Summer is finally here and with it, so many new and fun opportunities to be kind and make a difference! One of our favorite summertime kindness activities is to host a beach or community clean-up. With so many more people flocking to their favorite summertime hot spots, chances are these spaces could use a little extra love and attention this time of year. Luckily, organizing a clean-up is easy! And we’ve got the perfect ‘how to’ guide for all the first-timers out there!
Organizing a Beach Clean-Up
Whether you want to keep it small or go all out, hosting a beach clean-up doesn’t have to be stressful! In fact, it can be a lot of fun! Keep it simple with these easy steps:
- Pick Your Time and Place: Take a glance at your local map and decide where you’d like to host your clean-up. Perhaps you choose your favorite beach. If you live inland, you might opt for a special hiking trail or even your favorite downtown stretch of sidewalk. You’d be surprised how much trash you can find when you’re looking for it, even in the spaces you thought were clean already! Once you’ve chosen a place, all you need is a time. Our suggestion is to opt for early morning or late afternoon to avoid peak sun hours. Also, keep in mind that people often work during the week. If you’re hoping for a high volunteer turnout, it might be best to schedule your clean-up for a weekend!
- Get Permits / Permissions if Necessary: If you’re hosting a smaller clean-up, this step will most likely be unnecessary. However, for those seeking to organize a much larger community event, be sure to research your local rules and regulations, obtaining permits and permissions from the appropriate parties as needed!
- Get Social: Now it’s time to promote your event! Social media is the easiest way to let people know about your clean-up. Create a post or even an event and share it with your followers. Let them know the date and time of the event and how they can get involved. If you’re feeling extra ambitious, you can even reach out to local businesses and distribute fliers throughout your community!
- Gather Supplies: Once all the planning and promoting is done, it’s time to get your supplies together. What you’ll need will depend greatly on how big your clean-up is. That said, most smaller-scale clean-ups can get by fine with trash bags, gloves, and a few grabber tools. You might consider bringing a tarp as well, to sort out recyclable items once the clean-up is over. Also, remind your volunteers to bring reusable water bottles and make sure to create a water filling station so everyone stays hydrated!
- Have Fun: Once all the planning is done, it’s time to get out there and have some fun! Let your clean-up become a social event. You can bring music and even turn the cleaning into a game… whoever collects the most trash wins! Don’t forget to take pictures to share later!
- Share About the Experience: After your clean-up is over, make sure to share your results with your local community. Use the pictures you took during the event to post on your social media. Let people know how much trash you were able to collect. You can even show the difference you made via before and after photos! Chances are, others will see the work you’ve done, realize how easy and fun it was, and be inspired to host clean-ups of their own! At the very least, they’ll be grateful for your initiative and maybe a bit more conscious about cleaning up after themselves moving forward.
So there you have it! Six simple steps to organize a beach or community clean-up at your favorite summertime hot spots! Whether you host a clean-up of your own, attend someone else’s, or simply keep a trash bag handy to clean up after yourself during your summer adventures, remember that you matter, and your kindness counts! Thanks for doing your part to be kind!
