Students Defend the Sea at Kids Ocean Day

More than 5,000 Los Angeles students, teachers and volunteers convened on June 7 at Dockweiler State Beach to celebrate the 19th annual Kids Ocean Day.  The participants cleaned the beach and formed a massive kid-designed shark and shield to “Defend the Sea” from a modern day sea monster – every day plastic litter. The activity aimed to alert the world about the need to protect the ocean from the trash and plastic litter that flow from our streets and into the Pacific Ocean, killing marine life and contaminating food resources. 

“Kids Ocean Day serves as an annual call to recognize the far reaching consequences of urban litter and the work needed to restore and preserve the world’s oceans for our future,” said Andrea Alarcon, president for the Los Angeles Board of Public Works. “For the City of Los Angeles, the goal is to reach out to as many students and residents as possible to encourage environmental stewardship and actions that helps to sustain the health of our ocean and our planet.”

“These kids are like modern-day knights in shining armor,” said Mary Shallenberger, Chair of the California Coastal Commission.   “They are asking us to join them in defending our ocean from marine debris and other forms of pollution that harm marine life.  I’m so proud of them that they took this day to send the message to keep trash out of the sea.  It makes me optimistic that these young people will continue the crusade to keep our coast and ocean clean.”

“LA Sanitation knows that keeping our ocean clean is a team effort,” said Enrique Zaldivar, director of Los Angeles Sanitation.  ”Today, 5,000 LA kids pledged to be part of our clean water team and to prevent ocean pollution!  Let’s follow their example and take an active stand with them to protect what our coastal city is all about – clean, healthy and world-renowned beaches and oceans rich with fish and marine life.”

The Malibu Foundation for Environmental Education coordinates Kids Ocean Day for the Los Angeles region by giving presentations year round at area schools and organizing Kids Ocean Day at the beach annually.  Founded in 1991, the Malibu Foundation for Environmental Education’s Adopt-A-Beach School Assembly has been presented to almost 650,000 children and nearly 107,000 have participated in the annual clean-up. Kids Ocean Day is celebrated at six locations along the California coast, extending from Humboldt County to San Diego. 

Kids Ocean Day was organized and sponsored by the Malibu Foundation for Environmental Education, the California Coastal Commission, the City of Los Angeles, Keep Los Angeles Beautiful, Miss Me Jeans and Spectral Q. Kids Ocean Day honors World Oceans Day which is celebrated globally on June 8.