On May 26, I Love A Clean San Diego (ILACSD) engaged more than 150 students, mentors, volunteers, and staff to discover joy in nature while protecting what they love at Mission Beach for the 27th annual Kids’ Ocean Day.
This year was the first time back to an in-person event since 2019 and everyone felt energized while connecting with each other and nature. With a litter cleanup along Mission Beach, students and volunteers significantly improved the health and beauty of San Diego’s natural environment, preventing debris from entering the ocean, where it can be mistaken for food and ingested by marine wildlife.
After the cleanup, the group formed an aerial art image of the word “Joy” with the ILACSD heart logo in lieu of the “O” to connect with this year’s theme of “Discover Joy in Nature.”
In an attempt to empower more than 800 youth while accommodating safety restrictions, ILACSD held separate environmental education presentations and school campus cleanups in the weeks leading up to Kids’ Ocean Day. These programs for individual schools sparked student engagement and their understanding of the impact their actions have on the environment.
The students who participated in the school presentations and campus cleanups attend Title 1 schools throughout San Diego County – Chula Vista Learning Community Charter School, Clay Elementary, Ericson Elementary, La Mirada Academy, Los Peñasquitos Elementary, and Mission Elementary.
Through additional outreach and partnerships with other youth organizations, ILACSD staff presented to youth from the Barrio Logan College Institute and Pro Kids – First Tee. Both programs mentor youth from a young age to develop the necessary skills, learning habits, goals, and practical knowledge in their schooling, future professions, and overall lives.
The event on May 26 brought out youth and adults from Barrio Logan College Institute and culminated with the creation of a piece of living art – an aerial art image that spelled out “JOY” along South Mission Beach. This powerful image is a call for San Diegans to take action on behalf of the oceans and the sensitive wildlife that calls it home.
There are already more than 5 trillion pieces of plastic floating in the oceans, and it’s estimated by 2050, virtually every seabird species on the planet will be eating plastic. The “Discover Joy in Nature” message serves as a reminder that when people come together, there is a joy to experience the outdoors, and build relationships with each other to make a difference. This event also acted as a reminder that home does not end at the doorstep – homes include the natural environment – and embodies ILACSD’s motto of “passion in action” to care for Earth.
Kids’ Ocean Day was made possible through the generous support of many partners, including California’s Coastal Commission’s Whale Tail grant program and the Protect Our Coast and Oceans Fund, County of San Diego District Attorney Community Grant Program, Kiwanis Club, TEGNA Foundation, Kaiser Foundation, Wells Fargo, Sony Electronics, and CBS News 8.
Kids’ Ocean Day is one of the hundreds of cleanups hosted by ILACSD annually. In 2021, ILACSD mobilized nearly 8,400 volunteers who removed more than 61,000 pounds of debris from San Diego County. Join ILACSD for their next cleanup is Saturday, June 4 at Escondido Creek in Harmony Grove. For more information about how to get involved, visit CleanSD.org.
Photo courtesy: I Love A Clean San Diego
