International Coastal Cleanup 2008
Saturday, September 20th
Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Cleanup is the world’s largest volunteer event of its kind. Ocean Conservancy uses the event to raise awareness and encourage more ecologically friendly behavior year-round.
Last year, 378,000 volunteers from 76 countries and 45 states cleared six million pounds of trash from oceans and waterways.
There were 7.238 million pieces of trash collected. The 10 top accounted for 84 percent of that amount. Cigarettes and cigarette filters, at nearly 2 million, were at the top, with food wrappers and containers a distant second (694,000), followed closely by caps and lids, bags, beverage bottles, cups, plates and beverage bottles.
The conservancy's point, put forth by CEO Vikki Spruill: "Trash doesn't fall from the sky, it falls from people's hands."
This month, Extended Horizons hosted an underwater cleanup of a popular fishing site on Maui. The event was co-sponsored by the Maui Reef Fund, and volunteers included kama'aina from west, south and upcountry Maui, and dive professionals from Extended Horizons, Kapalua Dive Company, Mike Severns Diving and Octopus Reef. We collected approximately 200 lbs of fishing tackle and fishing line, some of which could be recycled.
If you would like to learn more or volunteer for a reef cleanup on Maui,
please contact the Maui Reef Fund.
CALL US AT 1-888-DIVEMAUI or (808) 667-0611
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