It all started with a group of 12 close friends who loved to surf and go to the beach.
They came from very different backgrounds and professions — marine biologist, real estate developer and assistant hotel manager — but all had a passion for the ocean.
They started talking about what they could do to better steward the coastlines, and thus, Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii was born in April 2011.
Its mission is to inspire local communities to care for their coastlines through hands-on beach cleanups.
The group, a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit, considers itself a chapter of Sustainable Coastlines in New Zealand but operates independently. It just received its first grant of $55,000 from the Johnson Ohana Charitable Foundation founded by Jack and Kim Johnson.
On Earth Day, the group celebrated its one-year anniversary by hosting a large-scale coastal cleanup from Makapuu to Kaupo Bay, drawing more than 650 volunteers who helped remove more than 3,500 pounds of marine debris.
The debris — everything from cigarette butts and beer bottle caps (mostly Heineken) to plastic-foam cups — was tallied and reported to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
After the coastal cleanup, volunteers were invited to an Earth Day Festival at Sea Life Park with live music from five bands. The group also organized an after-party at Fresh Cafe that evening with guest speakers and music.
The organization’s vision, says event director Kahi Pacarro, is to go big, with awareness events and large-scale beach cleanups drawing hundreds and even thousands of volunteers. The idea is to motivate people to participate by making the cleanups fun, and to find ways to keep the conversation going afterward.
During the beach cleanups, there might be bottles hidden in the sand with a prize inside, raffles for surf gear and barbecues. Guest speakers are invited to give talks about environmental issues that "keep it short, keep it relevant" and get the message across to the target audience.
Spending a morning at the beach picking up hundreds of bottle caps, the group says, might inspire someone to think twice about buying bottled water or chucking bottle caps onto the sand.
The group wants to target a broad demographic, whether it’s elementary school students, 20-somethings, families or senior citizens. And it’s also interested in partnering with other nonprofit groups with similar missions.
Outreach is through social media, including a blog, Facebook and Twitter, as well as community events.
Upcoming events include a beach cleanup at Diamond Head on June 17 in partnership with the Surfrider Foundation, and at Kahuku Beach on June 23 in partnership with the Kokua Hawaii Foundation.
To learn more, visit sustainablecoastlineshawaii.org.
Nina Wu writes about environmental issues. Reach her at 529-4892 or nwu@staradvertiser.com.
