knowledge and experience with me back to school in the fall." 

Jaime will complete her Masters in Environmental Management at the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University In May 2014.

Life-long Environmentalist Continues Her Involvement with COA

Chelsea Dow - Pace University Class of 2014 - Coastal Environment Intern

I have always had an undeniable love for the environment since I was a kid. My parents taught me from an early age to respect the Earth and love all of its inhabitants. I grew up getting dirty in the mud and spending countless days on the Jersey shore beaches. I continued that passion through high school, volunteering with Clean Ocean Action and becoming a Student Ocean Advocate. I learned how important the coastal environment is to the world’s existence, and how quickly our beloved ocean’s future is in jeopardy. All environmental issues are important to me, but water seems to be a constant in my life, since the Atlantic Ocean helped raise me.

 I am now going into my senior year at Pace University in New York City with a major in environmental studies and a minor in peace and justice. Since being at Pace University, I have had the amazing opportunity to take advocacy to a whole new level. I wrote many papers on the Occupy Wall Street movement and participated in some of their environmentally focused rallies. Living in New York City has opened my eyes to numerous environmental issues, as well as the immense amount of people who truly strive for sustainability.

My last semester at school was spent abroad backpacking in Nicaragua and Costa Rica. The program focused on community sustainability.  Through my travels, I learned an immense amount about the environment and how I can contribute to helping the natural world. Coming home from being abroad I had a fiery passion to continue learning about the environment, and also look for ways to help my community. Clean Ocean Action was the perfect fit, and since being here for close to two months I have learned a lifetime of information on policy, environmentalism, and advocacy! If you would like to reach me for more information my email is presentation@cleanoceanaction.org.

Jersey Girl Returns Home for the Summer from JMU

Macailagh McCue - James Madison University Class of 2013 - Summer COAST Intern

While I was always interested in environmental issues when I was younger, I didn't discover my love for environmental policy until my senior year of high school. Taking AP Environmental Science taught me a lot, and opened my eyes to the impact that I was personally having on the environment. While in college, I studied public policy and political science, but after interning at the EPA in Washington, DC, I knew that I wanted to work in the environmental field. I recently graduated from James Madison University in Virginia, and will return in the fall as a graduate student pursuing a Master of Public Administration degree.

I've lived near the beach my whole life and my friends at school know how badly I miss it during the year. Being in Virginia was hard for me when Superstorm Sandy hit because I knew that my friends and family at home were struggling so badly. All I wanted for weeks was to come home and help, so I’m happy that this summer I can work for an organization that allows me to do my part to help the shore and the ocean.

I have been working at Clean Ocean Action for almost a month and have learned so much about ocean pollution issues. For my internship I am coordinating this year’s C.O.A.S.T (Clean Ocean Action Shore Tips) campaign. It’s an outreach campaign that allows COA to inform beachgoers about important ocean issues, such as LNG and sea level rise. If you’d like to volunteer with this year’s campaign, email me at Coast@CleanOceanAction.org!

High School Intern Shares His Love for the Environment

Derek Noah – Middletown High School South – Class of 2013

I have been working with Clean Ocean Action as a high school intern for two weeks now and I have loved every minute of it. COA is just the place for me since I am a huge nature and environment enthusiast. I have seen what it takes to save the ocean and the environment. COA has shown me how to be a go getter and to never give up on the environment. They have also taught me that whatever I do, do it for the environment.

I found my love for the environment early in high school and have pursued it ever since. I like to bike, hike, kayak and I enjoy the outdoors more than my friends. In fact, my friends make fun of me for being an outdoors enthusiast but it does not bother me because I know I am doing something that I am passionate about. The beauty of nature is so overwhelming and serene. I love how our planet is now and I want to preserve it for the rest of the generations to come. I want to protect and save the earth from human destruction.

I am attending Allegheny College, PA in the fall and I plan on majoring in Environmental Studies. The ideal job for me would be to become an environmental consultant. I want to help companies decide, environmentally and economically, what is the best choice. I want to make an impact. I want to save the environment and help others at the same time.

Thank you Clean Ocean Action!