Volunteers Clean Up San Diego

SAN DIEGO, CA - The organization I Love A Clean San Diego is known for its community clean-up events. Just like many things during the pandemic I Love A Clean San Diego had to adapt and find a way to continue to clean the streets of San Diego and that is where their virtual clean-ups come in.

Photo, I'yonna Applon-Kettles

I Love A Clean San Diego has been around for 60 years. It was originally founded as the San Diego War Against Litter Committee in 1954. In the 1970s “I Love A Clean San Diego” was the slogan for the organization’s anti-litter campaign and in 1980 it became the organization’s name.

Nik Kennedy the community events coordinator for I Love A Clean San Diego says, there are ways to still participate even during the pandemic. “They can do a clean-up at their capacity, in their neighborhood, in their back yard, down the street at a place they know could use a little TLC and they can report their totals using our volunteer impact app to really get an idea of what the impact of our clean-up was.”

Their virtual clean-ups are also known as their independent clean-ups. I Love A Clean San Diego still has regularly scheduled clean-ups on their website that you can find, but because of the pandemic, they don’t do things as they normally would.

Still, the clean-up’s volunteers independently go to improve neighborhoods, they believe need help. On the I Love A Clean San Diego website there is a place so that volunteers can report their clean-up data. It then catalogs it in the database, so the impact of the clean-up of that day is known for everyone.

I Love A Clean San Diego joins groups like San Diego Canyonlands to do clean-ups. Linda Pennington organizes in City Heights for San Diego Canyonlands.

San Diego has many canyons and that’s what Pennington says the group is here for, “San Diego Canyonlands is all over San Diego, and they’re all about restoring our canyons.”

She also says that I Love A Clean San Diego’s virtual clean-up is a good idea and hopes they continue them even after being able to come together in person because some people might not be able to make it to clean-ups at specific places and times.

Volunteer Matt Armstrong says groups like this are important, “I Love A Clean San Diego’s been around for a long time in this community, and I think every community would benefit from having some kind of volunteer organizing event.”

I Love A Clean San Diego’s next event is their annual clean-up called Creek to Bay. For more information go to creektobay.org.

Video, I'yonna Applon-Kettles

By I’Yonna Applon-Kettles

Photo, I’Yonna Applon-Kettles

Video, I’Yonna Applon-Kettles

EDUCATE YOURSELF:

I Love A Clean San Diego

Independent Cleanups

Creek to Bay