Update from Kate - Litter Got You Down? Take Action at the Clean Marin Trash Summit, November 1, 2017

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Update from Kate  

Litter Got You Down? Take Action by Attending... 

 

Clean Marin Trash Summit 

Marin Center Exhibit Hall, 10 Avenue of the Flags, San Rafael

Wednesday, November 1, 2017

1:00 to 4:00 pm 

Trash is not just unsightly on streets and sidewalks; it’s an environmental hazard as it enters waterways, polluting the water affecting water quality and hurting wildlife. Marin County Stormwater Pollution Prevention Program (MCSTOPPP) is partnering with local anti-litter coalitions, collectively referred to as Clean Marin, to put on the inaugural Trash Summit on Wednesday, November 1. The free event will be at the Marin Center Exhibit Hall, 10 Avenue of the Flags, San Rafael, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Here's your chance to meet a small but effective group of "trash busters," join the growing movement and find out what you can do to stop litter! Register here to attend.

The goal of the Trash Summit, featuring David Lewis of Save the Bay, is to bolster partnerships among anti-litter volunteers and local government, empowering collaborative, effective litter prevention and cleanup efforts. The Clean Marin groups – such as Clean Mill Valley, San Rafael Clean, Novato Streetscape Committee, All One Ocean, Marin Clean Highways, and others – have been working diligently to reduce trash in our communities.

Marin County Supervisors Dennis Rodoni and Katie Rice will convene and conclude the gathering. Staff from the offices of Supervisors Kate Sears and Damon Connolly have worked alongside these groups to help foster a countywide ethic of clean streets and communities. Key partners from Gallinas Watershed Council, Friends of Corte Madera Creek, Marin County Parks, Conservation Corps North Bay, Zero Waste Marin, Marin’s cities and towns, and other regional agencies have joined the campaign. 

“The event will provide valuable information and resources on how to join or start your own Clean Marin group,” said Rob Carson, Administrator of MCSTOPPP. “Long term, this is about inspiring all the people and groups to get involved in trash cleanup and work together to find solutions for our watershed. Most people don’t want to see trash in their community or in the creeks, and have ideas about how to improve the situation. We want to turn that momentum into action on a grassroots level.”

The Trash Summit will also highlight the accomplishments of Clean Marin volunteer programs such as Adopt-a-Spot, clean business programs, and other organized trash cleanup initiatives working successfully in communities throughout Marin.

Much of the trash that accumulates in our creeks, wetlands, bays and ocean starts as the litter on our streets. When it rains, the trash on the streets goes straight into the storm drain and out to the bay, untreated.  Statewide water quality regulations soon will require local governments to prevent trash from passing through parts of their storm drain systems to a waterway, and many local agencies are already working on reducing litter from a variety of sources.

Visit the Eventbrite page to register.

Contact Angela Clapp at MCSTOPPP with ideas or questions at aclapp@marincounty.org. To learn about the many ways to reduce pollutants in waterways, visit the MCSTOPPP website.