Spring Into Waves of Action For The Shore

Clean Ocean Action (COA) invites citizens and organizations to participate in 
the 28th Annual Spring Beach Sweeps on Saturday, April 27, at over 60 sites along the Jersey Shore.

A complete list of cleanup locations and times can be found at www.ForTheShore.org.

This year’s event is in combination with the fifth Wave of Action, a program that is responding to the impacts of Superstorm Sandy and helping to improve and protect the marine environment through monthly volunteer actions.

“Clean Ocean Action is excited to integrate the 28th Annual Spring Beach Sweeps as part of the Waves of Action, a year-long initiative to recover and restore the NY/NJ coastline after the devastation of Sandy,” commented Tavia Danch, Clean Ocean Action Program Manager. “Sandy hit the Jersey Shore hard and littered our beaches with a huge amount of debris,” added Danch.

The Beach Sweeps is much more than picking up trash, it’s about collecting data to help reduce sources of pollution. Volunteers are instructed to record the quantity and types of debris found. The information collected at the Sweeps is analyzed and published into annual reports.

These reports helps identify pollution problems, aid legislators in enacting laws to protect our marine environment, and inform local and international efforts to combat marine pollution. COA will release the 2012 Annual Beach Sweep report mid-April, just in time for the spring Beach Sweeps. All reports are available on-line at www.CleanOceanAction.org.

“The Beach Sweeps is a 28 year tradition which provides citizens with a way to give back to the coast and to gather much needed information so we can reduce litter sources,” said Cindy Zipf, Clean Ocean Action Executive Director.

COA encourages participation from volunteers of all ages individually or from businesses, families, and organizations. Volunteers are requested to pre-register by using the online sign-up form at www.ForTheShore.org. Volunteers should bring gloves, dress for the weather, apply sunscreen, and wear closed-toed, hard-soled shoes. Click here for a complete list of sites. 

Thank you to the generous businesses that partner with Clean Ocean Action to sponsor and support the Beach Sweeps. Statewide Sponsors include Atlantic City Electric, Aveda, Comcast Cares, and Shoprite Wakefern. South Jersey Sponsors include South Jersey Industries and TD Bank. Monmouth County Sponsors include BD, Brook 35 & West, The Grove, TD Bank, and United Teletech Financial. 

Individual Site Sponsors include Adventure Aquarium - Ocean City 59th Street Pavilion, Brookdale Community College - Middletown Bayshore Waterfront Park, Enterprise Rent A Car -Sandy Hook, Montecalvo Recovery Facility - Sandy Hook, New Jersey Natural Gas - Belmar 1st Avenue, Paul V. Fernicola & Associates - Loch Arbour/Allenhurst, Surfrider Foundation, Jersey Shore Chapter - Asbury Park North Beach, Surfrider Foundation, South Jersey Chapter - In Memory of Tommy Kraemer – Avalon. Additional generous in-kind support provided by Montecalvo Recovery Facility, Rotary Club International District 7510, and Shoprite Wakefern.

Beach Sweeps participants also have the option to collect donations for volunteer efforts and raise funds for COA's ocean protection work. Those who raise $100 receive Clean Ocean Action's popular ChicoBag made from recycled plastic bottles. Teams and individuals can join the effort at http://www.crowdrise.com/BeachSweeps.