The time to sweep our beaches is upon us once again. Join in the 13th Annual Minnesota Beach Sweep 2009, a community event that runs from September 1 through October 31.

Minnesota Beach Sweep started 13 years ago when Great Lakes Aquarium partnered with Ocean Conservancy for the International Coastal Clean-up (ICC). The ICC is the oldest running cleanup efforts of its kind and involves 123 countries around the globe. Focused on removing man-made debris from coastline of all kinds, ICC volunteers also collect data about the debris they gather. This data becomes part of the global database and is used to enhance efforts to protect and restore global waterways. This year, Great Lakes Aquarium has also partnered with Conservation Minnesota for the 13th Annual Minnesota Beach Sweep 2009.

During Minnesota Beach Sweep 2008, Minnesotans from across the state picked up over 11,000 cigarette butts, over 1,000 food wrappers and over 600 caps and lids. Volunteers across the state are encouraged to clean up a beach in your area. The Great Lakes Aquarium will provide all garbage bags and data sheets. The Great Lakes Aquarium will also provide each volunteer with a free tote bag as appreciation for a commitment to stewardship.

For more information and to sign up for your free Beach Sweep Clean-up kit, please visit the Minnesota Beach Sweep website or contact Margret Scott, Minnesota Beach Sweep Coordinator, at 218-740-3474 ext 1025, email mscott@glaquarium.org.

This entry was posted on Monday, August 10th, 2009 at 3:14 pm by Dave and is filed under Civic Engagement, Great Lakes, Water. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.