Blue Scholars Initiative at Peacock Park | International Coastal Cleanup 2019

The 34^th annual International Coastal Cleanup Day is harnessing the Power of People to Fight Ocean Trash!  Join the Blue Scholars Initiative for the world's largest, one-day volunteer effort for our oceans and waterways, and show your commitment to reducing marine debris, along with volunteers from across the globe!

VolunteerCleanup.org organizes Miami-Dade’s local participation in this global event with 40+ simultaneous shoreline cleanups around the county and is made possible by the generous support of our sponsor Covanta, with additional support from Capital One Café, Wells Fargo, and Miami Beach Suncare.

We will provide garbage bags, data collection cards, sunscreen, insect repellent, and a souvenir tote bag with this year’s marine animal theme, the Pelican!  Community Service hours also provided.  

Where possible, please have guests in your party RSVP individually so we can ensure they get all the information and details about the event and so that we can accurately plan for turnout.

Volunteers should:

• Dress for the weather and wear appropriate foot-wear
  • You will be walking along mangrove and rocky shorelines
  • Volunteers must wear closed-toed shoes like sneakers, no flipflops, crocs or sandals!
• Sunglasses and hat are highly recommended
• Bring gloves if you have them (we suggest reusable working, gardening or dish gloves that you can pick up at the grocery store/home depot) We will have some onsite but cannot guarantee they will be in your size!
• Bring a bucket if you have one! You can ask many restaurants who get food service items in 5-gallon buckets to donate one. Kitty litter buckets work great too! 
• Bring water in a reusable container. Let’s reduce waste and refuse single-use disposable plastic water bottles, where possible.
• **If you are under 18 and coming without a parent or guardian, you must have a parent/guardian sign the online waiver here in advance of the cleanup: https://forms.gle/Lfxr3SNPKVXQeE5g8
• Volunteers must check-in and sign waivers before any materials (bags, cards, or gift bags) can be distributed.

Before the event, download the Ocean Conservancy’s CleanSwell app to participate in the Citizen Science activity to log, tally and measure the impact of your cleanup.  It’s easier and more fun than using the paper data cards!

Coconut Grove after-party: All volunteers at Coconut Grove locations are invited to a post-cleanup celebration at Shake-a-leg, presented by the office of Commissioner Ken Russell. Please register if you plan on coming so we can get a head-count for the provided lunch!  https://www.volunteercleanup.org/20824/grove_coastal_cleanup_party

About the International Coastal Cleanup:

Scientists estimate that more than 17 billion pounds of plastic enter our ocean every year threatening marine life from corals polyps to sharks, the health of people, and local economies 

Over the past 34 years, Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Cleanup has brought together nearly 13 million people from over 150 countries to collect nearly 250 million pounds of trash along our coastlines and waterways.

Every year during Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Cleanup, volunteers comb lakes, rivers, and beaches around the world for trash picking up everything imaginable along the world’s shorelines: cigarette butts, food wrappers, abandoned fishing gear and even automobiles and kitchen appliances.

By volunteering at ICC, you will be actively participating in a global citizen science project, not only by removing marine debris but by also cataloging and tallying what you find using the Ocean Conservancy’s data collection cards or Clean Swell app. The resulting item-by-item, location-by-location Ocean Trash Index that Ocean Conservancy compiles each year provides the only global snapshot of the marine debris littering coasts and waterways around the world.