Earth Day 2001 brings out volunteers - sparks consciousness

By The Malibu Times · Thu Apr 26 2001

Approximately 70 adults and children volunteers donned rubber gloves and filled plastic trash bags with debris in conjunction with the 31st anniversary of Earth Day in Malibu.

By 2 p.m., volunteers had collected 467 pounds of trash and 128 pounds of recyclables from Malibu Lagoon.

The Malibu Lagoon is one of three significant coastal wetlands remaining in Los Angeles County and home to two federally endangered fish species: the tidewater goby and the southern steelhead.

"Malibu Lagoon is a very special place," said Assembly-member Fran Pavley. Representatives from the California State Parks Foundation and California State Parks Lagoon Cleanup helped the volunteers with the work at hand. The California Wildlife Center, The Malibu Surfside Foundation, Heal the Bay and State Parks Lifeguards also helped with the event.

Residents also helped clean up at Point Dume State Beach, Point Magu and Topanga state parks and three cars were cut up and hauled out of Malibu Creek.

April 22 is recognized worldwide as Earth Day, a time when people around the globe are reminded that our planet is precious and perishable.

In an effort to boost people's environmental know-how, hoping to minimize needless waste, which impacts the environment greatly, the L.A. County Department of Public Works offers the following tips:

• Because it takes 17 trees to make a ton of paper and people in the United States use six times more paper than the average world citizen, public works suggest that people use both sides of a paper whenever possible.

• Recycling paper will eliminate half of the solid waste sent to landfills in Los Angeles.

• Paper manufacturing is the largest U.S. industrial user of fuel and oils and third user of electricity and coal, therefore be creative, reuse old newspapers for wrapping presents, use paper bags as book covers, etc.

• When shopping, choose products that don't have excessive plastic and paper wrapping.

• Plastics are made from non-renewable oil resources and they do not easily decompose. It is encouraged to reuse and recycle as much as possible.

• Other matters that congest landfills include food scraps and yard waste which fill one-third of trash in local landfills -- these items can easily be composted.

• Avoid putting common household hazardous waste into the trash. These items include kitchen and bathroom cleaners and beauty products as well as paint, antifreeze and other items labeled flammable or toxic. Dispose of hazardous waste at collection events. Check www.888.CleanLA.com for a schedule of collection events in your area.