On September 21, 2019, Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose challenged each other to a friendly competition as part of California Coastal Cleanup Day to see which city could engage the most volunteers and stage the biggest and most impactful cleanup. Projects included trash removal, habitat restoration, tree planting, and beautification. Oakland had a total of 55 registered volunteer sites throughout the City’s neighborhoods and coastline. With a record breaking 2,170 volunteers putting in more than 7,183 collective service hours, it was a great success for the Town. Together, Oaklanders picked up 109,460 pounds of trash, sorted 2,859 pounds of recyclables, cleared 37 storm drains, and cleaned 11 miles of shoreline! A huge thank you to the Oakland communities that came together on this day and showed some love to their neighborhoods.
Battle for the Bay coincided with the 24th annual Oakland Creek to Bay Day, part of California and International Coastal Cleanup Day, the largest volunteer day in California and the world! On this day, thousands of volunteers remove litter from waterways and shorelines, as well as upstream areas across California, the nation, and in about 100 participating countries.
Click here to see photos and more information from the event.