Matheson Hammock Park ICC 2021 - In Honor of Benjamin Joannou Jr.

** This site is sold out - CLICK HERE to see all the other ICC Sites **

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Giant among men, Benjamin Joannou, Jr. grew from the teenage boy-king of Biscayne Bay with his Boston Whaler and waterskis, to a passionate marine conservationist for the rest of his life. His love for the water, expansive and primordial, made him an active volunteer and fundraiser, particularly in South Florida (not to mention a scuba, windsurfing, sailing, kayaking, and kite surfing athlete around the World). Ben's passion for conservation dovetailed with his profound professional impact on micromobility and alternative transportation in America, particularly cycling and nascent bike share and scooter share infrastructure, as CEO of a now fourth-generation global manufacturer and distributor.  Environmental stewardship across land and marine ecosystems was at his core.

Ben’s enthusiasm and pure excitement for projects like the International Coastal Cleanup Day, hosted at one of his favorite sites, Matheson Hammock Park, by Miami Waterkeeper, is in the hearts of the next generation of volunteers in 2021, including his extended family, work-family, wife, and children. He would be proud to have participated in such an impactful, global cleanup effort, changing the oceans one coastline at a time.

This ICC site is being managed and coordinated by Miami Waterkeeper in honor of Benjamin Joannou Jr. and his family.
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Spearheaded globally by the Ocean Conservancy, VolunteerCleanup.org organizes Miami-Dade County’s local participation in this worldwide event with 45+ simultaneous shoreline cleanups around the county. The Miami-Dade ICC is made possible by the generous support of our tidal sponsor Covanta, with additional support from Banesco USA, Blackstone Charitable Foundation, Miami-Dade County RER-DERM, Pubbelly Sushi, and WPLG Local 10 and with special thanks to the Benjamin & Gloria Joannou, Jr. Family Conservation Fund.

We will provide garbage bags, gloves, data collection cards, and a souvenir tote bag with this year’s marine animal theme, the Octopus! *Community Service hours will be provided*. This year's shirts are available for purchase here! 

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

Details for this site: 

• Parking Information: Parking and entrance fee is waived for volunteers. Once past the guard gate take a RIGHT at the fork on the road, follow the signs for parking.
• Check-in will be located at the parking area at the tent.
• This event is suitable for all ages; younger children will need to be accompanied by an adult. **If you are under 18 and coming without a parent or guardian, you must have a parent/guardian sign the waiver HERE in advance. 

Info for Volunteers:

• COVID SAFETY - Please wear face masks for check-in and when you cannot be 6 feet away from non-family members
• Dress for the weather and wear appropriate foot-wear. No flip-flops or sandals! Clean-up areas are a mix of mangrove and beach, you should wear closed-toes shoes like sneakers.
• Sunglasses, hat, and sunscreen are recommended
• If you have gloves, bring them. We will be providing gloves but cannot guarantee they will be in your size. We suggest reusable working, gardening, or dish gloves that you can pick up at the grocery/hardware store. 
• Bring water in a reusable container. Let’s reduce waste and refuse single-use disposable plastic water bottles.  
• A paper waiver for Miami-Dade county Parks will be required on the day of the event. ** However, if you are under 18 and coming without a parent or guardian, you must have a parent/guardian print and sign the waiver HERE in advance, and bring it with you to the cleanup. 
• 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 is easier and more fun than using the paper data cards! 

About International Coastal Cleanup: 

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

Over the past 36 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 cataloguing 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.