Sept. 24, 2012 – Oakland, Calif. – More than 100 volunteers including Boy Scout and Cub Scouts armed with rubber gloves, trash bags and plenty of enthusiasm–scoured the shoreline at Jack London Square for trash onCalifornia Coastal Cleanup Day on Saturday, September 15, 2012.

The Port’s cleanup day event was part of the 28th Annual California Coastal Cleanup Day, the state’s largest volunteer event. The event creates a wonderful opportunity for Californians to participate in a direct act of coastal stewardship. California Coastal Cleanup Day always falls on the 3rd Saturday of September.

The large group of volunteers was part of the Port-sponsored cleanup day at the waterfront. Volunteers went from one end of the Square to the other removing small to large debris that washed ashore. The Port holds two shoreline cleanup days each year and the next one will be scheduled around the week of Earth Day (April 22, 2013).

A look at this year’s numbers:

• 500 pounds of trash removed from the shoreline
• 102 volunteers
• No suspect Tsunami debris

Port of Oakland Environmental Compliance Supervisor Jeff Jones organized and ran the event for the Port, “It was really gratifying to see all the young people and their families who came out to help us clean up our rocky shoreline at Jack London Square. This is such a beautiful place for everyone in our community to enjoy.” Jones added, “Our cleanup events are always a fun way to meet people of all ages in our community who care about the environment. It is also a very satisfying experience for our volunteers because after a few hours of effort, everyone can see a real improvement in the shoreline.”

The Port also gave an award for the most unusual find of the day – an emergency radio that had floated around the San Francisco Bay, got caught on the rocks in the Oakland Estuary, and still functioned!

A special thank you goes to a Port of Oakland maritime shipping business partner – Matson. The company made community service a big part of its annual company picnic at Middle Harbor Shoreline Park this past Saturday. Matson employees participated in the Port’s fall Coastal Clean-up Day and picked up trash along the park’s shoreline making it more pristine for all the park’s people and wildlife visitors.

“California Coastal Protection Week is a great opportunity for us to recognize our forty year history of protecting our coast and making sure that it is accessible to everyone,” said Charles Lester, Executive Director of the California Coastal Commission. “The Coastal Commission is committed to working with local communities and the public up and down the state to ensure that our coast remains a treasure, and Coastal Cleanup Day is a way that everyone can participate in protecting California’s coast.”

California Coastal Cleanup Day 2012 is supported by the California Coastal Commission, California State Parks Foundation, and Ocean Conservancy. This event is made possible by the hard work of hundreds of local non-profits and government agencies throughout the state and tens of thousands of volunteers annually.

About the Port of Oakland:
The Port of Oakland oversees the Oakland seaport, Oakland International Airport, and 20 miles of waterfront. The Oakland seaport is the fifth busiest container port in the U.S.; Oakland International Airport is the second largest San Francisco Bay Area airport offering over 300 daily passenger and cargo flights; and the Port’s real estate includes commercial developments such as Jack London Square and hundreds of acres of public parks and conservation areas. Together, through Port operations and those of its tenants and users, the Port supports more than 73,000 jobs in the region and over 827,000 jobs across the United States. The Port of Oakland was established in 1927 and is an independent department of the City of Oakland. Connect with the the Port of Oakland and Oakland International Airport through Facebook, or with the Port on Twitter, YouTube, and at www.portofoakland.com.

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Robert Bernardo
Communications Manager
Port of Oakland
510-627-1401
[email protected]