How Your Office Can Organize A Beach Cleanup

Get your office involved in helping to save our beaches

*If your office is going to organize a beach cleanup make sure that you report necessary data after the fact and contact NOAA as well as local authorities for any permits that might be needed.*

Having a beach cleanup is a wonderful way not only improve the aesthetic appeal of local beaches but to prevent that trash from washing into the ocean and becoming life-threatening to all of the Marine Wildlife. The clean beach that you are able to see afterward will make all of the time invested well worth it.

Pick Your Date

You need to pick the beach that is convenient, near the office of the people don't have to travel very far, and one that is truly in need to clean up. You can check with your local parks and recreation department for information on which beaches need the most assistant and then pick a spot that is not only easy to find for volunteers, but has readily available parking, and facilities like restrooms.

In terms of the actual date it is best to pick a time right before summer, the end of spring, or right after summer at the end of fall. Earth Day takes place during the spring time so your company can coordinate an event in celebration of Earth Day. You want the dates to be either right before the majority of beach going season takes place, or right after so that you can remove any debris that was left behind by travelers. Select a time and a date when volunteers are most likely to be free. If you want to make the event a company sanctioned one, you can pick a day during the week where in lieu of going to work, your employees go to the beach site for the cleanup event after which they can relax, socialize, and perhaps go home early depending on how long the process takes. Alternatively you can do it on the weekends when people are more likely to be free but no matter the day you choose it's best to get a very early start so that you can avoid the majority of crowds.

Advertise

You can choose to make your company-wide Beach cleanup just that, an event that is done on a company-wide basis. However you can also choose to promote your company and the event by publicizing it and advertising in your local cities, on your company website, using your company blog or social media, and other means to get more volunteers from the area. You might even consider asking your employees to bring their friends and family, something that can be better encouraged if you are offering free refreshments and perhaps a fun raffle event after the fact. Small games that can be enjoyed after the beach cleanup or refreshments that can be enjoyed during the cleanup go a long way toward encouraging more people to show up. There are even ocean conservation organizations where you can register your event so that people interested in Ocean conservation are more likely to find out about it and so that you can use their resources to gather additional volunteers.

Logistics

Whoever is in charge of the project should visit the area a few days beforehand to determine where volunteers should meet, and what areas will be clean. You also need to figure out where all of the full trash bags will be placed, where people should park, and what signs need to be posted where so that people are best able to find the event and things like refreshment tables once they are at the event.

Communication is important so, once the person in charge of the event has scouted the area they should disseminate information about things like parking to everyone who is coming to the event. You don't want an early morning volunteer labor to be started off on the wrong foot because no one was able to find parking. Also make sure to tell volunteers how to dress so that they don't show up with the wrong outfit or the wrong shoes for the job.

Supplies

In terms of supplies your company should provide the supplies, most of which can be purchased online ahead of time and includes things such as:

• recyclable garbage bags

• biodegradable gloves

• sifters or rakes

• trash sticks

• sunblock/bug spray

Additionally it is important to have low waste drink and snack options. You want to make sure that all of your volunteers are able to keep their energy up and that they have a variety of drink solutions. Water is of course imperative when working out in the sun, but when people take breaks they want more than just water. Some people need a boost and using a Lavit drink system you can offer people low calorie, low sugar or no sugar healthy alternatives. All of the drink options of which there are dozens, are preservative-free and use only natural ingredients, so people are able to keep their energy high while cleaning the beach without the crash that is so often associated with sugary or caffeinated beverages.

People are more excited to attend volunteer events if they know that snacks and drinks will be provided. Healthy things like granola that come in large containers, or big bags of fruit are better than individually wrapped items simply because they don't generate a lot of waste and since the whole idea is to keep everything clean and trash free, the less trash you bring to the event, the less you have to take away.

Logistics can be tricky but one of the best ways to cover the entire beach space you are cleaning it to have two separate teams which start on opposite ends of the space and work their way towards the middle. Be sure to give clear directions on what needs to be cleaned up, and how recyclable material should be separated. When all is said and done, take a group picture for posterity with all of the trash that was picked up. Be sure to share the picture across social media and any marketing materials you may have used such as your personal website or company blog to showcase the event so that everyone gets to see not only what event took place but what the outcome was. You can even weigh the trash using a hook scale if you have one so that everyone can see how much they improved the local beach.

Happy cleaning!

Works Cited:

https://www.greenfins.net/