Laguna Blanca Doing Its Part

By Joanne A. Calitri, Montecito Journal

At Hammond's-Miramar-Fernald Point beaches, co-captains Clara Svedlund and Allison Armstrong led the Laguna Blanca contingent for International Coastal Cleanup Day.

Svedlund is a Lower School science teacher who heads the recycling and composting program and their annual Earth Day celebration. Armstrong teaches sixth grade and TEDx. Laguna Blanca School has volunteered at this location for 13 years.

"We stumbled upon this opportunity when we participated in the 'Adopt-a-Beach' program starting in 2008," Svedlund said. "We felt that this was an impactful and important role to take on and we view this cleanup event as a chance for our Laguna Blanca community to give back to the larger community. This is such an easy way to make a difference."

Explore Ecology oversees Coastal Cleanup Day for 29 sites in Santa Barbara County. In 2020, this effort removed more than 17,444 pounds of trash from 68 miles of our local beaches.

"There are people all around the world collecting litter on September 18, working together to pick up trash before it ends up in our oceans," said Lydia Ballentine, Explore Ecology's coordinator for Coastal Cleanup Day. "It's a great opportunity to learn where the trash in our oceans is coming from and become educated about the sources of and the solutions to ocean trash, whether that's changing individual habits or pushing for bigger changes. All the data from Coastal Cleanup Day is sent to an international database used to support laws and policies that reduce plastic production and pollution."

Volunteers are entered to receive prizes from local business sponsors: A-Frame Surf Shop, Santa Barbara Sailing Center, Mountain Air Sports, Okeanos Swimwear, Surf Happens, and Toad and Co.

Santa Barbara Coastal Cleanup Day is coordinated by Explore Ecology and the County of Santa Barbara's Resource Recovery & Waste Management Division, while supported by Santa Barbara County Project Clean Water and the cities of Goleta, Carpinteria, Solvang, and Santa Barbara.

Coastal Cleanup Day is a worldwide event organized by the Ocean Conservancy. The California Coastal Commission organizes the event throughout the state.
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