Coronado Rotary Club’s Committee to Protect the Environment (CPE) teamed up with Chula Vista-Eastlake Rotary Club on Saturday morning, June 5th to collect trash in recognition of World Environment Day. They cleaned along Frontage Road and the Bay Bike Path near the south San Diego Bay. The 30+ members of Coronado Rotary’s CPE are joined by others in the club almost every weekend to clean along the bay, the Silver Strand, or Orange Avenue. These are in addition to over 18 years of monthly beach clean-ups hosted by the club. Rotarians felt great about the positive impact they made at this partnering event between clubs in support of the new Rotary International Area of Focus which emphasizes local, national, and international actions to protect the environment.
Coronadio Rotary’s CPE Chair, Zayanne Thompson led the charge, showing up early with Karen Laedlein to provide coffee and refreshments. She also coordinated with the City of Chula Vista for trash pickup. Rotarian Sam Hernandez jumped at the invitation and brought others from the Chula Vista-Eastlake club. The event showcased how partnering with City leadership and other clubs can expand Rotary efforts to protect the environment.
The amount of trash collected over a two-hour period was beyond expectations. Rotarians collected five abandoned grocery carts, filled each one with trash, additionally dragging a bed frame, and over 13 large trash bags with waste to protect the bay and sensitive riparian habitat. The trash collected was all taken from an area that includes water runoff which flows into the San Diego Bay along the Bay Bike Path. This area encompasses the South Bay Wildlife Sanctuary for birds and the San Diego Salt Works.
Moving forward, the Coronado CPE will continue to focus on education and activities to protect the environment, including additional events with their new Rotary friends in Chula Vista!
