|
 Center
for Marine Conservation
For Lt. Colonel Bill Wheelehan of Washington,
D.C., volunteering for the Center
for Marine Conservation's (CMC) 1997
International Coastal Cleanup was only
the first step in his effort to protect
the oceans and coastlines he loves. The
23 year Army veteran went on to single
handedly initiate discussions with representatives
of the Department of Defense, and persuaded
the department to join the Center's 1998
Cleanup - forging a partnership that might
result in the largest growth of volunteers
for the International Coastal Cleanup
in the program's history.
CMC's International Coastal Cleanup Campaign,
launched in 1986, is now the world's largest
volunteer effort on behalf of the marine
environment. Volunteers number in the
hundreds of thousands, representing more
than 90 countries. Besides cleaner coastline,
debris data from the annual event is used
to promote ratification of an international
treaty ending unlimited ocean dumping
of solid wastes, and to convince shipping
and cruise line officials to improve onboard
systems for waste disposal. The cleanups
have prompted other businesses, states,
countries, and local communities to establish
policies and take action to protect the
marine environment.
Although not a cure for coastal pollution,
CMC's annual beach cleanups help reduce
the volume of garbage that clutters our
coasts and chokes and entangles marine
animals. Many of the 45 million pieces
of debris collected during the cleanups
can be traced back to their source, indicating
that between 60 and 80 percent of coastal
debris originates on land, primarily from
poor waste management and casual littering.
This discovery has prompted CMC to create
a new project called Model Communities,
a campaign that will work with coastal
communities interested in solving their
coastal debris problems. The Model Communities
project will be officially launched at
the 1998 International Coastal Cleanup.
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