February is a great month to start volunteering. Take your significant other or great friend and join one of my favorite organizations in one of the upcoming volunteer events this month and the following month. One of the highlight events is the singles event on Valentine's day for those of you who would like to meet a like minded individual. I hope to see you there at one of the events!**The following is a post from ILACSD email newsletter.




 Volunteer with I Love A Clean San Diego!

This edition contains... 1. Volunteer Spotlight 2. Upcoming Events 3. Environmental Presentations in Poway, Grades 1 - 12 4. "Green" Valentine's Day Gift Ideas 5. FUNdraising That Keeps San Diego Clean!, By Lana Findlay, ILACSD's Education Coordinator 1. Volunteer Spotlight ILACSD hosted the 3rd Annual Clean Canyons for a Clean Coast event at 47th Street Canyon in City Heights last month, with a dedicated group of 220 volunteers that removed litter, debris, and invasive plants from the canyon. One group of youth volunteers really stood out based on their hard work, along with their support of an additional cause they drew attention to as volunteers. This youth group from Mission Valley Church of the Nazarene were promoting awareness about world hunger through a program called "On An Empty Stomach." These volunteers live a day in the life of those in poverty, working hard while going without the resources that many impoverished individuals face each day. ILACSD was impressed with these volunteers' work ethic along with their plight to spread awareness about world hunger and the importance of volunteering. 2. Upcoming Events Cupid's Cleanup Sunday, February 14th from 10 AM - Noon + mingling Fletcher Cove, 111 S Sierra Ave, Solana Beach 92075 Single volunteers are invited out this Valentine's Day to meet and mingle with fellow eco-friendly San Diegans that share a common interest. Meet your potential date for the evening while cleaning up the beach or afterward when ILACSD will treat volunteers to pizza and mingling games. Log onto ILACSD's website for more information and to download the waiver and directions, or call 619-291-0103 x3014 to sign up. Lake Hodges Cleanup Saturday, February 27th from 9AM - 12noon Glassman Recreation Center Park 18448 West Bernardo Drive San Diego, CA 92127 I Love A Clean San Diego has partnered with San Diego City Councilmember Carl DeMaio and Allied Waste Services to host a cleanup of Lake Hodges and the surrounding community. Not only is this the perfect opportunity to support this local community and remove harmful litter and debris from this scenic lake, but it is also a chance to explore new trails and the Lake Hodges bike and pedestrian bridge that opened last year. Volunteers should wear comfortable, closed toed shoes and bring extra water in a reusable bottle. All participants will need to sign a waiver to participate, and minors under the age of eighteen will need an additional parent or guardian signature on their form. Visit ILACSD's website to check for updates and download the waiver. Contact Natalie Roberts at 619-291-0103 x3014 with any questions or to sign up. 8th Annual Creek to Bay Cleanup Saturday, April 24th from 9AM - 12noon Over 65 coastal and inland cleanup sites countywide! Creek to Bay 2010 planning is in full swing as ILACSD coordinates cleanup sites, site captains, and event sponsors to make this event possible. With over 60 coastal and inland cleanup sites, close to 5,000 volunteers, and nearly 200,000 pounds of debris, ILACSD calls upon YOU for support for this event in one way or another... SITE CAPTAIN: If you are a leader that would like to volunteer to act as a site captain at one of our coastal or inland cleanup sites, contact Natalie Roberts at 619-291-0103 x3014 for more details or to sign up. Responsibilities include scouting out your cleanup site in advance, attending a training meeting to prepare you for the event, and coordinating volunteers the day of the cleanup. Site captains are truly the backbone of this cleanup event, and allow ILACSD to spread our reach into new communities, new waterways, and new beach areas. If you wish to grow your leadership and volunteerism, get involved today! Captains will be finalized February 15th. SPONSOR: Without financial support, largescale efforts like the Creek to Bay Cleanup would not be possible. If you or your company would like to align yourself with such an impressive volunteer force that accomplishes tremendous feats for San Diego's local environment, contact Morgan Justice-Black at 619-291-0103 x3003 to get involved and support Creek to Bay 2010. More details can be found in the Creek to Bay Sponsorship Packet, including levels of giving and associated benefits. VOLUNTEER: Save the date now to volunteer alongside ~5,000 fellow San Diegans, all out to protect our treasured outdoor areas, just in time for Earth Day! Visit the event website in March to check for updates and register for the site of your choice. Go above and beyond the call of volunteerism by recruiting friends, family, or coworkers to join in the effort! Kid's Adopt-A-Beach Ocean Day Cleanup Thursday, May 27th from 7:30AM - 1PM Bonita Cove, Mission Bay 1100 W Mission Bay Drive, San Diego 92109 Looking for a unique volunteer event? ILACSD coordinates San Diego's chapter of the statewide Kid's Ocean Day event, engaging over 800 students from local elementary schools in a beach cleanup and aerial art formation. Students and volunteers across the California coastline will create an aerial art formation that will be photographed from above by a helicopter above, to send out a powerful message about environmental health. Help these youth learn the importance of conservation, while getting involved in the fun yourself! Volunteers must be over the age of eighteen to participate, as they will be leading groups of youth during the beach cleanup and assisting with supervision. Contact Natalie Roberts at nroberts@cleansd.org to sign up. 3. Environmental Presentations in Poway, Grades 1 - 12 Help keep Poway a beautiful and safe place to live through this interactive class presentation! Through experimentation with the Enviroscape, an interactive watershed model, children learn about our place in the water cycle and how we can harm or help our environment. Subjects covered include the water cycle and watersheds, storm water pollution, waste reduction, and recycling. Work with us to keep Poway's waterways clean and empower participants to be environmental stewards in their communities. Please contact the Education Department at 619-291-0103 x3009 to schedule a presentation at no charge in your classroom. 4. "Green" Valentine's Day Gift Ideas 1. Antique Jewelry: These vintage pieces not only observe the green practice of "reuse," but they also often have a history and charm that makes a truly unique gift. 2. Live plants or flowers: Rather than spending a lot of money purchasing a disposable bouquet that only lasts a few days, why not buy a gift that endures like a living potted plant. 3. Potted herbs or gardening kits follow the same lead, and act as a gift that keeps on giving the whole year. 4. Homemade treats are also a great way to go green, save money, and have a fun activity to do together. Try organic strawberries and other fruits dipped in chocolate for a fun and delicious Valentine's Day dessert. 5. Activities are a great gift that are thoughtful, fun, and eco-friendly. Examples include a picnic at a park, tickets to a local show, concert, or museum, or a spa day at a local "green" hotel or spa. Try the Hyatt Regency Mission Bay Spa and Marina, or the Gaia Day Spa in La Jolla. Both offer organic and all-natural products, and Gaia Day Spa goes further with bamboo towels and biodegradable cups and bags in an energy efficient building. Try a couples package for some rest and relaxation together, all while having a sustainable Valentine's Day! 6. When preparing your gift, purchase a card made from recycled paper, or send an E-Card that does not create any waste. Try wrapping your gift in a reusable tote bag that can substitue more wasteful wrapping paper or gift bags. Make it fun by decorating a bag that can be used over and over for future shopping trips. 5. FUNdraising That Keeps San Diego Clean! By Lana Findlay, ILACSD's Education Coordinator Looking for an opportunity to raise some money for your school or community group? Well, I Love A Clean San Diego has been on the lookout for you. We've discovered a few ways that you can help the environment AND raise money. Recycling Drive A recycling drive fundraiser is an easy and fun way to get everyone involved. It's as easy as taking that beverage you just finished and placing the can or bottle in a different bin – the RECYCLE bin! Adding a touch of competition, like a prize for the most recyclables collected, is sure to make it fun! Start by finding out who is interested in starting a recycling program and get together. This group can include school administrators, teachers, parents or students. Figure out what you want to collect (glass, plastic bottles, aluminum cans) and what kind of recycling bins you'll need. You can start with a couple of 50 gallon size trash cans which can be donated and decorated with what you'd like to recycle. Next, determine who will be transporting your recyclables and where the nearest buyback center is located. Will the PTA be involved or just your recycling committee members? Create a schedule to transport the recyclables to the buyback center and split up the job between everyone involved so one person doesn't get burnt out. Also, give the recycling drive a short timeline, maybe 4 – 8 weeks. Short term goals are easier to reach. Finally, get the word out! Print a newsletter or post the information on your organization's website. Let people know what you are doing and what you plan to do with the funds raised. California Redemption Value (CRV) can bring in a nickel for every aluminum can or every plastic bottle under 24 ounces and a dime for every plastic bottle over 24 ounces. If your drive goes well and everyone is happy with the outcome, try continuing your fundraiser year-round. Other Fundraisers Burban Bag Sign your school up for the Burban Bag fundraiser to raise money for your school AND ILACSD, while encouraging sustainable daily habits through the sale of reusable grocery bags. Each bag is $6 with $2 benefitting your PTA and $1 benefitting I Love A Clean San Diego. Contact Natalie Roberts at 619-291-0103 x3014 for more information. TerraCycle TerraCycle.net makes affordable, eco-friendly products from a wide range of different non-recyclable waste materials such as drink pouches, energy bar wrappers, yogurt cups, cookie wrappers, chip bags and more! TerraCycle runs collection programs at no charge that pay your group to collect used packaging which is upcycled into products ranging from tote bags and purses to shower curtains and kites! eScrip Recycling The eScrip recycling program is designed for groups to earn money collecting empty laser and inkjet cartridges, used cell phones, digital cameras, GPS devices, iPods and laptops. The more items collected, the more money your program can earn! Other non-fundraising recycling programs AVEDA AVEDA found that a majority of plastic bottle caps do not get recycled today. Coastal Cleanup Day volunteers removed 13,632 bottlecaps in San Diego County in just one day! Often these caps end up as litter or trash and migrate into our rivers and oceans. Birds and other marine creatures mistake them for food with tragic results. Your school can be part of the solution by joining Recycle Caps with Aveda. Preserve Through Preserve's Gimme 5 program, you can recycle your #5 plastics, a kind of plastic that many towns and cities won't recycle. Preserve transforms yogurt cups into toothbrushes and take-out containers into cutting boardsand a lot of other great looking, high performance products for your bathroom, table, and kitchen. They also recycle your old Britta water filters! Pass this email along to any potential volunteers, environmental stewards, or friends and family to encourage involvement and spread awareness about protecting San Diego's environment. Thank you for your interest, and we hope to see you at an upcoming volunteer event! Natalie Roberts and Morgan Justice-Black Volunteer Department I Love A Clean San Diego 619-291-0103 volunteers@cleansd.org www.cleansd.org