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Sally Scholz & Pitch In Coastal Cleanup - May 2026
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Earth Day Santa Cruz - April 2026
Santa Cruz showed up on Saturday, 4.18.26, with clear skies and a strong turnout in celebration of our shared environment. COI connected with many community members throughout the day about the persistent and visible issue of plastic pollution. We shared how our Environmental Plastic Assessment Program is helping build a clearer picture of how plastic debris changes across time and location, and why that data matters.
We also discussed our ongoing work... [Read more...] |
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2nd Biannual Sally Scholz Coastal Cleanup - Nov 2025
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International Coastal Cleanup Day - Sept 2025On Saturday, 9/20/25, Clean Oceans International joined volunteers for International Coastal Cleanup Day at Moran Lake Beach in Santa Cruz. We teamed up with site lead Pacific Paw to clean both the beach and nearby neighborhood.
The Top items were: 235 cigarette butts, 67 food wrappers, 14 cans, 9 pieces of foam packaging, & 7 toys As part of this collective effort, [Read more...] |
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Post July 4th Cleanup - July 2025
On July 5th, 2025, Clean Oceans International was joined by incredible volunteers to remove litter left behind from the holiday festivities. With beaches and neighborhoods crowded the day before, our community stepped up to stop trash from reaching the ocean - protecting marine life and keeping our coastline clean and beautiful.
This was more than just a cleanup. Over coffee, cookies, and shared purpose, new friendships were made, stories were exchanged, and a real sense of community took root. We were joined by... [Read more...] |
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Cabrillo Oceanography Students survey Santa Cruz Beach - June 2025Clean Oceans International returned to Main Beach on 6/27/25 for a collaborative field day with Cabrillo College Oceanography 10 students and Professor Lauren Hanneman. This marks the second summer of our ongoing partnership, building momentum for hands-on, community-based ocean science.
We began with a powerful discussion on plastic pollution and COI’s mission to address it through innovation, outreach, and education. Students then conducted a real-world...[Read more...] |
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1st Annual Sally Scholz Coastal Cleanup in conjunction with Santa Cruz County’s Pitch-In Day - May 2025On 5/10/25, we hosted our first cleanup event in honor of Sally Scholz — a passionate community member who cared deeply about the ocean and chose to make Clean Oceans International part of her legacy. Held in conjunction with Pitch In Day, the event brought together 21 volunteers at Moran Lake Beach and the surrounding Live Oak neighborhood. Together, we collected [Read more...]
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Shore to Shore Beach Comparison Study - Spring 2025For her Cabrillo College “Action for Sustainability” course, Environmental Science major Leah Moos partnered with Clean Oceans International to explore the connection between beach cleanups, data collection, and community behavior. Using COI’s Environmental Plastic Assessment Program (EPAP), Leah surveyed both Seacliff State Beach and Santa Cruz Beach, comparing the quantity and types of plastic debris found...[Read more...]
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UC Davis Students Visit - Spring 2025This Spring, University of California Davis students from the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences visited Clean Oceans International as part of their spring break environmental outreach tour.
The group met with Education Director David Schwartz and Environmental Plastic Assessment Program (EPAP) Coordinator Patti Clark at the Santa Cruz Harbor for... [Read more...] |
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Cabrillo EPAP Surveys - Spring 2025
In Spring 2025, COI returned to Cowell Beach for the sixth consecutive semester as part of our ongoing Environmental Plastic Assessment Program (EPAP) in collaboration with Cabrillo College’s Environmental Science program. This semester, we expanded our efforts to include new survey sites at Rio Del Mar and Seacliff State Beaches.
Through these hands-on, semester-long Community Research Projects...[Read more...] |