Courtesy of Kids Ocean Day

 

Nearly 3,000 Students Participated After A Pause Due to Pandemic

 

LOS ANGELES, MAY 26, 2022 – After being postponed over the last two years due to the pandemic, Kids Ocean Day is back at Dockweiler State Beach. Nearly 3,000 Los Angeles-area students participated in a beach cleanup to showcase their love and care for the ocean. This year’s theme, “J️❤Y in Nature,” was visually illustrated with the students gathering together in a massive aerial art installation spelling out the word J️❤Y with a heart in the middle. The aerial art program was created by John Quigley of Spectral Q.

 

“My team and I along with students, teachers, parents and volunteers are excited that we were able to finally go back to the beach to celebrate our love for the ocean,” said Michael Klubock, founder of Kids Ocean Day and the Malibu Foundation for Environmental Education. “Kids Ocean Day has brought a lot of joy to area students over the decades and we’re glad that we can continue to educate young people about the importance of taking care of our environment through a hands-on learning experience.”

 

Leading up to the beach cleanup, the Malibu Foundation for Environmental Education hosted months of school assemblies by Zoom about the adverse impacts of trash and litter pollution on the streets and how the rains carry the plastic debris down the storm drain and onto the beach and into the ocean, entangling the animals and polluting our food resources. The assemblies aim to empower kids to save the Earth, by connecting them to the beaches and ocean. The kids also bring the message home to their families to take action for a healthy environment.

 

“Young people are powerful and can make a huge difference even at an early age,” said Los Angeles Board of Public Works President Aura Garcia. “Cleaning up the beach today means diverting trash from the ocean for a healthier ecosystem and marine life.”

 

 

This year, Kids Ocean Day will be celebrated in cities across the state of California and is sponsored by the California Coastal Commission. Thousands of other kids will participate in similar events in San Diego, Orange County, San Luis Obispo, San Francisco, and Humboldt County.

 

“The Commission is so excited that we are able to sponsor and hold this event again,” said Coastal Commission Chair Donne Brownsey. “The students who participate in Kids Ocean Day are learning and demonstrating how to be good stewards of our precious coast and ocean, while reminding us of the joy of connecting with nature.”

 

Since 1991, more than 770,000 kids have participated in the Kids Ocean Day School Assembly Program and beach clean-ups as a unified demonstration of their power to take care of their beach. Kids Ocean Day is an environmental awareness event that incorporates composting, recycling and an overall reduction of plastic. The City of LA will help facilitate the recycling and composting of all beach debris and lunch refuse. 

 

Created by Michael Klubock,  Kids Ocean Day  is sponsored by the Malibu Foundation for Environmental Education, the L.A. Sanitation and Environment Watershed Protection Program, the City of Los Angeles Board of Public Works, the California Coastal Commission, the Los Angeles Board of Supervisors and Keep LA Beautiful. For more information, please visit www.kidsoceanday.org.

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About the Malibu Foundation

The Malibu Foundation for Environmental Education coordinates Kids Ocean Day for the Los Angeles region by giving presentations year-round at the schools and organizing the annual culminating event at the beach. Founded in 1991, the Malibu Foundation for Environmental Education’s Adopt-A-Beach School Assembly has been presented to over 770,000 children and nearly 167,000 have participated in many beach cleanups. For more information, please visit www.malibu foundation.org.

 

About the California Coastal Commission

The California Coastal Commission is committed to protecting and enhancing California’s coast and ocean for present and future generations. It does so through careful planning and regulation of environmentally-sustainable development, strong public participation, education, and effective intergovernmental coordination. 

 

The Kids Ocean Day Adopt-A-Beach Program is part of the Commission’s effort to raise public awareness of marine and coastal resources and promote coastal stewardship. The Commission provides financial support to Kids Ocean Day efforts statewide with proceeds from the WHALE TAIL® License Plate and voluntary donations on the state tax return to the Protect Our Coast and Oceans Fund. For more information about the Commission’s programs and how to buy a Whale Tail Plate, visit www.coastforyou.org.

 

About Keep Los Angeles Beautiful

Keep Los Angeles Beautiful (KLAB), established in 2007, is a citywide volunteer-based community improvement and education campaign affiliated with Keep America Beautiful to engage residents, businesses and local government in programs that prevent litter and promote the reduction of waste through reuse and recycling, and beautification projects. Through public-private partnerships and strategic alliances, KLAB mobilizes thousands of volunteers to clean up, beautify and improve their neighborhoods, upholding the quality of life and protecting community environments in the City of Los Angeles. For more information, visit www.laocb.org.

 

About John Quigley and Spectral Q                                                                                      John Quigley and Spectral Q created the Aerial Art Program with Kids Ocean Day in 1994. Serving as the Statewide Aerial Art Director for the California Coastal Commission he has overseen the massive displays of human art in eight California cities. John’s worldwide work of over 250 images with 250,000 people includes 100 images and 166,000 students for Kids Ocean Day (Including Hong Kong and Mexico). The Aerial Art has generated media coverage, seen by tens of millions of people. John’s art calls for ocean protection, health, human rights, social justice, ecological balance, democracy and freedom. His work strives to liberate the spirit and inspire unity through creative participation.

 

Kids Ocean Day is thankful to the many supporters who have contributed time, treasure and talent to the children of Los Angeles.