City of Coral Gables Launch Site Cleanup ICC 2023

Hi Volunteers!!! Thank you for participating in this years International Coastal Cleanup!  I wanted to share a few details with you guys! Thank you for signing up to volunteer for International Coastal Cleanup Miami-Dade on Saturday, September 16th from 9am until noon.  This event will be held at the Coral Gables Launch Site located on Riviera Drive and US1. This cleanup would be on land but also on our Coral Gables Waterway.  We do encourage volunteers and residents to bring their own paddle boards and kayaks if you would like to participate on the waterway portion of our cleanup! We will have our checkin table with Lucy Lopez, Matt Anderson and Solanch Lopez at the launch site located on US1 and Riviera Drive.  There will be no parking allowed on the actual launch site only to launch your kayak, paddle board or canoe.  Free parking is available at 4600 Ponce de Leon and its less than a 5 minute walk. This is a pretty busy street.  Please use caution if needing to cross the street. Keep Coral Gables Beautiful has donated safety vests for all participants, please wear these while picking up trash. After you pick up, please bring the bags back to the check in table and place near the trash bin, not inside. A few important reminders: 

• Complete the online waiver here: https://forms.gle/fj1DmQhWW4xts25f9  **If you are under 18 and coming without a parent or guardian, you must have a parent/guardian sign the waiver in advance. https://forms.gle/fj1DmQhWW4xts25f9
• Wear: Dress for the weather, wear appropriate footwear. Closed-toed shoes (like sneakers or water shoes that you don’t mind getting dirty) are suggested
• Please bring water in a reusable bottle to reduce single-use plastic waste.
• Download the Clean Swell App:  You will be working in teams of 2-3 collecting Citizen Science data using provided paper data cards or the Clean Swell mobile app. Download the free app from your app store in advance if you would like to use it instead of the card. If you have a smart phone, it’s more fun and easier to use the app!   https://oceanconservancy.org/trash-free-seas/international-coastal-cleanup/cleanswell/  Data collection is required for students who need community service hours.
• Gloves:  If you have your own work/garden or dishwashing gloves, please bring them. We will have reusable working gloves on hand, but cannot guarantee having your size. Those with very small or very large hands may want to bring their own.
• Buckets:  Some volunteers find it convenient to use a bucket while doing a cleanup and it also help us to consolidate the trash into fewer plastic trash bags. You can repurpose free buckets from many local restaurants. Try asking your local Chinese restaurant, fast food burger place or donut shop as they often get food items delivered in 5-gallon buckets and are usually happy to give them away to volunteers. Repurposing Smaller kitty litter buckets make great buckets for younger kids at cleanups too!
• Community Service Hours:  Bring your own paperwork if you need it signed from us, otherwise, if you need our certificates, kindly let me know so we can be sure to have enough forms on hand.
• **Please DO NOT attend the activity if you’ve had a recent COVID-19 exposure, have any cold or flu-like symptoms, or are feeling unwell in any way on the day of the event.

Spearheaded globally by the Ocean Conservancy, VolunteerCleanup.org organizes Miami-Dade’s local participation in this annual event with 50+ simultaneous shoreline cleanups around the county and is made possible by the generous support of our presenting sponsors Covanta and Boucher Brothers, with additional support from Blackstone Charitable Foundation, The Brady Hunter Foundation, Benjamin & Gloria Joannou, Jr. Family Conservation Fund, City of Miami Beach, The Miami Foundation, Loud And Live, and Miami-Dade County RER-DERM   Thank you for volunteering. Looking forward to a great impactful day!