A Summer Cleanup in the Garden State
On Sunday, August 18, 2019, around 40 volunteers from the International WeLoveU Foundation met in Bayonne, New Jersey’s Newark Bay Shoreline for a cleanup. The WeLoveU Foundation carried this activity out in partnership with the City of Bayonne’s Department of Public Works.
The WeLoveU volunteers were certainly no strangers to the Newark Bay Shoreline. In 2017, they carried out a cleanup there in the springtime as well. The cumulative efforts of all participants is working to fulfill WeLoveU’s Clean WORLD Movement’s vision to help our planet. In addition, the Newark Bay Shoreline cleanup is a step closer to fulfilling the Sustainable Development Goals, which is good for us and our planet. In particular, this cleanup targets SDG #14-Life Below Water.
>> Read about WeLoveU’s initial cleanup in 2017
Aiming to make a difference in their community, the group of 40 volunteers signed up to the task of cleaning the half-mile trail. The goal of the cleanup: enhance the ecosystem by removing litter and make the Newark Bay Shoreline aesthetically pleasing to visitors.
The Newark Bay Shoreline is a place many find to be peaceful and they spend their leisure time strolling by the water. Nonetheless, over the last few years, it has become susceptible to debris and litter swept on shore from the ocean. Enormous amounts of litter cause an imbalance in the ecosystem. And with ships entering and leaving the Newark Seaport, pollution is rampant.
Despite the summer heat and humidity, the volunteers rolled up their sleeves and got to work. Within a short time, the group filled more than 30 trash bags and collected tires, rotten wood planks, and dead branches.
The volunteers hope this cleanup and others similar to it like the Hammonasset Beach State Park in Connecticut can inspire others to participate in WeLoveU’s initiatives to enhance the environment.