Join Mo`omomi Beach Cleanup

Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii News Release

For the second year in a row, Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii (SCH) is hosting the Mo`omomi Beach Cleanup and Community Service Project on Molokai on Saturday, Aug. 1. Sponsored by Matson, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and Parley for the Oceans, this cleanup removes harmful marine debris from one of the most remote beaches on Molokai. Mo`omomi Beach, a mix of rocky and sandy coastline on the island’s north shore, is the first stopping point in the main Hawaiian Islands for marine debris coming from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.

“Each Hawaiian Island has issues with marine debris but Molokai gets hit extra hard due to its open geography towards the north,” says Kahi Pacarro, Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii’s co-founder and executive director. “Last year we were shocked to the amount we found and we’re looking forward to bringing the community together again this year to remove even more.”

In coordination with Matson, all marine debris collected will be brought back to Oahu to mitigate the impact to Molokai’s landfill. On Oahu, the marine debris will be recycled through SCH’s Ocean Plastics Program, NOAA’s Nets to Energy program, and the City and County of Honolulu’s waste to energy program. In 2014, 150 SCH volunteers removed 6,000 pounds of trash from Molokai, which was then processed on Oahu.

Beach cleanup check in begins at 9:30 a.m. and the cleanup is from 10 a.m. to noon. Food and live music follow the cleanup from noon to 2 p.m. SCH will conduct educational outreach on Molokai July 28–31. Anyone interested in having them present to their group are encouraged to email info@sustainablecoastlineshawaii.org.

Sustainable Coastlines is a registered nonprofit organization inspiring local communities to care for their coastlines through hands-on beach cleanups. One hundred percent of donations go to support beach clean-up efforts, coastal advocacy and community education. Since February 2011, Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii has hosted over 50 beach cleanups with over 17,000 participants and removed over 90,000 pounds of debris from Hawaii’s coastlines. Visit sustainablecoastlineshawaii.org or contact Kahi Pacarro at kahi@sustainablecoastlineshawaii.org for more information.