Earth Month in Long Beach!

April is “Earth Month” according to Heal the Bay, a Southern Calif. nonprofit environmental organization. Earth Month has evolved from Earth Day, traditionally held on April 22, over 35 years ago.

Heal the Bay’s mission statement cites the goal of “making Southern California’s coastal waters… safe, healthy and clean.” The organization admits its program focuses on Santa Monica Bay and nearby regions, but further add that its desire to help the entire State.

What about Long Beach? Has Heal the Bay given up on this heavily protected, heavily polluted section of coast, outlined by a series of breakwaters built for the port?

Last night while walking along the beach path, parallel to Ocean Boulevard and Cherry Avenue, I sneered at more garbage and sludge along the water line than I cared to see.

CSULB Oceanography professor Bruce Perry said, "San Pedro Bay is heavily polluted because the Los Angeles and San Gabriel Rivers drain into it and the breakwater prevents the pollution, carried to Long Beach by these rivers, from dissipating."

Heal the Bay efforts are scheduled this month in Compton, the San Fernando Valley, Malibu Creek State Park and the Santa Monica Pier Aquarium – but not in Long Beach. You’ll have to contact Justin Rudd for those efforts. He’s been organizing monthly clean-ups on his Saturday mornings for quite some time.

April 21, 2007, the same day as other annual Earth Day cleanups, Rudd has organized one of many “30-Minute Beach Cleanups.”

He’s been scheduling these events monthly since 1999. In effect, Long Beach has been cleaned roughly 90 times by over 12,000 volunteers since the program’s inception. Great job Rudd!

Get out there and help clean up Long Beach if you can; I’ll see you there!

Watch the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53iR-c10iYc

For more details:

Heal the Bay: http://www.healthebay.org/news/2007/03_13_earthmonth/

Long Beach Clean up Information: http://www.beachcleanup.org/

Justin Rudd’s Site: http://www.justinrudd.com/about.html