Oakland Volunteers Break Records on Battle for the Bay 2019!
On September 21st, Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose challenged each other to a friendly competition as part of California Coastal Cleanup Day to see which city could engage the most volunteers and stage the biggest and most impactful cleanup.. Projects included trash removal, habitat restoration, tree planting, and beautification.
Oakland had a total of 55 registered volunteer sites throughout the City’s neighborhoods and coastline. With a record breaking 2,170 volunteers putting in more than 7,183 collective service hours, it was a great success for the Town. Together, Oaklanders picked up 109,460 pounds of trash, sorted 2,859 pounds of recyclables, cleared 37 storm drains, and cleaned 11 miles of shoreline! Take a look at the results…
A huge thank you to the Oakland communities that came together on this day and showed some love to their neighborhoods. Below are photos from some of the site locations that helped brighten Oakland’s streets and coastline…
Pearmain St.
The day’s biggest cleanup removed a jaw-dropping 42 tons (84,000 pounds!) of trash from a neighborhood in East Oakland. This huge effort was a collaboration between AB&I Foundry, Argent Materials, Aaron Metals, Block By Block, Alameda County Supervisor Nate Miley’s Office, Alameda County District Attorney’s Office, and community volunteers. Check out their incredible before and after shots!
Special thanks to organizers Bill Crotinger with Argent Materials, Michael Lowe and Zeydi Gutierrez with AB&I Foundry, Aaron Forkash with Aaron Metals, Erin Armstrong with the Office of Supervisor Nate Miley, and Adopt a Spot volunteer Mary Forte.
The Pearmain St. site crew is a great example of coming together and working towards the change they wanted to see in their community.
Jack London Aquatic Center
A main goal of California Coastal Cleanup Day is to keep our waterways clear of trash and other toxic debris, while engaging and educating the public on the issue. Volunteers from I Heart Alameda Oakland Estuary set the ambitious goal of removing “1K from the Bay” through land and water based cleanups based from Jack London Aquatic Center. Over 100 volunteers paddled and pitched in on land and sea to remove over 2,000 pounds of trash from beaches and shoreline areas.
Cesar Chavez Park
Dover park
In addition to litter removal, volunteers also worked on landscaping and other park greening projects such as in Dover Park.
Middle Harbor Shoreline Park
Groups and individuals of all ages and abilities are invited to lead and/or join community volunteer projects to clean, green, and beautify Oakland. Oakland’s Adopt a Spot program supports individuals, neighborhood groups, civic organizations, and businesses in ongoing cleaning and greening of parks, creeks, shorelines, storm drains, streets, trails, and other public spaces. Volunteers have adopted hundreds of sites around Oakland. Public Works can provide tool loans, debris collection services, and technical assistance.
Activities can include:
- Litter and/or graffiti removal
- Mosaics and murals on litter containers and utility boxes
- Tree planting
- Habitat restoration, trail maintenance, or other park projects
- Keeping storm drains free of debris
For more general information about volunteering in Oakland, visit www.oaklandadoptaspot.org! For information about our next City-wide volunteer events visit:
- www.OaklandMLK.org — January 20, 2020
- www.OaklandEarthDay.org — Saturday, April 18, 2020
- www.OaklandCreektoBay.org — Saturday, September 19, 2020
