After over a decade of working at the Contra Costa RCD, I associate the month of September with Coastal Cleanup Day (CCCD). I envision our staff’s creative campaign to engage the community in improving the health of our watersheds. I remember the faces of the children as they learn how to become good stewards of our wonderful planet. I remember the mother and daughter team discussing a bug discovered under the trash they just removed. I think of the plastic bottle discarded by someone who we haven’t shared the message of hope for a trash-free future where we use less than we create. Visions of hope for our future swirl around my mind as I feel the love from the community pouring into every trash-filled bag. I smile at seeing a future where we all understand our place in the delicate network of this giant, blue planet. I’m honored to be given the job of bringing people together to create positive change for our flowing waters.

Let’s come together and teach ourselves by teaching children and introducing them to the wonders underneath the garbage they are forced to accept as the norm. This world can be complicated and distract from the connection we all need to our waters. Let’s all pitch in and create a future where we no longer need to think as individuals in an isolated system but rather understand our complex connection to everything around us. As our forests grow and our waters flow, so do we.

So, once again, I am looking forward to being part of the solution during CCCD this September! Please join our staff and become a part of this worldwide effort to love our waters and bring hope for the future. We have cleanup sites throughout the County. See below to find a cleanup near you and volunteer alongside your fellow community members to make a lasting difference in the future of our waters! The red stars indicate locations, and below the map is more information on locations, dates, and times. See you there!