Volunteers pick up trash that washed ashore on Topanga Beach on Sept. 19. Heal the Bay provided volunteers with the necessary tools for the cleanup. Photos by Liam Stringer
For communities across Los Angeles, Coastal Cleanup Day marked more than just another day at the beach. The Sept. 19 cleanup transformed the shoreline into a place of service, connection and shared purpose.
Sponsored by Heal the Bay and BAYWATCH, the annual event brings families, friends and neighbors together with gloves and trash bags in hand. It turns a day of environmental action into an opportunity to care for both the coastline and the community that calls it home.
“This is the largest environmental cleanup day in the world and we’re stoked to be a part of it,” said Anne McGregor, Director of Marketing for Kids Helping LA.
A Community Effort
Heal the Bay is an environmental nonprofit founded in 1985 with a mission to keep Greater LA’s coastal waters and watersheds safe, healthy and clean, according to the organization’s website.
“We are about building and action,” said Erin Viera, chief operations officer for Heal the Bay. “We use science, education and of course activism to get people out there making a d...