Our September 25 Beach Sweep represents the 25^th anniversary of the International Coastal Clean-Up efforts of the Ocean Conservancy. Through our local partnership with the Alliance for the Great Lakes, the Sierra Club has adopted Montrose Beach for a number of years and our September events are always our biggest and busiest!

This is a wonderful event that this year will likely attract more than 350 people who will clean up Montrose Beach as part of International Coastal Clean-Up Day or work on habitat restoration.

This beach clean-up is different than the others hosted by the Sierra Club -- this is a technical beach clean-up where we need to document and weigh everything that is discovered and picked-up.   We send people out in teams, with clipboards and pencils, trash and recycling bags -- to collect the data the Ocean Conservancy needs for its special Great Lakes section in their annual report on the condition of the world's beaches.   Since the Sierra Club's Montrose Beach event is one of the biggest in the Chicago metro area -- the data we collect significantly determines the facts and totals of trash collected for Chicago's data point in the report.
 
The event will this year start with breakfast at 9:00 a.m. (thanks to a donation from Whole Foods in Lincoln Park!) and a quick overview of Sierra Club’s work on BP nationally and in the Chicago area.

Congressman Mike Quigley will be our guest of honor and will share his congressional insight on the BP Oil disaster and explain why he’s introduced the "Protecting our Oceans Act" in Congress that will demand stronger consideration of environmental impact and protection while drilling for oil and gas in the Outer Continental Shelf.  Quigley's "Protecting our Oceans Act" will also limit oil drilling in areas that are home to endangered species.   The Congressman is a true environmental leader, and yes, a Sierra Club member as well! 

Nature tours of the dunes and the bird sanctuary will be given throughout the morning. 

Come for all or part of the work period. Dress for the weather, wear a hat and sunscreen, bring a reusable water bottle and work gloves if you have them. We will wrap up the event at 12:00 p.m. and then clean up.

For more information and to RSVP, please contact Christine Williamson, Chicago Group Chair of the Sierra Club, through email birdchris@aol.com or call 773/935-8439 (evenings).

Volunteers needed to staff event crews. Find out how you can help. READ MORE ...

The International Coastal Cleanup is the world's largest volunteer effort on behalf of ocean health. During the 2009 Cleanup, 498,818 volunteers were united in spirit on a single day across many time zones.   In 108 countries and locations around the world, as well as in 45 US states and the District of Columbia, these dedicated ocean champions picked up 7,446,130 pounds of debris and recorded 10,239,538 individual pieces of trash, including cigarette butts, food wrappers, cans, and bottles.   About the 2010 Coastal Cleanup Report.  View the Report