I’m Claire, a student leader from FIRST Team 500 which is affiliated with the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, CT. I am inviting teams by oceans or waterways to participate in the International Coastal Cleanup held on Saturday, September 17, 2005. This yearly international event brings hundreds of people together to clean up oceans and waterways throughout the world. During the Cleanup, volunteers remove and record each type of debris found. We believe FIRST teams would be a great force in this program because we’re motivated highschoolers who recognize the importance of volunteering for the good of the community.
We have contacted the International Cleanup Coordinator from Connecticut and Administrative Assistant of the Ocean Conservancy and they were excited to hear that FIRST teams might become involved in this worthwhile project. This is a great opportunity for FIRST teams to unite and help not only our communities but the project at a national level. Please pass this information on to all leaders and members of your team. If you are interested in participating, please PM or email me back as soon as possible for more information on this project.
This is an awesome idea! Thanks for sharing it with the FIRST community! It’s too bad team 648 is situated in the midwest… but we do clean up the Mississippi and area waterways with Chad Pregracke and Living Lands and Waters and the Army Corps of Engineers.
You may want to also check with the FLL teams located along coastlines. This especially goes hand-in-hand with the theme of this year’s challenge, Ocean Odyssey.
I hope more teams will participate in this service project. It’s certainly a worthwhile cause.
Actually, there are events in the Midwest and states not located by the coast. For example, Arizona, Montana, Nebraska, Minnesota, Tennessee, Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, Nevada, the Dakotas, Missouri, Arkansas, Wisconsin, and Michigan are involved as well.
Connecticut
Rhode Island
Mississippi
California
Washington
Add your state/team to this list! Sign up now on www.coastalcleanup.org, then send me a PM.
If you want to clean a specific beach, send me an email and I can give you the contact information for your state’s coordinator. Your team can even be a beach captain! Note that some beaches are being cleaned on days other than Saturday, September 17. Cleanups can be any day from the 17-24.
Any questions, send me a PM or email. Thanks for your support!
