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THE 30-MINUTE BEACH CLEANUP MEETS on the third Saturday of each month at 9:30 a.m. and 10 a.m. at 1 S. Granada Ave. (@ Ocean Blvd., Long Beach, 90803) in Belmont Shore, to help rid the beach of trash and debris. All ages welcome. Free trash bags, gloves, volunteer credit forms and refreshments.
State Group Honors Local Activist For Beach Cleanups
By Amy Bentley-Smith, Grunion Gazette
 At a city-sponsored meeting on litter abatement, attendees were asked to come up with a headline about litter they one day wished to see. Community activist Justin Rudd's headline read: "Monthly Beach Cleanup Canceled -- No trash." "That's my dream," he said.
For almost 25 years, Rudd has organized a monthly cleanup of the beach around Granada Avenue. The result has been thousands of bags of debris removed from the area and thousands of people mobilizing to help.
RUDD'S EFFORTS HAVE NOT GONE UNNOTICED.
Keep California Beautiful, a nonprofit, state-sanctioned environmental steward program, bestowed on Rudd its Hal Albertson Volunteer of the Year award for his efforts with 30-Minute Beach Cleanup.
"There are a lot of people who go out once or twice a year to clean up our beaches and that's great. I don't know what we would do without them," Keep California Beautiful Executive Director Marlene Mariani said. "But Justin has taken it the extra mile."
SOON AFTER RUDD moved to Long Beach from his home state of Alabama, he began noticing the sad state of the city's beaches and wanted to do something about it. A personal trainer who offered workouts on the beach, Rudd one day asked everyone to help him clean up.
"I told everyone, why don't we stay and clean up? We use this beach why don't we be good stewards?" Rudd recalled. "There were maybe 10 people. Then I said we should do this every month."
WANTING TO MAKE IT EASY for people to attend, Rudd decided to keep the cleanups short -- only a half an hour. He asked his friends to bring people they knew and put up fliers around town. He also asked the city to donate bags and gloves and businesses to donate refreshments.
"What works for us in this 30-minute beach cleanup is the partnerships that have come through," Rudd said. "Justin Rudd isn't the only one out there cleaning the beach. It's 100 people out there. Unless you have partnerships, it's not going to be successful."
Rudd is excited about the being named volunteer of the year, but is humble about it.
"It's truly an honor," he said. "California has got to be the most environmentally friendly state in the country and to be chosen for a statewide honor, that's pretty cool."
KEEP CALIFORNIA BEAUTIFUL aims to create a litter-free California by encouraging business, government and public partnerships in cleanups and other beautification efforts.
It was the administrators of Long Beach Beautiful, the city's Environmental Services Bureau, who nominated Rudd's 30-Minute Beach Cleanup for an award. Rather than recognizing the program, KCB decided to recognize its founder.
"We just thought what a great idea, a 30-minute beach cleanup, anyone can do that," Mariani said. "It's fantastic that he thought that up. It speaks to how committed he is."
She said KCB officials were so impressed by the lengths Rudd has gone to get people involved, such as a volunteer database with more than 2,440 e-mail addresses, which Rudd uses to send out notices, the program's web site, www.beach-
cleanup.org, and his extensive public relations campaign.
"It's just on and on and on. It's just truly amazing that someone would care that much to do that for the community," Mariani said. "Long Beach is very lucky to have him."
RUDD WILL BE THE FIRST KCB volunteer of the year recipient under the award's new name. Mariani said Hal Albertson had organized highway and
roadway cleanup in Placer County for nearly 20 years. He passed away in late 2004.
"In recognition of him and all he did, we thought it would be nice to name the volunteer of the year award after him," Mariani said, adding that the
selection of Rudd this year was apropos. "It seems that Justin Rudd was cut out of the same mold as Hal. It's nice to see a young man really committed to cleaning up his neighborhood."
g TAX-DEDUCTIBLE GIFT
Please Support Beach Cleanups in Long Beach
RIGHT NOW, while the need is in your mind, won't you please donate?
WE HOPE YOU share our love for animals, kids and the environment, and our wish is that you'll consider a gift of $25, $50, $100 or another amount so that we can continue to bring you clean and safe beaches.
CHECKS to BEACH CLEANUP, Attn. Justin Rudd, 3040 E. First Street, Long Beach, CA 90803.
501c3/Fed. Tax ID# is 05-0545777
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THE MAIN PURPOSE of the Community Action Team (CAT) is to promote social well-being among the general public. As a 501c3 nonprofit corporation governed by a board of directors, contributions to CAT are tax deductible and are used to help produce quality events within our community that benefit children, animals, and the environment.
I AM A FIRM believer in the collective power of individuals joined in a spirit of goodwill and generous giving to bring about the success of a
community.
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Justin Rudd!
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The Next Cleanup is Oct. 21
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Bring the Entire Family |
Sat., Oct. 21. Arrive just before 9:30 (for super volunteers!) or 10 a.m. to start. We'll provide bags, gloves, beachfront parking (kiosk code is JUS1021), and a soda/water (thanks Duthie Power Services and ice from Andrew Palmer). Please bring used plastic grocery sacks if you have some.
Co-Sponsors Wanted
Justin Rudd is looking for schools, businesses, and places of worship to be co-hosts of one of the upcoming monthly cleanups. Two or three groups of 25 or more are welcome to co-sponsor each month!
Oct. 21: University of California, Riverside's (UCR) Chinese Student Association Day; Long Beach Meditation Day
& Long Beach City College Day
Nov.
18: St. Raymond School (Downey) Day
Dec. 16:
Our Lady of Refuge School
Jan. 20: YOUR GROUP
You would promote within your school/business and help to bring 25 or more volunteers to add to the 150 monthly visitors we already have at the cleanups. Just let Justin@JustinRudd.com know which month you want. We will provide bags, gloves, door prizes, refreshments and free beachfront parking.
Established June 1999. Third Sat. of every month, rain or shine.
Sign Up for Email Updates
2023 CLEANUP SPONSORS: Duthie Power Services, Myco Depot/Andrew Palmer, Spas for Paws, and Port of Long Beach.
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Dogs are welcome off-leash at Rosie's Dog Beach during the cleanup.
For questions and details, contact Justin@JustinRudd.com
 WHEN ARE CLEANUPS HELD?
Every 3rd Saturday of each month at 9:30 a.m. at 1 Granada Ave.
WE PROVIDE
• Trash bags
• Gloves
• Refreshments
• Volunteer Service Verification Forms
• Beachfront parking
LOCATION
1 Granada Ave., Belmont Shore in Long Beach, 90803. MAP
 The 30-Minute Beach Cleanup seeks to create a clean and safe place for residents, visitors and aquatic wildlife along the Long Beach coast. During the effort, volunteers progress toward the Belmont Pier and the Peninsula. Volunteers are asked to wear shoes and sunscreen. No reservation is necessary, and large and small groups are welcome. Bags and gloves are provided. Students will receive volunteer recognition forms so they can report service hours.
The 30-Minute Beach Cleanup which began in June of 1999 is organized by Justin Rudd and his 501c3 nonprofit Community Action Team (CAT).
Also, will you click this link to sign-up for (another) one of Justin Rudd's: e-Newsletters?
 WIN DOOR PRIZES
Be sure to be signed-in by 10 a.m. sharp to get a chance at some great door prizes each month provided by Spas for Paws. The drawings are held approx. 10:35, after the cleanup.
FOR STUDENT CREDIT
Be signed-in at 9:30 a.m. sharp. We will sign your volunteer form or we'll provide a form for you at the end of the cleanup. |
g e-NEWSLETTER
Free Beach Cleanup Reminders by e-Mail
 GET REMINDED |
| about upcoming beach cleanups in the Greater Long Beach area. Justin Rudd will send you a reminder just before each monthly 30-Minute Beach Cleanup. CLICK HERE to subscribe. More than 3,900 subscribers! |
TAKE ACTION NOW
E-
mail City Officials About Beach Trash
 LET YOUR VOICE be heard now. CLICK HERE to e-mail Long Beach officials about your beach concerns that might include the amount of trash on our beaches. Also, write letters to the editor. Keep the issue alive in the media by using this easy, free channel to educate the community!
Messy Problem in Long Beach |
LONG BEACH HAS a perpetual problem with debris on its beach. The Los Angeles River empties near downtown in a curving pattern so that junk washed downstream tends to collect inside the breakwater and drift back up on shore. At the south end of town is the San Gabriel River, which probably carries less trash but what trash there is also gets pushed back to shore by south swells slipping past the breakwater. After a storm, the beaches collect literally tons of debris. It takes bulldozers and dump trucks to pile it up and haul it away. The city is faithful at cleanup but patience is wearing thin, and officials have studied more than a few proposals to stem the flow of flotsam and jetsam from the messy metropolis upstream. --Los Angeles Times
 International Coastal Cleanup, based in Washington, has organized annual worldwide beach cleanups since 1986. Its volunteers work in teams, with one logging each type of trash. On its 2003 "entangling debris" list, balloon strings and ribbons accounted for 8 percent of the animals strangled. That is far behind fishing line and nets, which accounted for 60 percent, but at least fishing equipment has an excuse for being in the ocean and is not released just for fun.
By contrast, balloons are not a problem in Long Beach, Calif., said Justin Rudd, who directs monthly volunteer cleanups of four miles of beach there. That is not surprising, since the prevailing winds are from the west. "Styrofoam is the big culprit," Mr. Rudd said, along with fast-food packaging and plastic water bottles. The Los Angeles and San Gabriel Rivers end in Long Beach, and his problem is gutter runoff from 87 towns upstream. "Right after a rainstorm, it's gross around here," he said. ---NY Times |
FOUNDED IN JUNE, 1999
A Grassroots Effort
g Who's Behind this Environmental Initiative?
JUSTIN RUDD, 54-year-old Bluff Park resident, is the grassroots organizer of the monthly 30-Minute Beach Cleanup. "The beach should be a place to go to experience Mother Nature's beauty, not LA's trash," says Rudd, who moved to Long Beach in 1997. Since the inception of the 30-Minute Beach Cleanup in June 1999, Rudd has organized more than 30,000 participants who have collected thousands of bags of debris, including glass, Styrofoam, various packaging materials and thousands of cigarette butts.
 RUDD WAS the recipient of Keep California Beautiful's 2004 "Environmental Volunteer of the Year" award. He has also been honored by the City of Long Beach; the Long Beach City Council; Surfrider Foundation; Long Beach Dept. of Parks, Recreation & Marine; the California Junior Chamber of Commerce; and twice by The Aquarium of the Pacific for his leadership with the 30-Minute Beach Cleanup. "I want the sand to be clean and safe, and getting our city's people involved will make it happen," says Rudd.
Solutions to Our Dirty Problem
g Reasons for this cleanup's continued success
Long Beach will be a community of neighborhoods focused on youth and education, with safety and economic opportunity for all, and a responsive, accountable government, in a healthy, green environment. ---Long Beach Strategic Plan 2010
 Long Beach is California’s fifth largest city and one of the leading regions for business, tourism and community in the west. Because it is a shoreline city, Long Beach also has a perpetual problem – debris on its beaches.
NEAR DOWNTOWN, the Los Angeles River empties trash generated by upstream communities, which collects inside the breakwater and then drifts on shore. The San Gabriel River empties on the south end of the City, carrying trash that also drifts on shore. Rainstorms exacerbate this problem, sometimes dumping tons of debris on Long Beach beaches.
The Long Beach Parks, Recreation and Marine Department is responsible for maintaining a clean and healthy shoreline. The Department provides daily litter and debris abatement (mechanized sand raking) for each of the City’s beaches. This sand raking is effective in removing large items of debris, but smaller items and pieces of trash (e.g. beverage containers, plastic cups and bottle caps, plastic and paper bags, cigarette butts) remain.
Since 1999, the City of Long Beach has been the beneficiary of an extraordinary grassroots effort to educate and enable residents to become environmental stewards of its beaches. Justin Rudd, a Belmont Shore resident and grassroots organizer, is the driving force behind this successful environmental initiative.
In June 1999, Justin created the 30-Minute Beach Cleanup. To date, he has organized more than 250 beach cleanups, and coordinated more than 20,000 volunteers who have collected thousands of bags of debris, including glass, plastic, Styrofoam, packaging materials and countless cigarette butts.
Volunteers of all ages (individuals, families, students and organizations) have participated in the beach cleanups -- a dedicated and remarkable effort to help make the City’s beaches clean, beautiful and safe for residents, visitors, and marine animals, too! After five successful years, the 30-Minute Beach Cleanup stands as a role model for community involvement and improvement.
Execution of Program
Beach cleanups are scheduled for the third Saturday of every month (rain or shine), after major holidays, and after large rainstorms. Outreach and promotion for the cleanups are conducted through the following:
- Web site postings on www.beachcleanup.org Monthly Beach Cleanup e-Newsletter (more than 3,940 subscribers)
Volunteers are provided with bags, gloves, and there are a limited number of free parking passes. Every month, refreshments are provided by Duthie Power Services and door prizes are donated by Spas for Paws.
Integral elements that contribute to the success of the 30-Minute Beach Cleanup:
- Consistent scheduling of cleanups (Third Saturday of every month, 10 a.m.)
- Consistent location (1 Granada Ave.)
- Consistent message (Keep our beaches safe and clean)
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Consistent offering of incentives for volunteers ( prizes, email follow-up, e-Newsletter)
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Consistent networking with Long Beach Unified School District; local community, service and church organizations; local businesses; local media
- Informative, fun and brief (30 minute) cleanups
Justin Rudd is a very accomplished grassroots organizer. He has created a community-based program that provides a much-needed service (beach cleanups and fostering environmental stewardship for the City’s residents). He has built and maintained solid partnerships with the City of Long Beach (City Council and City departments), local businesses, the Long Beach Unified School District, local colleges and universities, and local environmental, community service and church organizations.
 Budget, Impact and Community Involvement
The 30-Minute Beach Cleanup is a “no cost” program. All personnel are volunteers (including Justin Rudd ), and all volunteer supplies (bags and gloves) are provided free-of-charge by the City of Long Beach, Corner Bakery, and other sponsors. All volunteer incentives (refreshments and door prizes) are donated by local businesses, and the City of Long Beach provides free parking passes for all volunteers.
Print ad space in the community newspapers is donated (Gazette newspapers providing public service announcements).
Results and Sustainability
Well-established and respected in Long Beach , the 30-Minute Beach Cleanup is reliable (rain or shine) and effective. Since its inception, the program has provided more than 30,000 volunteers an opportunity to accomplish the following: Become environmental stewards
- Improve the safety, health and beauty of Long Beach beaches
- Protect the health and safety of marine life on and off Long Beach shores
Justin Rudd is a firm believer in the collective power of concerned and aware individuals. His commitment and tireless efforts have created an important complement to the City’s maintenance of its beaches. As all California cities are grappling with the challenges of budget shortfalls, the 30-Minute Beach Cleanup offers a unique community improvement model that can be developed and sustained with minimal financial impact.
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Who is this guy?!
- Justin Rudd!, Haute Dogs and Community Action Team (CAT), founder & organizer
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