Below are some links to local organizations that center on ocean preservation. Check them out, get involved, and learn how you can help make the area (and world) more sustainable!
1. Valley Water
- Valley Water is committed to providing the Silicon Valley with clean water to foster a safe, healthy lifestyle and environment. Valley Water is a leading water resource management agency and therefore is a great starting place to get involved. Donations are always beneficial, but Valley Water also involves entire communities through beach, ocean, and river clean up programs. Whether monetarily or through service work, Valley Water is a great way to get environmentally involved and make a difference you can see in your own community.
2. Surfrider
- Surfrider labels itself at the “largest network of coastal defenders in the world.” It is a volunteer based organization committed to defending the oceans so we can continue to enjoy them. It is run by a team of science, environmental, and legal experts who have expanded the movement across the nation. With volunteer beach clean ups along all the US’s coasts, Surfrider volunteers apply themselves on a local level using national resources. The closest coastal protectors in the area are in Santa Cruz, but any effort put in in our surrounding communities helps the Surfrider impact around the world. There is also a Surfrider Foundation SCU Club on campus that hosts quarterly beach cleanups. The national network that comes from Surfriders keeps people connected, environmental, and preserving our oceans for future fun.
3. Pacific Beach Coalition
- The Pacific Beach Coalition is a community beach clean up organization that starts as close as Half Moon Bay and extends all the way up to Pacifica, Daly City, and Montara. Every month, trained site captains lead volunteers to beaches in need in order to guide and educate about ocean health and pollution. The Pacific Beach Coalition has been put on hold due to Covid, so it’s a great place to donate to at the moment and get actively involved with in the future.
4. Unlitter
- Sustainability 101’s very own Chanel Bullock has really high involvement with Unlitter. Unlitter prides itself on the multifaceted nature of the word. They work to unlitter beaches, their own minds, and their lives. Unlitter brings people together under an effort to save the environment one sustainable effort at a time. Through their work, they’ve created a community of activists and ocean conservationists that are continuing to spread across the globe. We’ve already seen one of our own classmates get involved with Unlitter, love it, and encourage us to do the same. It’s a great way to get sustainable, change your mindset and life, make some friends, and make a difference.