Creek to Bay Cleanup

San Diego County, CA – Much of San Diego County is cleaner today after over 5,500 volunteers, including over 1,500 scouts, woke up early to do more with their morning at the annual Creek to Bay Cleanup. Celebrating the 10^th anniversary of this unique cleanup event, 88 different locations that spanned the entire county are now healthier and more enjoyable thanks to the hard work of these dedicated San Diego residents.

As part of their 100^th anniversary celebration, Girl Scouts San Diego came out in full force to lend a hand to their local environment by picking up trash at various locations around the county. Scouts received a special ‘cleanup’ patch for participating.

More than 100,000 pounds of trash and debris were picked up from local creeks, canyons, parks, bays and beaches this morning. Cigarette butts and plastic bags were again the most common items picked up in most areas, but there were also a few unique items found by volunteers. This year’s unusual items include: a rocking horse, bowling pin, and five gallon bucket of pickles.

A longtime supporter of the Creek to Bay Cleanup, Supervisor Pam Slater-Price, had this to say about today’s event: “I Love a Clean San Diego is a true partner in protecting the environment,” Supervisor Slater-Price said. “Through the years, their Creek to Bay Cleanup events have removed tons of trash from local watersheds, which makes life better for everybody.”

While the Creek to Bay Cleanup’s main focus is removing trash, volunteers also helped with other beautification projects including graffiti removal, mural painting, native planting, brush maintenance and general park maintenance activities. The goal of the event is to empower San Diegans to take an active role in preserving the local environment, showing them that they can make a difference in the health of their community.

ILACSD’s Executive Director, Pauline Martinson, says, “It is amazing to see this event grow each year as more and more San Diego residents take initiative to care for the areas of our community that need a little love. Partnerships with local businesses and groups like the Girl Scouts are vital as we continue our focus on expanding our cleanups and environmental programs to all areas of San Diego County.”

New at this year’s event, ILACSD and Sony are hosting a Volunteers In Action photo contest. Volunteers can submit their best picture from this morning to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it by May 4, 2012. The top three pictures will be posted to the ILACSD Facebook page for fans to vote. The winner will be announced on May 18, 2012 and will receive a new Sony Cyber-Shot camera!

For volunteers who missed today’s Creek to Bay Cleanup, I Love A Clean San Diego coordinates cleanup events each month, as well as ongoing volunteer programs including the Adopt-A-Beach program. Upcoming volunteer opportunities are listed online at www.cleansd.org.

To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Creek to Bay Cleanup, I Love A Clean San Diego has a few exciting announcements!

New Cleanup Sites. There are a record 86 cleanup sites at this year's event, including 4 sites in communities we have never reached before - Spring Valley, Warner Springs, Paradise Hills and Pala. That means more opportunities for you to volunteer to help the environment in your own community! Click here to view all of the 2012 sites.

Volunteers in Action Photo Contest. ILACSD and Sony want your help to capture the spirit of the Creek to Bay Cleanup with the first ever photo contest! The theme is "Volunteers in Action." Bring your camera with you to the event, submit your best picture to ILACSD at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it by Friday, May 4th and we'll chose the top 3 pictures to post on our Facebook page for our fans to vote on the winner. Grand Prize: a new Sony Cyber-Shot camera! Click here to download the flyer for more details.

Girl Scouts of San Diego celebrate their 100th anniversary. The Girl Scouts have participated in many past I Love A Clean San Diego events, so we are thrilled that they have chosen our Creek to Bay Cleanup and Coastal Cleanup Day as part of their anniversary celebration. There won’t be dedicated girl scout cleanup sites, instead scouts of all ages are invited to select a site online and register to participate. The scouts will receive a special “cleanup” patch for participating, which will be available to order online after the event. We're expecting about 1500 girl scouts this year!

We still need plenty of help to beat last year’s record of 5,350 volunteers! With over 85 cleanup sites across the county, including 4 brand new sites in areas that we’ve never cleaned before, we will need as many hands as we can get. In addition to litter removal, volunteers can also take part in projects including storm drain stenciling, tree planting, weeding, and graffiti removal.

Volunteer registration for the Creek to Bay Cleanup is open now!