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Coastal Cleanup Day 2025
9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Become part of the solution to ocean pollution!
Join us for Coastal Cleanup Day on Saturday, September 20th. Take action to help protect the beaches, creeks, and parks that make Santa Barbara County such a wonderful place to live.
Get outside, enjoy nature, and give back to the places you love.
Volunteers of all ages are welcome at any of our 2025 cleanup sites. Pre-registration isn’t required, but is encouraged! Everyone who pre-registers will be automatically entered into our prize drawing.
Each site will have a captain on hand to provide necessary instructions and supplies. You can bring your own gloves, buckets, and other reusable cleanup supplies to reduce waste and help lessen the plastic footprint of the event.
New this year! We’re adding extra fun with a Trashure Hunt at select sites. While picking up litter, keep an eye out for a hidden mini treasure chest- find it and you’ll win a prize! It’s our way of saying thank you for volunteering while adding a little adventure to your day. Don’t forget to snap a photo or video of your win and share it to inspire others.
If you can’t make the cleanup on the 20th, we encourage you to clean up any time during the month of September and your cleanup data will count toward the Coastal Cleanup Day totals.
Coastal Cleanup Day is brought to you by Explore Ecology and our partner the County of Santa Barbara Resource Recovery and Waste Management, with support from the cities of Santa Barbara, Goleta, and Solvang. The statewide event is organized by the California Coastal Commission and the international effort is led by the Ocean Conservancy.
Let’s make this the biggest Coastal Cleanup Day yet. We hope to see you at your favorite beach, creek, or park on September 20th!
Josh was born and raised in Santa Barbara, where his passion and curiosity for the environment began and has continued to grow. During his undergraduate studies, Josh pursued this interest at the University of California at Santa Cruz, receiving a Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental Studies.
Melissa Dodos developed her passion for creative reuse as a mother of four and elementary educator over the past 25 years. She loves to inspire creativity by connecting people with resources and ideas.
Veronica grew up in San Diego and spent four years in San Luis Obispo studying Animal Science at Cal Poly. As an undergrad she learned lots about livestock, agriculture, and wildlife.
Stephanie began her journey as an educator over twenty years ago working as a preschool teacher in Washington state for a cooperative preschool program affiliated with Whatcom Community College. She loved observing the wonder and curiosity of the children and bringing them out into nature to explore the natural world. She continued her love for learning and got her teaching license and then her Montessori certification and worked as an elementary teacher in Tribal, Public, and Montessori schools. She collaborated to create a school garden and her students loved it so much that it became a special place where they could garden, read, explore, play, and it provided a safe sanctuary for students to calm down and reset when they were having difficult moments.
Morgan’s mermaid soul is always seeking adventure—swimming a relay across the Santa Barbara Channel and taking the first photo of a newborn orca off Anacapa Island being standout experiences close to home.
Lindsay Johnson
