What started as a small grassroots cleanup organized by four Vancouver Aquarium employees in 1993, has grown to become the second largest shoreline cleanup in the world. Every third week of September, thousands of volunteers hit the Canadian shorelines to pick up garbage during the TD Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup.
According to the 2007 Shoreline Cleanup Summary [PDF] a total of 224 kg of litter was removed from Kits beach last year. This included 18,500 cigarette butts. Bleagh.
This year there will be two main cleanups in Kitsilano:
- This Saturday, September 20th, the Vancouver Aquarium and WWF-Canada will be hosting a cleanup along Kits beach. The cleanup starts at 10am and registration is encouraged, but not required. To register, go here for the Kitsilano Beach Park South cleanup and here for the Kitsilano Beach Park North cleanup.
- The second Kits cleanup will be on Sunday, September 28th, along the Point Grey Foreshore from Balsam to Balaclava. This cleanup is organized by the Point Grey Foreshore Society, and starts at 10.30am. Again, registration (here) is encouraged, but not required.
If you’d like to do more than just join a cleanup, and organize one instead, check here for details on how to register a site and becoming a Site Coordinator (Vanier Park, for instance, does not appear to have a cleanup yet, although some cleanups are registered by private groups).
Last modified: September 18, 2008
