Virtual Stormwater Pollution Prevention Events
September 2021
We all play a part in preventing stormwater pollution. Here are some ways to get involved in September and help protect our local waterways! All events are free unless otherwise indicated.
I Love A Clean San Diego Community Cleanups – Several in-person and remote neighborhood cleanups are being offered in September. Participants can join in one of two ways – in-person at the actual cleanup site, or remotely in their own neighborhoods. Trash will be collected to divert litter from their respective watersheds.
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September 11, 8am to 12pm -- Bucket Drive: Cleanup Kit Pickup Event – Kearny Mesa – In preparation for the 37th Annual Coastal Cleanup on September 18th (see below), I Love A Clean San Diego is hosting a ‘bucket drive’ containing zero waste/upcycled cleanup materials to be used in place of disposable materials. A single donation of $30 gifts one cleanup kit. For multiple kits, donate in increments of $30. Cleanup kits are unavailable after September 11th. Learn more and donate.
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September 16, 3pm to 5pm – Sunset Sweep: Hollywood Canyon Neighborhood Litter Cleanup – Join I Love A Clean San Diego, San Diego Canyonlands, and Think Blue for an in-person or remote litter cleanup in Hollywood Canyon. Participants will do a ‘sunset sweep’ of their neighborhood and collect trash around the community to divert it from traveling through the San Diego Bay watershed. Attend the kick-off at the cleanup site or by Zoom (if remote) at 3pm and then get out there to beautify your canyon neighborhood! Learn more or register.
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September 18, 2021 – 37th Annual VIRTUAL Coastal Cleanup Day – Join the County of San Diego Watershed Protection Program, Project Clean Water, and I Love A Clean San Diego, to be a part of the County’s largest single-day environmental cleanup effort. This year’s Coastal Cleanup Day will be held in a remote, virtually hosted format. You can then choose your cleanup location – whether that’s close to home or using the litter hot spot/volunteer impact map – and clean up anytime throughout the day on Saturday the 18th. Registration opens September 1st. Learn more or register at cleanupday.org.
San Diego River Park Foundation River Cleanups and Water Quality Monitoring Events – Several river cleanups and water quality monitoring events are being offered in September.
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Saturday River Rescue Cleanups – September 4, 11, 18, and 25, 9am to 12pm – Come out and assist with river cleanups and support a healthy river while interacting with a group of like-minded people! Locations change weekly. Learn more or register for the September 4th, September 11th, September 18th, and September 25th events.
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Water Quality Monitoring Events – Come join the RiverWatch team in various locations to see how they monitor the water quality of the San Diego River.
San Diego Coastkeeper Six Cleanup Challenge – Form a group and participate in the Six Cleanup Challenge to positively impact communities and outdoor spaces up and down the watershed. Pick up trash from two challenge sites in three categories – coastal, inland, and urban – and receive a certificate of completion and appreciation packet as a prize. Learn more and see list of challenge sites.
Surfrider San Diego Beach Cleanups – Join the San Diego chapter of the Surfrider Foundation in its ongoing beach cleanups.
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Ongoing – Solo Cleanups – Participate in safe, physically distant ‘solo’ cleanups on your own – at the beach, in your neighborhood, at your local park – or anywhere in your watershed. Learn more about solo cleanup guidelines, how to tally your trash cleanup activity, and how you can make a difference in preventing trash from reaching the beach in the first place.
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September 4, 9am to 11am – Ocean Beach Pier Cleanup – Participate in a beach and street cleanup at/around Ocean Beach Pier the first Saturday of each month and help play an active role in determining the sources of trash on our beaches. Learn more.
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September 18, 9am to 11am – Moonlight State Beach Cleanup – Participate in a beach and street cleanup at/around Moonlight State Beach the third Saturday of each month and help play an active role in determining the sources of trash on our beaches. Learn more.
Quarterly Community Cleanup – September 25, 9am to 12pm – City of Oceanside, Rancho Del Oro Park – Join the City of Oceanside in collaboration with Neighborhood Services and the Green Oceanside Team for quarterly cleanups throughout City parks, Resource Centers, and neighborhoods. Learn more.
WaterSmart Residential Landscape and Irrigation Online Programs – The San Diego County Water Authority’s WaterSmart Program is providing free residential webinars on landscape design and irrigation management during the month of September and throughout 2021. These classes are sponsored in part by Member Agencies and the County of San Diego.
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September 11, 9am to 12pm – Water & Irrigation: Utilizing a Precious Resource – Learn strategies to use our limited water sources wisely, including integrating stormwater capture elements into your landscape and conserving water through simple irrigation system retrofits. Learn more or register.
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September 25, 9am to 12pm – Installation & Maintenance: Protecting Your Investment – Learn strategies for success in removing your turf and installing and maintaining your landscaping. Learn more or register.
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September 29 – November 3, 12pm to 2pm – Qualified Water Efficient Landscaper (QWEL) Certificate Training – From watersheds, water budgets and hydraulics, to application rates, controller programming and soils, you’ll learn the science and principles of water-efficient landscapes through the QWEL training certification. This free 20-hour course is spread out from September 29th through November 3rd in convenient, with weekly two-hour live webinars. An optional exam is available in-person or online November 10th, 12th and 19th. In-person exams are FREE. A $30 exam proctoring fee applies to online exams. Learn more or register.
Alta Vista Botanical Garden Kids in the Garden Classes – September 11, 10am to 12pm – Recycled Art and Sculpture (fee $5 for non-members) – Join Farmer Jones for Saturday classes featuring hands-on activities, incredible edibles, conservation lessons, and tours of the Gardens. Learn more and pre-register.
California Native Plant Society, San Diego Chapter – Designing Gardens in Harmony with Nature Online Presentation – September 14, 7pm to 8:15pm – Join Carol Bornstein, Author and Director of the Nature Gardens at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, for a presentation on how to make a difference in conserving or restoring biodiversity by creating habitat for wildlife in urban areas. This presentation features some of the best California native plants for Southern California gardens along with equally important ideas for sustainably designing and tending these spaces. Learn more or register.
University of California (UC) Urban and Community Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Webinar Series – September 16, 1pm to 2pm – Identifying Insect Pests in the Home and Garden – Learn about common insect pests in homes and gardens and how to control them. Presented by Elaine Lander, UC Statewide IPM Program. Learn more about the webinar series or register.
Ride the Tide Water Harvesting Bike Tour – September 18, 9am to 1pm – University City – (fee $5 to $40 including raffle) – Join the San Diego Sustainable Living Institute, CatchingH2O, and San Diego Coastkeeper for a behind the scenes tour (via bike, scooter, or carpool) of how your neighbors are reducing their need for imported water and growing thriving gardens that contribute to the human and native ecology of the San Diego River Watershed. This is a tour for all ages showcasing 5 local homes that have implemented rainwater, greywater, or innovative water efficient landscapes in the University City neighborhood. Learn more or register.
I Love A Clean San Diego – Sustainable Landscape Webinar – September 22, 4pm to 5pm – Learn how your yard connects to our local environment. This webinar will cover planting best-practices, ways to control erosion, gardening habits to avoid or adopt, and proper storage and disposal of fertilizers and pesticides. Learn more about how engaging with our land intentionally helps to keep it healthy and sustainable! In partnership with the City of Vista. Learn more or register.
The Water Conservation Garden Workshops and Programs – September 22, 11am to 12pm – How to Hire a Landscaper – Join for an informative, common-sense approach to hiring a landscape professional. You’ll learn which questions to ask, how to properly plan, and receive money-saving tips too! Sponsored by The County of San Diego. Learn more or register.
Landscape and Water-Savings Webinars – A series of landscape and water-savings webinars are being offered throughout the month of September. Dates and times vary. Hosted in part by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. See calendar and learn more or register.
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Weed and Pest Management – Learn how to manage your unwelcome visitors organically. Topics include using an integrated pest management program, developing strategies to prevent pest problems, managing weeds and regrowth without chemicals, and non-toxic solutions for pest control. Hosted by California American Water.
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California-Friendly Native Plant Webinar (ENGLISH AND CHINESE) – Learn how to design a yard using the four principles of gorgeous and watershed-wise landscaping including building healthy soil, capturing rainfall, selecting native plants that minimize water use, and controlling irrigation.
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Turf: Remove, Replace, or Maintain Organically – Learn how to design your yard using principles of watershed-wise landscaping including removing your lawn without chemicals, building healthy soil, and selecting climate-appropriate and water-wise plants.
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Garden Design Workshop – Learn how to identify critical steps for successfully designing a watershed-wise landscape including developing a successful planting plan, developing a palette of climate-appropriate plants, and sizing/siting rainwater capture area.
 Photo courtesy of Solana Center for Environmental Innovation
Solana Center for Environmental Innovation Waste Reduction Webinars Events – The following residential and business waste reduction events are being offered in September.
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Traditional Composting Series – Several traditional composting webinars are being offered as part of a 4-part series. Part 1 was offered in August but is not a pre-requisite for September webinars. Sponsored by County of San Diego.
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September 2, 6pm to 7pm – Starting Your Traditional Compost Pile (Part 2) – Learn how to begin composting food scraps and yard waste at home and build an effective compost pile. Learn more or register.
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September 9, 6pm to 7pm – Bokashi & Composting (Part 3) – Learn the basics of Bokashi, a ‘pre-composting’ technique that allows you to compost ALL your food waste, allowing fresh materials to be preserved and composted at your leisure. Learn more or register.
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September 16, 6pm to 7pm – Troubleshooting, Harvesting, and Using Traditional Compost (Part 4) – Learn how to care for your compost pile from start to finish and reap the rewards of a beautiful, finished soil amendment. Learn more or register.
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September 11, 2pm to 3pm – Vermicomposting Basics Webinar – Learn how to use vermicomposting (worm composting) as an environmentally-friendly way to turn your food waste into nutrient-rich castings for your plants or garden beds. Sponsored by the City of San Diego. Learn more or register.
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Virtual Master Composter Courses (fee $25) – Five-week Master Composter courses are being offered via weekly webinars. Course includes weekly webinar meetings with Q&A, take-home lectures, a curated Facebook group, a virtual field trip to observe a large-scale composting operation in action, and more!
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September 25, October 2, 9, 16 and 23, 10am to 11:30am – County of San Diego Course – Priority registration for this course will be offered to residents of unincorporated San Diego County. Learn more or register.
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September 28, October 5, 12, 19 and 26, 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm – City of San Diego Course – Priority registration for this course will be offered to residents of the City of San Diego. Learn more or register.
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September (scheduled pickup to be determined) – Free E-Business Waste Pickup – Coastal North County Cities – A FREE e-waste pick-up service is being offered to businesses in coastal North County cities. Register by the second Friday of the month. Urban Corps will contact you to confirm pick-up. Offered in partnership with Urban Corps. Learn more or register.
The Living Coastal Discovery Center and City of Chula Vista On-Site and Virtual Compost Workshops – The following compost workshops are regularly being offered:
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Every Sunday in September, 2pm to 3pm – On-site Compost Workshops – Learn the basics on how to start their own compost pile and turn food waste into nutrient-rich soil. On-site workshops free with admission. Learn more or register.
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Fall 2021 Seven-Week On-Line Master Composter Program (fall dates coming soon) – Learn about the art and science of composting including traditional composting, how to build a compost pile demonstration, vermicomposting, soil health, environmental impacts, and more! Learn more and join the interest list below to be considered.
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