Description

For this community challenge, you will complete a Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup by joining an existing cleanup or doing one on your own!

A shoreline is any piece of land connected to water. This could be the beach on the ocean or a lake, the side of a river or stream, or even a storm drain on your block. Waterways are all connected in one big ocean around the globe. (This is actually Ocean Literacy Principal #1!). Litter deposited in a river, stream or drain can easily make its way to the ocean through wind and ocean currents. Regardless of where you live, you are near a shoreline and that shoreline connects you to the water all over the world.

Fun fact: In 1994, employees and volunteers at the Vancouver Aquarium decided to clean up a beach in Stanley Park to protect the city’s shorelines. Since that first cleanup, a program grew in BC with 400 volunteers. Then, the Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup became a national conservation initiative in 2002 with cleanups in every province and territory. By 2003, more than 20,000 volunteers were taking part. Now, you can get involved too!

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Task

Here is what you need to do:

JOIN AN EXISTING CLEAN-UP:

1. See if there are any cleanups happening in your area. The event leaders should bring everything that you need for a successful clean-up.
2. Share your experience! Take photos and share them on our community space gallery, write a blog or post what you found to the discussion board. Be active on social media using our hashtags #OceanBridge #LeadersToday and tag @OceanWise @leaderstoday and @SocDevSoc on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook!
3. Have fun! You are directly impacting the health of the water in your life.

DO YOUR OWN CLEAN-UP:

1. Pick a date, time and location for your clean up. You can do a clean up anywhere land meets water (ocean, river, lake, puddle, storm drain). Can't get outside? Try cleaning up areas inside of your University or workplace. Be creative!
2. Register your clean up as a private event.
3. Bring with you protective gloves, a garbage bag or bucket and box that is safe to store biological waste.
4. Clean up! After your clean-up, sort your garbage to separate recyclables and track what you found using a Shoreline Cleanup Data Card. Submit your completed Shoreline Cleanup Data Card to shorelinecleanup@ocean.org.
5. Share your experience! Tag your service on our Ocean Service Activities map. Take photos and share them on our community space gallery, write a blog or post what you found to the discussion board. Be active on social media using our hashtags #OceanBridge #LeadersToday and tag @OceanWise @leaderstoday and @SocDevSoc on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook!
6. Have fun! You are directly impacting the health of the water in your life.

Ready to take it to the next level?

Plan a Shoreline Clean-up with your friends or Plan a Shoreline Clean-up with your community

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Continue to Ocean Bridge 2022 - Application and Program Details »