SMC Volunteers Pick Up 264 Pounds Of Trash On Coastal Cleanup Day

SANTA MONICA, CA — Santa Monica College students and employees helped clean up 264 pounds of trash and recycling on Coastal Cleanup Day 2019.

About 100 students and employees volunteered to help clean up the one-mile stretch of Santa Monica beach known as the Inkwell. Adopted by SMC as its 'section,' this historic site is where SMC student Nick Gabaldón and other African Americans challenged Jim Crow racism and helped open public beaches for all, the SMC press release said.

Hundreds joined the SMC volunteers to help, including K-12 students and community members, for a total of 821 people cleaning up the stretch of beach, the press release said.

"What inspires me is the lasting education people get by experiencing a day like this. It is what’s right about humanity: coming together for a common cause, cleaning the beaches before the storm season sets in, making new friends while we learn about the damage that decades of the disposables economy has caused," said SMC Life Sciences Professor and Department Chair Dr. Alexandra Tower. "It inspires me to see others inspired, and it’s what keeps me looking forward to a zero waste, sustainable future."

SMC’s Sustainability Manager Ferris Kawar said it was "encouraging to see students come down early on a Saturday morning to work shoulder to shoulder with others to clean up the beach that has provided so much enjoyment to them all summer."

Coastal Cleanup Day is the largest volunteer event in the U.S. Heal the Bay partnered with the Ocean Conservancy to oversee the site captains in Los Angeles County. At last report, 13,914 Angelenos participated across 79 sites and collected 30,000 pounds of trash from creeks, beaches and parks, the SMC press release said.