Plankton, Krill, and….Plastic?

Today’s blog post comes from our Education Coordinator and Plastics Detective Extraordinaire, Erika Bjorkquist

An ocean sample- look at all that gunk!

Today, we received a ‘sick’ new hands-on piece to augment our Watershed Protection Presentations. When you look at the picture below, what do you see? Before scenes of snowglobes flash through your mind’s default state, look closer. Those white specks are not falling snowflakes, but organic materials. But is that it? Along with plankton and other invertebrates, you can see plastic. One of these things is not like the other. What is plastic doing alongside plankton, and a better question is why do I feel the need to tell you about this? This latest addition to our educational resources is a sample from our oceans, specifically the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre, plastic and all.

The North Pacific Subtropical Gyre

I first heard about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch in 2003 in Mr. Dorr’s APES class. Since my discovery, I have become more interested in the topic and finally in 2013, I feel comfortable enough with the subject to introduce the problem to others. The problem is that our oceans are inundated with trash. While many varieties of trash enter our oceans each second, minute, day, year, plastics are what are sticking. Mr. McGuire was right, plastics are the future. They are the future of our oceans. The reason that plastics have developed into such a big problem is that they do not biodegrade, like organic material, they photodegrade. Like the name suggests, plastics breakdown [degrade] by sunlight [photo]. This is not a chemical change but a physical one; they do not disappear, they simply become smaller and smaller pieces of plastic.

These plastics are considered microplastics, a mere 5mm in diameter. Their accumulation creates a ‘plastic soup’, which comprises the Pacific Garbage Patch. Yum. This is a recipe for disaster, as our sea creatures have not adapted to our trash in their habitats. Often times animals will ingest trash when instead of food. I mean, can you differentiate between plastic and plankton in that jar?

While this seems dark and stormy, there is a solution! It starts with education. I Love A Clean San Diego talks about these issues and more in our Watershed Protection presentations. For more information about our programs, shoot me an email at ebjorkquist@cleansd.org.

Meet Nicole, new ILACSD educator

Today’s blog post comes from Nicole McAleer, our newest environmental educator.

 

I recently joined the I Love A Clean San Diego team as an Environmental Educator. I am really enthusiastic about environmental education and, through ILACSD, I am able to bring my passion and energy to schools all over San Diego County. I have a lovely mobile classroom equipped with high tech gear and cool props to help me present information about watersheds and storm drain pollution to school group of all ages. The students really enjoy taking part in hands-on learning activities like “Sum of Parts”, where they see how a piece of trash can travel through a watershed to the ocean. It gets the kids all riled up to see how misplaced trash can alter their beach experience. I also encourage each student to get involved in preserving the environment through incorporation of the “3 R’s” in their daily lives and participation in I Love A Clean San Diego’s cleanup events. Students have the opportunity to sign up to become more involved in cleanup events on the spot. The students are always directed to the cleanup site closest to their school. More than once students were unaware that there was a waterway or canyon so close that needed their help! I’m always impressed that kids want to get involved and are willing to make simple changes in their daily lives to protect and preserve the environment. Having such strong and dedicated a volunteer base is what has enable ILACSD to remove about 500,000 of trash from San Diego beaches and inland waterways annually.

Prior to working at I Love A Clean San Diego, I earned my Masters of Arts in Teaching and have worked as a Nature and Environmental Educator. I am an avid outdoor enthusiast with a passion for the environment and belief in service to her community.

Here’s Nicole acting as a site captain for Coastal Cleanup Day

In my free time I enjoy spending time being active outdoors. I love hiking, biking, kayaking swimming, running and walking my two dogs (I always remember to scoop the poop). I also love the beach! My love of the outdoors and appreciation of plants and wildlife is part of my inspiration to educate future generations about the importance of protecting the environment. I have learned a lot of new information while working at ILACSD. I was shocked to see that litter in the form of small cigarette butts has such a large impact on water quality in addition to the high quantities they are always found at each clean up event. I stay current on what is going on in the local community through participation in professional development and recently participated in water quality monitoring with Coastkeepers and attended workshops hosted by the Children in Nature Collaborative.  I plan to continue learning new techniques that will inspire kids to embrace their natural surroundings.

I am proud to be part of the I Love A Clean San Diego family and hope to see you at a cleanup or presentation soon!

Blast from the Past – the beginnings of classroom education

Did you know that I Love A Clean San Diego is approaching its 60^th Anniversary? While we’ve been around since 1954, it wasn’t until the 1980′s that ILACSD started going into classrooms to do environmental presentations. In 1982, I Love A Clean San Diego’s Education Program put a call out looking for volunteers to help give presentations to schools. 31 years later, the department has grown to be quite a success! In 2012 alone, our Education Department gave 531 presentations to more than 37,000 San Diegans!

Not familiar with what exactly the Education Program here at ILACSD does? Allow me to fill you in! The Education Department is split into three parts: presentations, community events, and programs. Our presence at community events continues to grow each year. ILACSD staff often attend events such as festivals, fairs, and farmer’s markets to educate the general public about the environment. Presentations and programs are usually given in schools to students and younger children.

The primary goal of the Education Department is to positively impact the local community by informing them about the environment and how to reduce their ecological footprint. Our staff focus on providing quality education through specific issues such as: waste reduction, recycling, resource conservation, proper disposal of hazardous waste, as well as storm water pollution.  Storm water pollution is a particularly interesting topic to discuss with children and adults. Why? Storm water drains are commonly spotted on our streets and what people don’t realize is that everything that flows into a storm drain (whether it’s water or trash) goes straight into our oceans! Storm drains are not filtered before going into the sea like the sewer system is. The Department also emphasizes how important it is to pick up even the tiniest pieces of trash off the streets.  Once trash is pushed into the ocean, marine animals mistake it for food. During a presentation, staff show students a jar filled with different types of common plastics pieces (toothbrush, umbrella handle, bottle cap, comb, lighter) and then learn it’s the stomach contents found in a deceased Albatross (a type of seabird).

One of the many visual aids that ILACSD educators take to presentations, this contains albatross stomach contents

Just look how far Education Department has come since 1954! From looking to volunteers to help with the program to making a difference one presentation at a time! If you would like more information on our programs, presentations, or are interested in having us come to a community event please contact our Education Coordinator, Erika Bjorkquist at ebjorkquist@cleansd.org. Thank you to all of our San Diegan’s for continued support! Here’s to another 60 years!

Students learn, engage, and send a strong message at Kids’ Ocean Day

Today’s post comes from ILACSD’s Education Coordinator, Erika Bjorkquist!

It’s that time of year again, when students slap on sunscreen, grab gloves, and protect our beaches and ocean. You guessed it, we are already getting ready for the 20^th annual Kids’ Ocean Day on June 6, 2013! This year, five organizations throughout California will be hosting a Kids’ Ocean Day events at their local beaches. I Love A Clean San Diego is able to host Kids’ Ocean Day for the tenth year in a row due to the generosity of the California Coastal Commission.

Kids’ Ocean Day is a 2-part education event. First, our educators deliver Ocean Conservation Assemblies to participating classes. These presentations are engaging, interactive, and fun for both kids and kids at heart. After the presentation, students have the opportunity to apply what they learn in a hands-on way; we take them to the beach, where they participate in a cleanup. Lastly, students become advocates for clean beaches and oceans through an aerial art formation.

What is an aerial art formation? Participating students will form the outline of a message in the sand, which is captured by a photographer from a helicopter flying overhead.  The result sends a clear message to all San Diegans to protect our precious local resources, and gives students a comprehensive understanding and appreciation of the importance of protecting our oceans.

At Kids’ Ocean Day 2012, students showed all of San Diego that it is important to ‘Defend the Sea’

This year, 1000 students from 7 local Title I schools in the City of San Diego will participate! If you would like to join the fun with your class or to volunteer, contact Erika Bjorkquist at 619-704-2777 or ebjorkquist@cleansd.org. We look forward to hearing from you!

Do you know what to “Doo”?

Today’s post comes from ILACSD’s Environmental Educator, Monica Rosquillas!

Have you ever walked down the street and seen the evidence that man’s best friend had been there as well? Although most dog owners do the right thing and pick up after their pets, the truth is that many don’t, and with the hundreds of thousands of dogs in San Diego County that means more pollution for our watersheds.  Pet waste carries bacteria, viruses, and parasites that can threaten the health of humans and animals, and that’s why it’s very important that we always “doo” the right thing and “scoop the poop”. Pet waste that isn’t picked up can get carried by rainwater into storm drains. Since our storm water does not get treated, the bacteria- rich dog waste will likely end up in our rivers and eventually in the ocean.

I Love A Clean San Diego has partnered with the County of San Diego Watershed Protection Program to encourage San Diego dog owners to commit to picking up their dog’s waste. We’ll be attending various community events throughout San Diego County and surveying dog owners on how often they pick up their pet’s waste on their property. Results from the 2011 surveys show that 70% of rural San Diego dog owners are already doing the right thing, and by participating in these events we hope that that number will grow. And why wouldn’t dog owners want to do the right thing? Responsible pet waste management keeps yards and feet clean, and also protects the quality of our region’s creeks, lakes, and beaches.

If you happen to see us at a community event around San Diego, please stop by our booth and sign the pledge to commit to picking up your pet’s waste to protect our watersheds!

Celebrating Education, Environment and Dr. Seuss

Today’s post comes from ILACSD’s Marketing Intern and UCSD student, Christina Etchebarren!

In 1995, UCSD’s Library was renamed Geisel Library in honor of Theodor and Audrey for their generous contributions and dedication to improving literacy.

It’s that special time of year again, where we San Diegans celebrate the life and works of one of our own, Dr. Theodor Seuss Geisel! This past weekend marked what would have been the writers’ 109^th birthday. It’s always a special time walking down library walk at UCSD and seeing everyone gather around a giant inflatable birthday cake situated outside the building that houses his legacy. When freshman first step foot in front of the famous library, the first thing they learn is about is why it was named after Dr. Seuss and how he and his wife Audrey, generously supported UCSD’s efforts to keep students reading.

Dr. Seuss’ birthday has been adopted as National Read Across America Day, which is an initiative curated by the National Education Association to encourage school aged children to incorporate reading for fun in to their everyday life.

We at I love A Clean San Diego share a common passion with Dr. Seuss, and that is our dedication to education and to conserving our environment. Dr. Seuss’ 1971 book “The Lorax” gives us the clearest view of the writer’s position on environmentalism and the human predicament.  This children’s book, which was then considered radical commentary on eco-politics, is now renowned for the simple yet powerful message warning society about the dangers of over development and lack of sustainable living. This sort of level-headed environmentalism wasn’t common in the early ‘70’s and environmental activism was viewed as a sort of hippie nonsense. But it was the nonsensical whims of an exceedingly creative mind that brought children and adults alike to change their perception of the costs of human impact.

We citizens of San Diego are lucky to be able to lay claim to such a brilliant and forward thinking mind such as Dr. Seuss.  If you look closely at the native trees and shrubs, you’ll notice an uncanny resemblance to the whacky illustrations of the plant life present on his colorful pages. His creative and inspiring messages live on in the spirit of today’s society and, no doubt, have an extra special place in the hearts of San Diegans.

Protecting local waterways at Storm Drain Stenciling Day

Today’s post comes from ILACSD’s Community Events Intern, Alex!

As a student at PLNU in the Point Loma area of San Diego, I get to experience a lot of the weather San Diego has to offer. Usually that means sunny skies or foggy mornings, but sometimes (like last week), it means sitting at my desk listening to the wind howl outside my door and the rain pelt my dorm window. Since I started interning at I Love A Clean San Diego, I’ve become more aware of the effects storms, like the one from last night, have on local waterways and ecosystems. Plus with Storm Drain Stenciling Day approaching, it’s a good time to remind ourselves of the role our storm drains play in the health of our environment and what we can do to keep our communities clean.

Maybe you’ve seen this message stenciled by a storm drain somewhere in San Diego? If you have, it’s because a volunteer has participated in the Storm Drain Stenciling Program ILACSD sponsors along with Think Blue, the City of San Diego Storm Water Department! The simplicity of the Storm Drain Stenciling Program is one of my favorite traits. Volunteers check out stenciling kits and use the paint and stencils to write the message on any surface that is linked to a storm drain inlet. So great and so easy!

You might be asking yourself why a storm drains need to be stenciled, anyway. After all, they just link up to the sewage system, right? While this was my own misconception, the truth is sewage and storm drain systems are different. Our sewage system takes all the wastewater from our toilets, showers, and sinks to a treatment facility where the water goes through a three-step process of filtration and treatment before getting released into a natural water source. Storm drains, on the other hand, get no such treatment. Since a storm drain’s job is to literally drain storm water that accumulates on streets when it rains, filtration takes a back seat to avoid street flooding. So when it rains, any and all chemicals, oil, disposable cups, food wrappers, gum, or other trash we leave on the curb get washed down the storm drain system and eventually into our ocean. This is not only bad for wildlife that lives in and depends on the ocean, it poses a threat to human health as well.

When we think of cleanups, it’s really easy to picture beaches and to forget about inland areas. However, a lot of the pollution we see on our beaches has been washed downstream from an inland waterway or canyon. This year’s Storm Drain Stenciling Day around Caramel Creek Neighborhood Park aims to paint and stencil 118 drains that will help inform and remind the community about where their trash is headed. By preventing dumping in inland areas, we can diminish the amount of pollution that reaches our beaches and the ocean.

Meet our new Marketing Intern, Christina!

Today’s post comes from ILACSD’s newest Marketing Intern, Christina Etchebarren!

Hey there readers of this blog and fans of I Love A Clean San Diego! My name is Christina, I’m the new Marketing Intern here at ILACSD and I’m so excited to be joining the team and learning from the wonderful staff and volunteers. I am a fourth year Environmental Systems major at UC San Diego, originally from a small town outside of Portland, Oregon. Growing up I’ve always been surrounded by environmentally conscientious communities, so it was no surprise that learning about and protecting our environment has turned in to a passion of mine. Letting people know about what we’re up to at ILACSD is a part of my job description and my first assignment was to attend one of our education presentations at University City High School on Tuesday, Feb. 12^th.

Arriving at the high school brought back a strange wave of nostalgia for my carefree, hormone charged, rebellious teenage days and I kind of felt like never leaving. I sat myself in the back row of a marine science classroom trying to blend in inconspicuously as the students noisily settled into their seats. Monica Rosquillas, who is one of our lovely educators, introduced herself and took control of the students attention with a quickness and ease that would impress the pants off of any HS teacher I’m sure; high schoolers can be some of the most difficult crowds to reign in and she did so with confidence that can only come from plenty of experience.

The presentation began with a lesson on the importance of water, which may seem obvious but sometimes all of us need a reminder about just how vital clean water is to not only our health, but the health of every living thing around us. The rest of the lesson plan was focused on watersheds, water quality and marine ecosystem health. Talking about environmental issues can be an extremely difficult task because you don’t want to come across as threatening or pessimistic and you don’t want present the problem  as overwhelmingly large or beyond help, but you do want to make it seem important and urgent enough to motivate people to care and to take action. The presentation that I Love A Clean San Diego has put together walks the line quite gracefully, and I noticed that even from the back of the classroom, all of the students seemed to stay engaged throughout the entire duration of the talk.

Stomach contents from an Albatross include plastic caps, fishing line, and even a small wooden door knob.

Monica hit the message home by passing around a jar filled with contents from an Albatross’ stomach which included a pen and several other pieces of colorful plastic, I heard murmurs of horror coming from the pupils as they passed the jar around with disgust.  To be honest, although I’ve gone through several years of environmental education throughout my time at UCSD, I learned a lot about watersheds and how important it is that we do our best to keep them clean.

All in all, I walked out of University City High School proud to be a part of such an amazing and inspiring organization and feeling hopeful for our future generations of environmental enthusiasts, and I look forward to the months ahead here at ILACSD.

You’ll hear from me soon, until next time.

Christina

Think Blue Brigade tackles storm water pollution in Market Creek

Today’s post comes from ILACSD’s Environmental Educator, Monica Rosquillas!

Last week, I gladly spent my Saturday with the high school students from the Elementary Institute of Science (EIS) stenciling storm drains in the neighborhood of Market Creek. The students at EIS are part of the Think Blue Brigade, a program by Think Blue San Diego that aims to connect high school students with storm water pollution prevention.

I arrived at EIS, stenciling kits in hand, and was met by a warm group of students and their enthusiastic advisor.  Soon after, we walked out into the sunny streets of Market and Euclid, where we split up into 3 groups, each group stenciling “Don’t Dump Goes to Ocean” on 3 storm drains. While some tackled storm drains, others documented their progress, recording video and taking pictures for their end-of-the-year project.

The footage collected will be used in a video that will be showcased at the end of the year. The storm drain stenciling activity and video project fulfill 2 out of the 3 requirements of being part of the Think Blue Brigade. Having already completed the storm drain stenciling, this group of students will also participate in ILACSD’s signature cleanup event, the Creek to Bay Cleanup, held on April 27^th of this year.  Then, they will have until June to finish their video on storm water pollution and Green Transportation.

It’s very encouraging to work with a group of high school students, like these kids, who willingly give up their Saturday mornings to come out and do an event like this. As an educator at I Love A Clean San Diego, I go to high schools all over San Diego and teach kids about pollution. So when I see them do something about it, it feels great! Overall I had a great day spreading the message of storm water pollution prevention with this awesome group of students.

If you are a high school student interested in becoming involved with the Think Blue Brigade, please contact the education department by calling (619) 291-0103 or email me at mrosquillas@cleansd.org.

New Year, New Laws: California’s Light Bulb Standards

Today’s post comes from ILACSD’s Hotline Assistant, Barbara Lopez!

As the calendar turned to 2013, light bulb manufacturers are now required to meet new efficiency standards; light bulbs of traditional wattage of 60 and 40 watts will be replaced with bulbs that have maximum wattage of 43 and 29 watts, respectively. This is the latest phase of the light bulb standard; 100 watt bulbs were phased out starting in 2011 and 75 watt bulbs were phased out in 2012. New bulbs will provide the same amount of light while using less energy and costing less money to operate. Light bulbs already in use in your home are not affected and the standard does not affect all types of light bulbs; specialty bulbs, such as appliance bulbs, 3-way bulbs, and others, are exempt.

Energy-saving Halogen Bulb

So what light bulb options are available? One option is the energy-saving halogen light bulb. These bulbs are a type of incandescent that use gases to  improve energy efficiency and are widely available. Another option is the compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulb. CFLs are also widely available and are more energy efficient than traditional incandescent and halogen light bulbs. In fact, according to the California Energy Commission, a 23- to 27-watt CFL provides the same amount of light as a traditional incandescent but consumes 75% less energy. LED bulbs have been slowly gaining popularity in recent years and are said to be more energy efficient than both halogens and CFL bulbs. Although LED bulbs tend to be more expensive, their longer lives and energy savings usually offset the higher cost.

LED bulb

Many online resources as well as the Light Bulb Finder app can help you make the switch to more energy efficient light bulbs.

CFL bulb

Since incandescent and LED light bulbs do not contain mercury there is nothing that prohibits you from disposing of them in your regular trash. However, for those of you who enjoy arts and crafts, a quick internet search yields ideas for reusing those light bulbs. CFLs should not be disposed of in the trash and should instead be recycled because of the small amount of mercury found inside of each bulb. Home improvement stores, such as Home Depot and Lowe’s, will accept CFLs from residents to dispose of properly. You can also dispose of CFL bulbs at your local household hazardous waste collection facility.

To find a center near you, visit our new and improved one-stop recycling resource, WasteFreeSD.org.