Goes Virtual with Facebook Live Kick-off!

FAQ

• Q: Where are cleanup sites?

  In your neighborhood. We invite you and your household to get outside, get active, and collect litter close to home. By getting out in your local community to remove trash – together virtually and physically apart – you can support your neighborhood and protect our San Diego watersheds. Walk around your block, nearby park, beach, or trail.

• Q: How do I register?

  Starting on June 1st, you can register for the “Virtual Creek to Bay Cleanup” – You can create your profile on our new Community Hub! Once registered, you will receive an email confirming your registration and be provided next steps. If you have any challenges during the registration process, please contact Jackie Blumenthal at jblumenthal@cleanSD.org or (619) 787-2604 for assistance.

• Q: Can I register as a family or household group?

  Yes! As you register, you have the option to add Group Information so that everyone does not have to register separately. Please remember to form groups from the same household only, and maintain 6 feet distance from other participating neighbors.

• Q: How old do I have to be to volunteer?

  Creek to Bay is a great event for the whole family. Kids are more than welcome to participate; volunteering at a young age can instill community stewardship for life! Kids can earn patches after they volunteer by completing the online order form after the cleanup on this website.

• Q: How do I prepare?

  To help reduce waste, volunteers are asked to use their own reusable supplies, such as a bucket to collect litter, litter grabbers, gardening or work gloves, face mask, and a full reusable water bottle. To show off your creativity and help reduce waste, participate in our Bling Your Bucket and/or Big E. Smalls contests by bringing a decorated bucket or jar to the cleanup instead of a plastic bag. You may want to bring snacks, hand sanitizer, and should wear sturdy closed toed shoes and clothing appropriate for a cleanup. Hats and sunscreen are highly recommended. Share with your friends to work together – apart!

• Q: Does this count for community service? What about court-ordered service?

  Yes, and yes! In order to receive volunteer hours, service forms and Letters of Appreciation – volunteers will need to be registered for the event through I Love A Clean San Diego’s Community Hub, participate in the cleanup and capture a photo of your active participation in the cleanup. Volunteers who are registered for the cleanup are eligible to request community service verification, Letters of Appreciation and Court Ordered Hours verification. To request volunteer hours verification – Login to your profile in the Community Hub after the cleanup, head to your dashboard and Report Hours on the left side of the page. Select the Virtual Creek to Bay Opportunity and complete the survey. There is a section to include court case numbers if you are requesting a letter of appreciation to verify court ordered hours. If you need a specific form filled out to verify volunteer hours, there is an option to directly upload these forms as well.

• Q: Can my Troop get patches for participating?

  Yes, this is one of four opportunities for which your Troop may receive a patch to complete the whole set! The categories are: Creek to Bay, Coastal Cleanup Day, Volunteer (any of our other volunteer events or programs), and Zero Waste Workshop (attending any of our free Zero Waste Workshops). These events and opportunities, although limited this year, will be available virtually or in smaller groups! The patch order form will be available on the following webpage the Monday after the event. Proof of registration is required.

• Q: What do I wear?

  Volunteers should wear face masks, gloves, sturdy closed toed shoes and clothing appropriate for a cleanup; if you are at a nearby park or canyon, long pants and long-sleeved shirts are suggested. Hats and sunscreen are highly recommended.

• Q: How can I stay safe?

  This is the first major cleanup run by you! By staying in your neighborhood, using face masks and gloves, and limiting groups to household members or maintaining social distancing guidelines, we can stay safe and prevent tons of litter from entering our creeks, bays and the ocean.

• Q: How will we know our impact?

  After your cleanup, weigh the debris you collected and share it with I Love A Clean San Diego. NEW for this year’s event, we are excited to launch a Volunteer Visualization Map. This participatory map allows volunteers countywide to submit their cleanup location and stats to create visual and quantitative measurement of the day’s cleanup efforts. Participants will contribute to real time, crowd-sourced metrics and impact for the event. Once registered, volunteers will be sent a link to a simple survey to report back on their cleanup stats, which can be accessed on mobile device or computer.