Read Ranch & Coast Virtually Anywhere
Issue link: http://ranchandcoast.uberflip.com/i/1432592
PHOTO COURTESY OF I LOVE A CLEAN SAN DIEGO Maybe you know you have even more to give, whether by financial support or your valuable time, or maybe it's a desire to uncover something completely unlike anything else you may already support. Perhaps it's just simple curiosity. But if, for any number of reasons, you might be looking for new ways to give, here is a handful of local groups we think are pretty great places to start. The Classic Just a few years shy of 70, I Love A Clean San Diego has led the charge in education and volunteerism for environmental action in our region for generations. Its famous coastal cleanups are signature events, but they are just one way the organization tackles its mission to create awareness of the challenges beyond just our coastline. "I Love A Clean San Diego stands for 'I Love A Clean San Diego County,'" says Ian Monahan, ILACSD's director of marketing and philanthropy. "That's actually our official name. We do our best to serve as many communities as we can throughout the region." In addition to creating and managing hundreds of cleanups countywide annually, the organization's focus is teaching the importance — and the positive impact — of living a lower waste lifestyle. According to Monahan, ILACSD conducts nearly 800 K-12 presentations a year in county schools in addition to adult education and corporate programs for businesses looking to reduce their waste. "Everything that we do is around education and action to result in behavior change," explains Monahan. "One of the main challenges we are trying to address is the problem of plastics in the consumer waste stream. Single use plastic is a pollutant. It infects our waterways, our creeks, our beaches, our oceans. So, we try to show people in little incremental ways how to make changes in their lives, and I think that's really where our education and action comes into play. Even the smallest step in the right direction can lead to bigger things." Focus philanthropy "Even the smallest step in the right direction can lead to bigger things" Organized cleanups countywide and engaging youth are significant elements of I Love A Clean San Diego's work toward a waste-free county <<