On Sunday, September 25, Pingree students assembled at Stage Fort Park in Gloucester to clear the beach of trash. The outing was part of  COASTSWEEP, an annual statewide effort organized by the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management to make our beaches better and cleaner places. 

We began by donning a pair of gloves, grabbing a trash bag, and spreading out across two different portions of the beach. Joined by faculty members and their kids, we made quick work. Everywhere you looked someone was searching, whether it was by climbing up rocks to get into the harder to reach crevices or just scouring the ground. Hundreds of pieces of trash were collected to be disposed of in the proper place.

“It felt good to be part of a bigger picture,” says sophomore Becca Briggs. I too was left with a sense of accomplishment, but also with a sense of how careless people can be just to save themselves a trip to a trash can. So, next time you find yourself with trash, whether it’s a wrapper, bottle, sock or diaper (yes, we found multiple of these just thrown into the woods!) take the extra time to throw it away where it belongs.

Learn more about COASTSWEEP here!