Poipu Beach Cleanup 2006
April
22, 2006 — On Earth Day, the
south side beaches of Kauai got a helping hand from their community.
An estimated 250 people showed up to mark the First Annual
Poipu Beach Cleanup. Volunteers came early, registering at
around 8:00 a.m. at Poipu Beach, where they were greeted with
bottles of water, coffee, biodegradable trash bags and a free
t-shirt for participating in the cleanup. After the majority
of the participants had signed up, received their supplies
and helped themselves to a cup of coffee, Cleanup Director
Scott Anderson addressed the crowd, “I’d like to
thank everyone for showing up and giving back to their ‘aina’.
Remember that removing one cigarette butt is just as important
as a bottle or a can.” Anderson excused the participants,
with much encouragement and little formality, informing them
that a shuttle service was provided for those without transportation.
The cleanup included five major south side
beaches: Poipu Beach Park, Mahaulepu, Shipwrecks Beach, Prince
Kuhio Beach and Koloa Landing. A sight captain was present
at each sight to provide more garbage bags and to collect the
gathered rubbish.
At Shipwrecks
Beach, sight captains Andy Shoemaker and Diane Rosenkranz
greeted participants as they trickled in; each wearing at
least one latex glove and carrying an empty, green trash
bag. Participants returned in much of the same fashion, however
most carried burdened looks and sweaty brows as they dragged
full bags of man-made waste behind them. Shoemaker enthusiastically
thanked all participants for their support while Rosenkranz
expressed her amazement at people’s
willingness to help. “People aren’t just stopping
at one trip; they’ll fill up one bag, drop it off and
go fill another up,” Rosenkranz said. “It’s
awesome.”
The Poipu Beach Cleanup began
as a joint effort between Earl Moore, the founder of the website thespiritofsports.com and
Richie Petersen. Their common goal for this and future events
is to provide people with a way to give back to the community
while simultaneously bringing it closer together. The Spirit
of Sports continued with their theme of community by providing
free grinds to all participants and a concert free for the
public at the event’s
conclusion. With that in mind, both are quick to thank all
the sponsors, contributors and donations for this and future
events. (See bottom for list of all sponsors)
thespiritofsports.com and
Earl Moore are not just limiting themselves to this single
annual event. Moore has planned over the next year ten similar
events that will include beach cleanups and live music to
help support Koloa schools and local charities. The
Kauai chapter of The Surfrider’s
Foundation made its first public appearance assisting in
the clean up and expressing plans for beach cleanups of its
own.
As a
result of the Poipu Beach Cleanup, more than 11 truck loads,
or an estimated 5,000 pounds, of man-made waste were removed
from five of the largest south side beaches. To call
this event anything but a success would be like denying the
beauty of the island of Kauai. Furthermore, surfers, fisherman,
body boarders, bodysurfers and beachgoers will be able to
recognize a once unfamiliar face on the beach, in the water
or perhaps just walking down the side of the road. Contributing
to Earth Day became all about community.
Sponsors, contributors, donators:
Photos//Carol Ann Davis-Briant and Brendan Berger
Written//Rian Jeong
