Community members can now show some love to the environment through I Love a Clean San Diego’s (ILACSD) second annual Singles’ Mingle Cleanup at the foot of Newport Avenue in Ocean Beach Sunday, Feb. 11, from 10 a.m. to noon. Singles, groups of friends and families are encouraged to attend the event and meet other like-minded, eco-friendly community members.
ILACSD is an environmental education outreach organization that sponsors cleanups across the county, both inland and coastal.
Centering on a Valentine’s Day theme, ILACSD will provide color-coded name tags indicating each participant’s status as single or involved in order to promote mingling during the event. In addition, volunteers will work in groups of two or three and share trash bags.
After cleaning the beach, volunteers are invited to a post-clean up party at Newport Pizza and Ale House, where refreshments and drink specials will be provided. Radio station 94.9 is sponsoring the event and will hold a booth at the beach. Additionally, there will be a contest and prizes rewarded to the male and female who pick up the most trash.
Morgan Justice-Black, volunteers and events coordinator for ILACSD, hopes the cleanup educates participants and passers-by on the “effects of marine debris, why it is important to prevent littering, to dispose trash or hazardous waste,” as well as give people the opportunity to meet others and strike up new friendships.
Envirockers founder Claudia Guitarez created the event, which began last year in Pacific Beach. Justice-Black reported that about 100 volunteers showed up.
“[The event] allows us to meet our volunteers and get to know them a little better,” Justice-Black said. “Oftentimes, our cleanups are very hectic, because people are spread out over the beach. We do pick up a lot of trash, but we don’t have a lot of time to interact and meet the people who keep our organization going.”
Volunteers are asked to wear closed-toe shoes. For more information, visit www.cleansd.org or call (800) 237-BLUE.