Ocean Conservancy's International Coastal Cleanup

WATCH OUR VIDEO

2008 ICC BY THE NUMBERS

• 6,800,000 pounds of trash collected
• 11,400,000 items removed, including the top three:
  
  
  • 3,200,000 cigarette butts
  • 1,400,000 plastic bags
  • 943,000 food wrappers/containers
• 390,881 volunteers
• 6,485 sites in 104 countries and locations
• 23 consecutive years
• 1 ocean

Whether you live near the coast or thousands of miles inland, we are all connected to the ocean. It drives and moderates our climate, it helps provide the water we drink, the air we breathe, and much of the food we eat.

The ocean also absorbs much of the pollution we generate. And trash that falls from our hands is one of the most pervasive pollution problems facing our world's ocean.

But it doesn't have to be - keeping our ocean free from trash is one of the easiest things we can do to help protect it.

Here are a few simple things you can do to help right now:

• Save the date for this year's Cleanup on September 19, 2009. Official registration doesn't open until June, so we've created a special save the date invitation to remind you why this is so important (you can print it or use it for your computer background). If you don't currently receive email communications from Ocean Conservancy, you can also sign up for the email list, and we'll let you know when you can officially register (as well as other easy things you can do to help protect the ocean).
• Ask a friend to join you on September 19, 2009 at International Coastal Cleanup day by sending them this save the date eCard.
• Send a message to Congress letting them know that reducing marine debris is an important issue to you and to climate change, and ask them to join you in attending an International Coastal Cleanup event this September.
• Read our new report A Rising Tide of Ocean Debris and What We Can Do About It. In it, you'll find our Marine Debris Index, the world's only country-by-country, state-by-state analysis of trash in our ocean, lakes, rivers, and streams as well as recommendations for what we can to do prevent it.
• Make a donation to help protect the ocean right now, when your contribution will be DOUBLED during Nicole's Ocean Challenge.