 City of Los AngelesStormwater Program (800) 974-9794 |
 1471 S. Bedford Street, # 3 Los Angeles, CA 90035 310-652-4324 Fax 310-652-5169 www.malibufoundation.org klubock@pacbell.net |
 California Coastal Commission45 Fremont St., Suite 2000 San Francisco, CA 94105 (800) COAST-4U www.coastal.ca.gov |
May 21, 2001
LOS ANGELES, CA – Over 6,000 kids throughout the state will hit the beach tomorrow, May 22, in three major California cities, for the 8th Annual "Kid's" Adopt-A-Beach Clean-Up. Four thousand kids from 26 elementary schools throughout the Los Angeles area will pick up litter at Dockweiler State Beach in Los Angeles, and over 1,000 on the shores of both Ocean Beach in San Francisco and Silver Strand State Beach in San Diego. After the cleanup, the kids will spell out a huge human “CLEAN H2O NOW” message on the beach for an aerial photograph, addressing the need for clean ocean water. The event is in honor of Ocean Day.
Times: Organizers and kids will be available for interviews between 6 am and 1 pm on Ocean Day, Tuesday May 22, 2001. The human design will be spelled out at noon for a great aerial shot. Spanish speakers will be available for interviews.
Location: Dockweiler State Beach, where Imperial Highway ends at Vista del Mar. Dockweiler is under LAX between Playa del Rey and Manhattan Beach. Media representatives should check in at the parking kiosk.
Michael Klubock of the Malibu Foundation for Environmental Education created this annual event in Los Angeles. The Foundation receives generous support from the California Coastal Commission’s Adopt-A-Beach and Whale Tail License Plate Programs, as well as from the City of Los Angeles Stormwater Program. The event is part of the Adopt-A-Beach School Assembly Program targeting underserved schools in the Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego areas. It includes a series of assemblies that teach how urban neighborhoods are connected to the beaches and oceans through storm drains, and addresses the need for recycling and litter reduction so that neighborhood trash does not end up at the coast. The children and their families are then encouraged to join the year-round Adopt-A-Beach program, coordinated in Los Angeles County by Heal the Bay.
“I created the assembly program to educate the children of Los Angeles about how the beaches and oceans get dirty and what they can do to help keep them clean," said Michael Klubock, Executive Director of the Malibu Foundation. "The Adopt-A-Beach School Assembly Program has motivated them to come out today and make a difference in their community."
“The ocean supports our lives in so many ways,” said Sara Wan, Chair of the California Coastal Commission. “By celebrating Ocean Day and sending their clean water message, the children are helping draw attention to the need to protect our ocean resources.”
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Since 1994, the Malibu Foundation for Environmental Education has presented the Adopt-A-Beach School Assembly to nearly 200,000 children, and almost 30,000 have participated in the annual “Kid’s” Adopt-A-Beach Clean-Up. The Malibu Foundation also motivates children to get involved in recycling programs to earn money for buses to travel to beach cleanups. For more information call 310-652-4324.
The California Coastal Commission is the statewide coordinator of the “Kid’s” Adopt-A-Beach Clean-Up, the year-round Adopt-A-Beach program, and Coastal Cleanup Day. All of these programs are funded by the generous support of the Whale Tail License Plate Fund. Over 53,000 plates have been sold since 1996, raising more than $2 million dollars for marine education and protection. For more information about the California Coastal Commission’s programs and how to buy a Whale Tail Plate, call (800) COAST-4U or visit www.coastal.ca.gov.
The City of Los Angeles has become involved in the program as a way of educating school children about the fact that stormwater pollution from our communities is the single largest source of pollution reaching the beaches and ocean. The program teaches the kids that it is up to us to change our individual behaviors to prevent the pollution, such as not littering, picking up after pets, and getting parents to use less pesticides in the garden. “Giving kids the opportunity to visit the beach and clean up the pollution is so important,” said Gary Lee Moore, Stormwater Program Manager, City of Los Angeles. “When they realize that they can be part of the solution, this empowerment stays with them throughout their lives.”
The Los Angeles Conservation Corps is a private, nonprofit youth development and environmental service agency. Established in 1986 by Mickey Kantor, the organization has provided paid employment opportunities to thousands of young people in Los Angeles as they improve their communities and the environment. The LACC also houses a charter school and provides a high school education to participants who have not yet graduated when they enter the program.
The United States Coast Guard will be on the beach and in the air to participate in the event. The Coast Guard has become a major part of the global effort to protect the environment. Because of its long tradition and expertise in all facets of maritime activities, the Coast Guard is uniquely equipped to play a significant part in these vital and growing ecological movements. For more Coast Guard information call 562-380-4450.
The Los Angeles International Airport, in its commitment to reducing waste, is supporting this event by donating 100% recycled water bottles for every child participating.
John Quigley is the designer of the "CLEAN H2O NOW" human art work. John has been sending out environmental messages as the organizer of the Great LA Clean-Up and Earth Day LA. He has produced 21 human aerial art messages around the world.
The public can get involved in cleaning beaches in Los Angeles year-round by calling Heal the Bay at
800-HEALBAY. Volunteers commit to cleaning the beach 3 times per year. One of those dates can be Coastal Cleanup Day, which will be held this year on Saturday, September 15, from 9 a.m. to noon throughout California.
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