International Coastal Cleanup: A Wave of Change

Authors

Declan Ridgeway, University of Central FloridaFollow
Alexander Lavin, University of Central FloridaFollow
Julia Kruger, University of Central FloridaFollow
Luke Flajole, University of Central FloridaFollow

Streaming Media

Files

Course Code

BSC

Course Number

4310

Faculty/Instructor

Dr. Linda Walters

Faculty/Instructor Email

linda.walters@ucf.edu

About the Author

Our team would like to express gratitude to the wonderful staff at Canaveral National Seashore and the National Park Service for partnering with us. Additionally, many thanks to Dr. Walters and the Indian River Lagoon National Estuary Program for providing and assisting us in this amazing opportunity. We sincerely appreciate the Friends of Canaveral National Seashore for providing snacks to our team and volunteers. We thank the Ocean Conservancy for their creation of the International Coastal Cleanup.

Abstract, Summary, or Creative Statement

The Service-Learning Marine Conservation and Restoration class organized and planned an International Coastal Cleanup that was held at Canaveral National Seashore on September 23, 2023. We operated educational tables that allowed for community engagement and provided an understanding of the presence of microplastics in the ecosystem. The team created promotional posters to inform the public about the event and what would be taking place throughout the day. We shared these posters in our spheres and garnered interest from those in the UCF community and abroad. We had the opportunity to remove harmful debris throughout many crucial habitats of the Canaveral National Seashore including park trails, beaches, lagoon shorelines and campgrounds. This was completed by use of pontoon boats and on-foot volunteers working throughout the day to collect debris from small landmasses in the lagoon and from the seashore. Overall, this event gave those involved a valuable experience utilizing environmental education and activism to inspire participants. This was a great opportunity in enabling us to improve our educational skills as well as our ability to promote community engagement.

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.

Keywords

ICC; International Coastal Cleanup; beach cleanup; public education; community engagement; leadership; teamwork; restoration; scientific communication; environment; microplastics

Recommended Citation

Ridgeway, Declan; Lavin, Alexander; Kruger, Julia; and Flajole, Luke, "International Coastal Cleanup: A Wave of Change" (2023). High Impact Practices Student Showcase Fall 2023. 44.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/hip-2023fall/44