Annually, seasonally and sometimes even daily, amazing oceanic migrations are taking place. Humpback whales migrate thousands of miles to breeding grounds each year, while every night trillions of plankton, fish and squid move from the depths of the ocean towards the surface to feed. There are dozens more examples. Generation after generation, these incredible treks take place like clockwork.
There’s another migration I would like to add to the list. Each year, hundreds of thousands of people flock to shores across the world to remove harmful debris and plastic from their creeks, rivers, lakes and beaches. This is Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Cleanup® (ICC), and its 41st season is upon us. I personally am extra-excited about this year’s movement, as it will be the first cleanup with my eight-month-old in tow, hopefully her first of many.
About the ICC
The ICC brings together people of all ages and backgrounds to take part in removing trash from the environment. The beauty of this migration is that even the smallest actions add up to great impact for ocean health. While many community cleanups take place in September, cleanups happen all year long. You can also do a cleanup any time on your own or with family and friends using Ocean Conservancy’s free mobile app, Clean Swell®, to track what you find. Data collection is at the heart of the ICC, and millions of marine debris data points feed into an online open-access database which informs big-picture solutions to the ocean plastic crisis. During last year’s Cleanup, more than 630,000 volunteers removed 7.9 million pounds (3.4 million kilograms) of trash and tallied 13.8 million items removed!
Our cleanup actions have immediate benefits for marine life too. Based on recent research led by Ocean Conservancy scientists, we built a Wildlife Impact Calculator to help us understand how our actions removing plastic from the environment protect marine birds, turtles and mammals that otherwise might have interacted with those items. The calculator is now part of the Clean Swell® app, so when you submit your cleanup results, you can see in real time how many animals your cleanup effort is protecting.
If you are like me, once you start this movement to clean our waterways and ocean, it becomes part of your yearly routine. It’s an annual migration of good for our blue planet—one where we can bring our families and friends along too.
What the ocean means to you
We recently asked our supporters: What does the ocean mean to you, and why do you feel called to protect it? Here are some of the responses they shared with us:
“I would love for future generations to be able to see the beautiful ocean we have. We need to stop the destruction of pollution, overfishing and warming of our oceans.” – Debra E.
“It is our future! And it is an honor to explore it at times. I wish everyone could see its beauty below the surface.” – Suzy W.
“It’s one of the most important places on the planet and it is still as unknown to us as outer space, for this is the final frontier to be explored. And now more than ever, our future depends on a healthy thriving ocean.” – Derek H.
“The ocean and wildlife were part of my childhood. It was where I felt like I belonged. I want to protect it so future generations can have the connection that I had.” – Cynthia K.
“The ocean is life itself; a vast, breathing force whose rhythms sustain the planet, nourish entire ecosystems, and cradle an extraordinary tapestry of wildlife. It embodies natural beauty in its purest form, from shimmering surfaces to the hidden worlds below, each layer reminding us of the delicate balance that keeps Earth alive. Without the ocean, all life ends; with it, the planet thrives. It is both a wonder and a responsibility, a reminder that we must protect the oceans if we hope to protect ourselves and the future of every living thing.” – Laurie S.
Looking to the future
Like so many of our supporters, I dream of a future where my daughter and her generation do not have to do cleanups, and the plastic pollution crisis would be a thing of the past. And that dream is not too far away. The tools and solutions exist, we just have to prioritize and implement them. Cleaning up the debris and plastics already in the environment remains an important part of the solution. Join our International Coastal Cleanup® and help us reach our mission of a healthy ocean and a thriving planet, forever and for everyone.
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