The program seeks to reduce the amount of plastics making their way into our beach and marine environments though education and outreach efforts. Click here to learn how you can help.
Rise Above Plastics
Great infographic on how the plastic bags we use are harming the environment. Check it out, please reuse, recycle and share with your friends.
Thanks to our friends at Learn Stufffor sharing Great graphic on the garbage in our oceans. What are ways we can continue to cut down on garbage?
Free Cliff Bar for all participants! Rise Above Plastics this October and help keep plastic trash off of your coasts and waterways by participating in Surfrider Foundation’s One Foot at a Time plastic cleanup event on October 1st. Held in conjunction with Clif Bar’s Day of Action, volunteers from across the country will join together to raise awareness about the dangers of plastic pollution by removing pieces of plastic trash from our environment one square foot at a time, and then using that collected plastic to create unique mosaic sculptures. To submit your plastic trash mosiac, simply take a picture of your square foot of trash collected and email us at OFAAT@surfrider.org for the chance to win cool prizes and help us reach our goal of removing 1,000 square feet of plastic debris from our environment. Fore more information, go to www.raptoberfest.org
McBride Park Free Food Giveaway
Friday August 19, 9 am – 12 noon,
California Recreation Park
1550 Martin Luther King Junior Avenue, Long Beach, CA 90813 Food 4 Less
Saturday August 20, 10am – 12 noon,
6700 Cherry Ave.,
Long Beach, CA 90805
Long Beach Surfrider member, Seamus Innes says “these plastic bags have a horrible impact on marine life and I’m proud to live in a city that is willing to take these first steps. Next stop, Styrofoam!” The City of Long Beach has been working on the carryout bag ordinance for months and when L.A. County passed their ordinance it helped to propel local ordinances forward. L.A. County shared their Environmental Impact Report (EIR) with Long Beach. Long Beach utilized the County’s EIR and also developed an Addendum which added specific information relating to their local needs. The Surfrider Foundation Long Beach Chapter was happy to work with local residents and other groups such as Heal the Bay and Earth Resource Foundation on this important victory for the environment . Plastic carryout bags will be banned in Long Beach effective August 1st, and there will be ten cent fee placed on paper bags that goes to the retailer to help with their cost of paper bags and education for the best alternative, reusable bags. Surfrider Foundation encourages everyone to remember their reusable bags when shopping and hopes that ordinances also lead to more reusable bag manufacturers in California providing green jobs.
UPDATED (5/21/2011): Be there for the Bag Ban Ordinance, Second Reading on May 24, 6pm at the Long Beach City Hall!
Thank you for showing the overwhelming support for the bag ban ordinanace at last Tuesday’s City Council meeting. Your comments were very helpful in reaching the necessary five votes for passage of the ordinance. This Tuesday, May 24, the ordinance will come back to City Hall for a second and final reading. This is a normal proceedure for establishing an ordinanace. Usually on the second reading, councilmembers vote to pass the ordinance without much discussion. However, since 4 councilmembers were absent from the first vote (DeLong, O’Donnell, Schipske, Gabelich) and some negative comments were submitted to the editorial reports (LBReport.com, LB Post.com), we need to turn out even more support at this Tuesday’s meeting to send a clear message that residents want Long Beach to take this important step forward. Bring a reusable bag to show your support!
The ordinance is Item #17 on the agenda, so predicting an accurate time to show up is difficult. However, there are no recognitions or hearings at the beginning of the meeting and the rest of the agenda is relatively straightforward, so we recommend you show up at 6:00 pm at council chambers (ground floor) City Hall, 333 W. Ocean Blvd., Long Beach. Free parking at the City Hall.
If you are unable to attend the meeting, please call your city councilmember and tell him or her to support the Bag Ban Ordinance. We’re almost there! We just need one more push.
(Published May 10, 2011) The Long Beach Single Use Bag Ordinance is scheduled to come before City Council next week Tuesday, May 17 5:00 pm and we need your help! 1. Can you help spread the word by calling our local members? If so contact Bill Hickman (bhickman@surfrider.org) 2. Attend the Meeting Tuesday, May 17 5:00 pm and show your support. 3. Contact your district Representative – More Details after the jump. The City of Long Beach spends millions of dollars every year and countless staff and volunteer hours, cleaning up marine debris that includes a great deal of plastic bags. Not to mention the lost revenue associated with some people’s perception of the City’s beaches and shoreline, which affects our economic development, recreation and tourism. This is local funding and hard work that could be better used. Given the challenges facing statewide legislation, LA County’s EIR and model ordinance provide Long Beach with an opportunity to distinguish itself once again, as a leader in the effort to eliminate marine debris, divert trash from our landfills and be a responsible custodian of our own watershed. To view the proposed ordinance and for more information click here. How You Can Help: 1. Email and/or call your local Long Beach City Council Member with the following message, or better yet, personalize your own: “Hello Councilmember ___________ Plastic pollution and marine debris are global issues that we need to address locally and this ordinance is a great step in the right direction. Plastic bags are a drain on our fossil fuels and threaten our marine environment in Long Beach’s harbor and the Catalina Channel. In addition to helping protect coastal and marine environments this ordinance can help save money for the City of Long Beach with decreased maintenance costs and capital projects that try to catch litter before it becomes marine debris. Business can save money or pass the savings on to customers since they won’t need to purchase plastic bags and paper bags will have a 10 cent fee. It’s an equal playing field for businesses and consumers win when we bring our reusable bags. Thank you, Name and address” To find your Long Beach City Councilmember and their contact info please look at the map 2. Attend the City Council Meeting on Tuesday May 17th , starts at 5pm. Council Chambers are located at 333 West Ocean Boulevard in Long Beach. 3. Spread the word to your family and friends about contacting their Councilmember and attending the City Council meeting on May 17th. Long Beach City Council member Suja Lowenthal’s speaks on the costs of plastic pollution. After watching this can you still use plastic bags? Beth Barnes, Surfrider Long Beach brings new meaning to ‘beach cleanups’ at the United States Pan Pacific Open Water 10K Swim races at Marine Stadium. The race featured open water swimmers from Australia, USA, Canada, Japan, New Zealand and Brazil’s National Teams. Beth, who was stationed on the feeding pontoon in the water with the coaches received accolades for her efforts to skim empty plastic bottles and cups out of the water after the thirsty long-distance elite athletes took only seconds to drink, then discard. Beth said that it was not only her job as a volunteer but her job as a member of Surfrider to keep the oceans free of debris and what better place than in her own backyard. |
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In support of the single use plastic bag ban, the Long Beach Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation is giving away reusable shopping bags at two upcoming events. If you’re having a difficult time affording reusable shopping bags stop by our table and get one for free. The events are:
