Supporter Spotlight: Thanks to Gold's Gym!

On June 14, more than 250 fitness enthusiasts took part in a 3½-hour workout on the Long Branch boardwalk, thanks to Gold’s Gym!  

The Boardwalk Workout to benefit COA featured Paddle Board Fitness, “Jersey Style” Body Combat, Zumba, and other classes led by instructors from Gold’s locations in Long Branch, Paramus, Howell and Bridgewater.  Special silent auction items were also available. Thanks to Mark Steinfeld, owner of the Long Branch location, and Manager Grace Wrightson, for creating this special event and selecting Clean Ocean Action as the beneficiary.  Join us next June for this now-annual event!

Sponsor Waves of Action!

Would your business like to support Clean Ocean Action’s important Super-storm Sandy relief efforts?  

Learn how you can help revitalize our communities and rebuild them sustainably in the future. 

View ways your business can be recognized for contributing to Sandy relief efforts

Your support would help continue relief efforts in communities like New Dorp, Staten Island.

Waves of Action ‘For the Shore’ started in the aftermath of Sandy – a long-term program developed to connect volunteers to immediate needs of different communities affected by the storm.  Clean Ocean Action’s network of organizations, businesses, citizens, and municipalities along the Jersey Shore and the Shore of Long Island has identified and implement projects that are needed within coastal communities.

Waves of Action will continue each month throughout 2013. The projects will change as the needs of the communities’ change, as they move from recovery to rebuilding and restoration.

Additional donations to support Waves of Action can be made here or can be mailed to Clean Ocean Action at 18 Hartshorne Drive, Suite 2, Highlands, NJ 07732.

More photos from our January 19^th Waves of Action can be found here.

For more information, contact Emily at Clean Ocean Action
via e-mail: events@cleanoceanaction.org.

View sponsorship opportunities here

Christopher Cross Concert to benefit COA - Jan 17th at Two River Theatre

 

Enjoy an evening with Christopher Cross to support our Waves of Action iniative.  Clean Ocean Action plans and coordinates projects each month to support communities to recover from Sandy. Together we can make 2013 greener and bluer.  More on Waves of Action at http://fortheshore.org/

 

Tickets are available here 732-345-1400 or www.trtc.org

 

For Sponsorship and VIP tickets - Rusty@Musicworks-ent.com

 

Many thanks to Music Works for their generous support of Clean Ocean Action's ocean protection work!  Visit Music Works here: http://musicworks-ent.com/

 

 

 

Lights, Camera, Clean Ocean Action!

Beach Sweeps Video Online Release! 

 (Sandy Hook, NJ) – Clean Ocean Action (COA) is proud to announce the online release of a video showcasing the Beach Sweeps program.  In 1985, COA launched the region’s first Beach Sweeps program to rid beaches of unsightly and harmful debris.  Today, the Beach Sweeps is one of the longest running cleanups of its kind in the world.  The program has grown from 75 people at one site in 1985 to 7,575 volunteers at nearly 70 sites in 2011. Since 1985, over 90,000 volunteers have participated and removed over 4.5 million pieces of debris from New Jersey's beaches and waterways.

Sandy Levine, producer of the video, is an award-winning television producer who was born and raised at the Jersey Shore. 

“I've known about and respected Clean Ocean Action since the group began in the mid-1980s. I heard that the Beach Sweeps were coming up and I felt compelled to be there to shoot this video. The idea that thousands of people willingly volunteer to pick up garbage was inspiring and I wanted to capture that passion and commitment,” explained Levine.  “When I arrived at Sandy Hook, it was depressing; the sand was littered with all kinds of garbage. A few hours later - the beach was pristine. The Beach Sweeps not only get rid of ugly garbage - they remind us that our ocean and shore need protection. I'm honored to be part of the effort to get out the word that we all can - and must - do something to help," she continued.

Clean Ocean Action was delighted Sandy Levine was able to produce the video.  It provides an important opportunity for everyone with access to the internet to learn about Sweeps and become inspired to participate.

“Over the past 27 years, volunteers have worked hard to collect, catalogue, and remove nearly 5 million pieces of trash from New Jersey’s beaches and waterways,” stated Tavia Danch, COA’s Education Coordinator.  “This video will highlight the great work of our volunteers and inspire others to follow in their footsteps,” added Danch.

Please visit Clean Ocean Action’s website www.cleanoceanaction.org, where the video is posted on our homepage.  It is also uploaded on Clean Ocean Action’s YouTube channel at: http://youtu.be/Z3v7ypuCZjQ.

Clean Ocean Action’s 27^th Annual Fall Beach Sweep will be held this Saturday, October 20 from 9-12:30 PM at over 60 cleanup sites along the NJ shore and waterways from Middlesex to Cape May County.  For more information, or to register groups of ten or more, please visit www.cleanoceanaction.org.

Fall Beach Sweeps October 20!

In 1985, COA launched the region’s first Beach Sweeps program to rid beaches of unsightly and harmful debris.  COA's Beach Sweeps is one of the longest running cleanups of its kind in the world.  The program has grown from 75 people at one site in 1985, to 7,575 volunteers at nearly 70 sites in 2011.  Volunteers gather from Raritan to Delaware Bays and along the ocean to clean beaches and waterways, as well as underwater sites.  They join as groups (community, school, business, and organization), families, or individuals.  Participants collect and record valuable data about debris, which is presented in annual reports and used to advance federal, state, and local programs to reduce litter.

The 2012 Fall Beach Sweeps will take place on Saturday, October 20.

Follow these links for more information:
About the Beach Sweeps
Annual Beach Sweeps Data Reports
Beach Sweeps Crowdrise

Here are write ups from Beach Sweeps-goers who participated at our Keyport site: 


"Without a doubt, one of the most satisfying activities I’ve been engaged in since moving to Keyport, is the Clean Ocean Action Beach Sweeps.  Twice a year, volunteers organized by the Keyport Environmental Commission under Beach Captains Mike Palmisano and Barbara Granda, spend three hours scouring various areas of our beaches for trash, categorizing the trash on forms which are later tallied and submitted to Clean Ocean Action for use in research, and bagging and removing the trash from the beach.  I was aware of this activity before I knew who was actually doing it, as I live right across the street from the beach on Myrtle Avenue.  I used to bring a bag and pick up trash too, but was not aware that the other part of the job was to fill out the forms which assign the trash to various categories for research purposes.  When I joined the Environmental Commission, I became aware of the charter and activities of Beach Sweeps.  Now I do it right!

I am amazed at the difference I see in the quality of the beach near my house since we moved to Keyport.  There are a few of us in the neighborhood who pick up trash there on a regular basis.  Starting with a beautiful clean beach after Beach Sweeps, we try to keep it that way as long as possible!  We all agree that it seems like less trash is being dumped there than before we started picking it up on a regular basis.  We wonder if it might be possible that the reason for this is that the people who go there are somewhat inspired by the fact that the beach looks cleaner, to take better care of it.  We like that idea!

In the past couple of years, perhaps because there is a little less trash for the Beach Sweeps volunteers to deal with, they have made a lot of progress in ridding our beaches of some of the bulkier items – notably tires of all sizes,  some of which have been there for a long, long time.  Tires are particularly unattractive and unhealthy trash items, and it is a real pleasure to see them only rarely on the beach now.

Feeling like it is possible to make a difference is priceless, but the other invaluable aspect of Beach Sweeps is the camaraderie among neighbors and volunteers that we see on these days.   Last year the Greater Newark Conservancy organization brought a group of teens from Newark who did an awesome job, appeared to have a ball, and ate the refreshments provided by the commission with real enthusiasm!  Altogether, Beach Sweeps is an activity that I wouldn’t miss, one that makes me feel like a useful part of my neighborhood and my town."


-Maureen Kinkela, Keyport Environmental Commission Member


"I am a member of the Keyport Environmental Commission. For as many years as I can remember, the Commission has run the COA Beach Sweeps. As one of our main activities, we garner support from the local merchants’ group, as well as the local governing officials, towns’ people, and others from outside the town.  The Beach Sweeps truly is a community event.  At several Sweeps, we’ve had student groups from various outside communities including Old Bridge and Newark. Often, we will have 40 or more volunteers on a Sweeps day.  Volunteers are matched up and work in teams. At times, a volunteer will find they are matched with the mayor, a council member or a candidate for office, who also is volunteering. Working together for a common goal is a very satisfying way to build community spirit.

While most people come ready to clean the beach, we clearly stress the importance of their documented findings.  We try especially hard to ensure that our volunteers understand the purpose and design of the data sheets they are about to fill out and emphasize the importance of accurately documenting what they find on the beach. After the volunteers leave and all the trash bags are picked up, the one thing that remains is the data record they created.  After reading Flotsametrics, I became acutely aware of the role garbage plays in our waterways.

Keyport beaches, unlike Sandy Hook Gateway National Park, are located in residential and commercial neighborhoods. This difference can impact the debris we find.  When I look over various items picked up on these beaches, a question that always comes to my mind is - did it float in from somewhere else along the bay or did it come from the land side?  If the answer is from the land side, which I suspect it often is, we may be not only the source of our own littered beaches, but also very possibly the source of floatables for beaches in other communities. As such, we have an opportunity as a community to address our potential impact on the Bayshore region by re-emphasizing good garbage practices.

Personally, my experience with Sweeps has taught me when I find a piece of litter in the street, even though I didn’t have any part in putting there, I become responsible for seeing it is properly disposed of.  If more of us took that approach, I believe we would certainly have cleaner beaches and cleaner communities.  We all need to be more aware of our responsibility to properly dispose of our own waste."


- Michael Palmisano, Beach Sweeps Keyport Beach Captain  and Keyport Environmental Commission Member

[PRESS RELEASE] OCEAN CHAMPIONS TO DIVE INTO “TOUR FOR THE SHORE” CAMPAIGN ONE WEEK FROM TODAY

PRESS RELEASE

***For Immediate Release***

Contact: Lindsay McNamara, Clean Ocean Action
732-872-0111 (office) 908-310-6729 (cell)

OCEAN CHAMPIONS TO DIVE INTO “TOUR FOR THE SHORE” 
CAMPAIGN ONE WEEK FROM TODAY

 Paddle, Bike, and Rally from 

Cape May, NJ to Montauk, NY for a Clean Ocean

Beach-lovers urged to “Get in Motion for the Ocean” to raise awareness of 

ocean pollution threats and to support for a Clean Ocean Zone

Sandy Hook, NJ –– One week from today, on Friday August 10, Clean Ocean Action and other marine advocacy groups will begin a two week adventure along the coast of Cape May, New Jersey, to Montauk, New York, to raise awareness of ocean pollution issues and the need for a Clean Ocean Zone.


Facing threats from ocean blasting for oil and gas development, pollution, and reckless development, the Clean Ocean Zone initiative was created by concerned citizens along the New York and New Jersey coastlines to lock-out harmful pollution and industrial activities off the coast while locking-in permanent protection for future generations. The ultimate goal is for the citizen-drafted federal law to be enacted.


The Tour for the Shore will kick off in one week, next Friday in Cape May, making its way up the coast, through New York City, and along the South Shore of Long Island. The Tour will conclude in Montauk, NY on Friday, August 24th, 2012. To finish strong, there will be a 100-mile “Century Ride” from Babylon, NY to Montauk kicking off at the break of dawn at 6 A.M. on the 24 – bringing Dixon and other cyclists to Montauk at the same time as Pellegrino and other paddlers-at-sea.


The Tour for the Shore includes special events like; a bike cruiser ride through Fire Island, a town meeting-style environmental summit on the state of the Monmouth County Bayshore and to meet up with other advocates at “Blue Drinks” events.  Beach-goers can discuss the Clean Ocean Zone, ocean conservation, marine policy and renewable energy with ocean champions from New Jersey and New York at local restaurants along the Tour.


For details about the dates, and locations of the Tour visit www.cleanoceanzone.org or call Clean Ocean Action at 732-872-0111. 

###

Tour for the Shore: What's New!

COA's Tour for the Shore, an unprecedented 230-mile, 15 day public awareness citizen action campaign,  is kicking off in less than two weeks!  We have been working hard in the COA office to prepare for our adventure to save the ocean.  Here's what's new with the Tour for the Shore:

• Like the picture above?  Want a yard sign for your house or outside your business?  Please contact COA at (732) 872-0111.

• Check out our Special Events during the Tour for the Shore; including an environmental summit, beach artist expo, and more!

• Have you heard about for the Century Ride for the Ocean in Montauk State Park yet? 99 committed ocean cyclists + 1 goal: a clean ocean = 100 mile ride for the ocean.

• Join us throughout the Tour for Blue Drinks Meetups. Discuss the Clean Ocean Zone, ocean conservation, marine policy and renewable energy with ocean champions from New Jersey and New York over a cold one!

• Are you looking for family fun during the Tour?  Or are you more of an ocean adventurer or coastal champion?  Click here to find the right level of Tour participation for you. 

Join Our Century Ride during the Tour for the Shore!

99 committed riders
   + 1 goal (a clean ocean)   

= 100 Miles of Cycling for the Ocean

On August 24th, for the last leg of the Tour for the Shore 2012, join Sean Dixon on a Century Ride for the Ocean in Montauk Point State Park in New York!

Route Details

Arrive: 5-6am, Babylon Train Station

Starting Speeches: 6am, Cindy Zipf, Clean Ocean Action and Rav Freidel, Concerned Citizens of Montauk

Start Time: 6:10am

Rest Stop #1 (Mile 25): Sayville, NY (specific location TBA) – stop open 7am – 9am

Rest Stop #2 (Mile 45): Center Moriches, NY – Kalers Pond Audubon Center - stop open 8am – 10am

Rest Stop #3 (Mile 60): Hampton Bays, NY (specific location TBA) – stop open 9am – 11am

Rest Stop #4 (Mile 82): Amagansett, NY – Amagansett Beach & Bike Shop - stop open 10am – 2pm

Montauk Point Party: 12-4pm, feel free to stay later and use the beach!

Montauk Point Speeches: 2pm, Lighthouse

For more important information and to sign up to be one of the 99 riders, click here!

Have an ocean-themed wedding with help from COA!

Are you looking for the perfect ocean-themed
wedding or party favors?  

Look no further, a donation to Clean Ocean Action in lieu of favors is the way to go to express your appreciation as well as your commitment to a healthier ocean.  Be in true beach-babe and beach-bum style and skip the candy-covered almonds; an honorary gift to COA will be acknowledged in our annual report as well as our monthly newsletter.  

No donation is too large or small.  

Contact the Clean Ocean Action office 

at 732-872-0111 to discuss your ideas and 

create a custom design to share with your guests!

Vote for COA in UTF's Million Dollar Community Challenge!

Great news! Clean Ocean Action has been invited to participate in the United Teletech Financial Million Dollar Community Challenge again. This is a great opportunity for us to earn a donation from United Teletech Financial, but we’ll need your help to get the biggest donation possible!

What is the Million Dollar Challenge?

• The goal is to save people in our communities $1 million in loan interest between July and September.
• Total interest they saved by refinancing credit card debt at a lower rate or reducing the term of a mortgage will contribute toward the $1 million goal.
• Percentage of each loan’s total interest savings will be donated to local participating charities. You decide which charity gets your donation.
• When the $1 million goal is met, United Teletech Financial will be cutting a check to each participating charity’s accumulated donations.

2 ways to help us get the biggest donation possible:

• Go online to www.jerseysaves.org and vote for Clean Ocean Action in the People’s Choice section. 
• OR
• Take out a qualifying loan through United Teletech Financial. Upon closing, chose Clean Ocean Action to receive your donation.

COA accepting our check from last year's Challenge

For more details on the Challenge and to
vote for Clean Ocean Action for the People’s Choice award, click here!

Tour for the Shore SUPZILLA!

C4 Waterman has donated a SUPzilla (14 person Stand Up Paddleboard) like the one in the video for
 Clean Ocean Action's "Tour for the Shore!" 

Want to experience it?!  

And help support the Clean Ocean Zone?!  

• Make a Crowdrise team to raise money for the Tour for the Shore!
  **Click here for our Crowdrise page**

• For teams that raise $1,000, a group of 5 people can paddle one 1.5 hour leg of the Tour (with instructors on board).

• For teams that raise $5,000, a group of 10 people can paddle one 1.5 hour leg of the Tour (with instructors on board).

• For teams that raise $10,000, a group of 10 people can paddle two 1.5 hour legs of the Tour (with instructors on board).

**For more information about Tour for the Shore sponsorship, click here or contact Emily at COA (732) 872-0111!**

Happy World Oceans Day!

 

Here's three ways to celebrate the sea on World Oceans Day: 

 

Step 1. Sign up for Clean Ocean Action's Tour for the Shore here. 

To help raise public awareness and participation for the Clean Ocean Zone, join us on the road, at sea or on land from Cape May, New Jersey to Montauk, New York. Departing on August 10th, 2012, take back in our 15-day adventure!  Over the course of the tour, rallies, and campaign and media events will be held to garner support from elected officials and citizens.

Step 2. Be the solution to ocean pollution; donate to Clean Ocean Action!  Supporters who give $25 or more will be eligible to win a Clean Ocean Action tote bag and other beachy prizes!

Step 3. Go for a walk on the beach and bring a bag to collect some litter! 

 

Guest Blogger: Brian Linton, United By Blue

Growing up in Singapore ignited my passion for our fragile oceans and its inhabitants. I became fascinated by fish and at one point I kept over 30 fish tanks in my childhood bedroom.  Living so close to the ocean also showed me firsthand the damaging effects that humans were having on our seas.

Four years ago, I started my first eco-venture, an ocean-friendly jewelry line called Sand Shack, which donated 5% of its profits to ocean conservation efforts. At the end of the day I was left with the same burning question: what kind of difference were my donations making on our oceans? That’s when I created a unique business model in 2010, which would associate each business transaction with a concrete environmental action.

United By Blue is an ocean-friendly brand of apparel, which removes a pound of trash from oceans and waterways for every product sold from our line of organic t-shirts, canvas bags and jewelry. We don’t pay anyone to take out the trash: our staff jumps at the chance get our hands dirty. In just under two years, UBB has removed over 80,000 pounds of trash during 60 cleanups in 15 states and two countries.

Our distribution has grown from a few specialty stores to over 100 stores throughout the country and Japan. United By Blue’s story and products have been featured everywhere from the Wall Street Journal to GQ. Our business model allows our impact to grow as fast as our business does.

Even before United By Blue was founded, I greatly admired Clean Ocean Action’s dedication to turning the tide of our oceans’ future.  After all, it doesn’t matter if it is a UBB customer in Kansas or a Clean Ocean Action supporter on the Jersey Shore-- we are all United By Blue. 

Brian Linton, United By Blue’s Founder and Chief Trash Collector

Clean Ocean Action Achieves Highest 4-Star Rating from Charity Navigator!

Happy Thursday from Clean Ocean Action!!

First and foremost, exciting news from Charity Navigator ("America's premiere independent charity evaluator") - Clean Ocean Action has achieved the highest rating - 4 Stars - given!  After detailed calculations and machinations, Charity Navigator gave COA a score of 65.96 out of 70 - one of the highest ratings of ocean-focused public interest groups in the nation!  Read more here: http://goo.gl/ui9gy.

Second, we just wanted to check in with everyone and make sure that our Blog followers had ready access to our other online personas.  Feel free to check out these other avenues of interacting with Clean Ocean Action!!

Twitter:

• @CleanOcean
• Our favorite hashtags, predictably, include: #ocean, #beachsweeps, #marinedebris, #COZ, #NYBight, #BarnegatBay, #NJFertilizer, and others!

Facebook:

• www.facebook.com/CleanOcean
• "Like" us on facebook and you'll be hit with a wave (but not a big "fill-my-inbox" wave) of information, events announcements, donation options, and links to this blog (when we post new stories)!

Internet:

• www.CleanOceanAction.org
• Your source for everything Clean and Oceany.  We've got links on the homepage to all of our media sites, our donation and gear shops, issues, programs, events, education opportunities, and even a host of pages on COA staff and special campaigns!

Fun, Ocean-Friendly Gifts for you and yours! (Happy Cyber Monday!)

  

Check out our new and improved ONLINE STORE.  Treat your family and friends to organic cotton totes, stainless-steel water bottles, bandanas, and more while supporting our ocean protection work!  Gift memberships are also a great fit for those on your list who have everything.  Call Emily at COA's office, 732-872-0111 if you would like to order by phone.

Our Annual Report is now available as a pdf!

Our Annual Report is now available in an electronic format. Take a look and see how much we’ve been able to accomplish and the broad range of work that we do to protect the ocean.

Oh, yes, and an end-of-the-year donation would help us keep up the good work!

Yummy: Yumi

Yummy.  Yumi.  Two similar sounding words that belong next to one another.

Are you looking for something different?  Something to spice up your evening?  Yumi has you covered with their Neo-Asian Experience.  Influenced by the cuisine from southeast Asia, Chef Shuenn takes pride in his kitchen and demands a great deal from his classically trained sushi chefs.

Chef Shuenn offers up a number of classic dishes and a few that give nod to his surrounding: we're partial to the Sandy Hook!

Each year, Yumi graciously donates a few of their signature dishes to Sunset at Sandy Hook, providing guests with the finest of sushi and worldly flavors.

Yumi, translated, means "most beautiful."  We couldn't think of a more appropriate name--it is truly a representation of their cuisine.

You can find hours of operation and full menu on their website, and check out their cuisine at Sunset at Sandy Hook.

Support the Ocean at Sunset at Sandy Hook

Would your business benefit from being recognized as an environmental leader in the community?  Do you want your product to be in the hands of environmental leaders, clean ocean supporters and ocean enthusiasts?  Do you want to show your employees you appreciate them by inviting them to enjoy food from over 20 of the Jersey Shore’s best restaurants all with a sunset that can’t be beat? 

 

                           If YES, then join us as a 2011 Sunset at Sandy Hook sponsor!

Thanks to the generous support of friends like you, Clean Ocean Action kicks off fall with Sunset at Sandy Hook, a benefit event that raises important funds for our ocean protection work. We are gearing up for our festivities and invite you to join us for this special evening for the ocean.

 

Sunset at Sandy Hook, will be held on Friday, September 23, 2011 at the Sea Gulls Nest on Sandy Hook. Guests will enjoy dinner from 6-9pm, followed by dessert and dancing into the night. Festivities include catered fare by over 20 local businesses, a bar of beer and wine, spectacular auction packages, and live cocktail music by Art Servilla, The Green Earth Troubadour and music for dancing by the Thom White Band.

 

Your thoughtful participation as a sponsor would help to ensure that our fundraising efforts take off on a wave of success.  The breakdown of sponsorship opportunities is below.

 

“Sunsational” Event Sponsor ($10,000)

Logo on signage at event entrance and all “Sunset Bars”

Company representative invited to address guests at event

Full-color logo on back cover of program

Company statement in media release and in event program

15 complimentary tickets with reserved seating

Logo and link on email invite sent to 4,000 Clean Ocean Action supporters

Sea fare Sponsor ($5,000)

Logo on signage at “Sunset Seafood and Raw Bar”

Full-color logo in event program

Company statement in media release

Ten complimentary tickets with reserved seating

Logo and link on email invite sent to 4,000 Clean Ocean Action supporters

Entertainment Sponsor ($2,500)

Logo on signage at Entertainment Tent

Logo in event program

Name in media release

Six complimentary tickets 

Logo on email invite sent to 4,000 Clean Ocean Action supporters

Sweet Sea Sponsor ($1,000)

Logo on salt water taffy table, providing a sweet treat for guests

Name in event program

Name in media release

Four complimentary tickets with reserved seating

Logo on email invite sent to 4,000 Clean Ocean Action supporters

Contact Emily at (732) 872-0111 or email  to participate.

Save Money and the Ocean

Our friends at United Teletech Financial – a long-time supporter of the Beach Sweeps – are running a program that could save you money and make some money for Clean Ocean Action. If they can save customers $1,000,000 in interest payments – which would be a good thing, and they’re determined to do it – they will donate $5,000 each to two charities based on your vote. Go to http://jerseysaves.org/ where you can vote for Clean Ocean Action (or one of four other charities who already get more support than we do). Leaving your email address is optional, but if you would like more information on United Teletech’s interest saving program, by all means, sign up.

Download and Donate!

Looking for some great new summer tunes to rock on the boardwalk?  Well, it's your lucky day!

Clean Ocean Action is thrilled to announce that we have joined with Medeski Martin & Wood and Patagonia to bring you music that will help fill your iPod, but also your mind with peace--because when a fan, activist or customer purchases “Back and Forth” for $.99 via the Patagonia Music Collective, net proceeds will directly go to Clean Ocean Action in the artist’s name.

The tracks will be available at www.patagonia.com/music, through a dedicated iPhone^® app and a web widget player on participating artist’s websites.

Showing your support has never been easier--you're litterally one click away from a fresh new beat and a cleaner ocean.