Thursday, September 20, 2007

Don't Talk Trash - Pick it Up


Eleven pounds of trash. Just 2/3 of a kitchen-size trash bag. The result of my sons and me taking part in the International Coastal Cleanup (ICC), an annual event produced by our Davidoff Communications’ client The Ocean Conservancy.

We were just three of the 50 or so volunteers at our Evanston, Illinois neighborhood beach, Lighthouse Beach. More so, we were just three of approximately 450,000 volunteers around the world who are taking part in the International Coastal Cleanup. I use the present tense, “taking part” because the ICC is more than just a one-time clean up. The nearly half million people who cleaned up beaches, rivers and other waterways Saturday are really part of an ongoing effort to help find solutions for reducing marine debris.

Other members of the Davidoff Communications team also joined the clean up effort.

Evan Terry and his friend, Colleen, picked up four pounds of total trash combing the sand of another Evanston beach for the small, unsightly items: cigarette butts, bottle caps and glass pieces. The highlight of their day came when passersby walking along the shore began to lend helping hands, picking up small pieces of plastic along the way. To Evan, it was an indication that the ICC was making strides toward the ultimate goal of changing people’s behavior.

Our third staff member to join the effort proved that the ICC is not just a beach clean up. Lynette Morris helped beautify a site without sand or rocky coastline. She traveled to the Lincoln Park Zoo to join 65 other volunteers on land and in paddle boats to clean up the South Pond. Lynette collected about five pounds of cigarette butts, broken sunglasses, aluminum cans and other “picnic leftovers.”

Last year, over 380,000 volunteers cleaned up almost 40,000 miles of coastlines and waterways, collecting over 7 million pounds of trash in 68 different countries. The data collected on Saturday’s cleanup including the official number of volunteers, pounds of trash collected, miles cleaned and a breakdown of what was found will be available in early 2008.

It’s a really impressive program and our firm is proud to be working with The Ocean Conservancy on expanding its corporate partnerships and cause marketing program support from socially conscious marketers.