Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii

SCH wants to turn off the tap on plastic pollution while building a community that maintains a clean and accessible coastline. Turning off the tap means helping all people of Hawaii and the world understand that solutions lie in changing our behavior and not just cleaning up the mess we create as a global community. Our organization uses large scale cleanups as an educational tool to inspire this behavior change that protects our islands and serves as a model for island Earth. A sustainable coastline is one that is free from trash including plastics, derelict fishing gear, and other debris that can harm people and wildlife alike. Each of our large-scale coastal cleanups regularly host hundreds of volunteers while our outreach/education programs reach over 30,000 individuals annually. Participating in a SCH cleanup leads to behavioral changes aimed at improving the quality of our coastlines. Ultimately we want Hawaii to be net-zero plastic and become an example for the world on resilience and sustainability.

Beach Cleanups: We host large scale coastal cleanups that are unique in that they make community service fun, energizing thousands of volunteers to participate through a festival atmosphere with educational and cultural value conveyed throughout. As more people visually experience plastic pollution, they begin to realize the importance of everyday actions as meaningful mechanisms of positive change. Whether it’s someone who regularly walks the coastlines of Hawaii, or someone who lives in the back of a valley, or a visitor from a land locked state, the collective effect is knowing that each of us are a part of the consumer culture that produces this pollution and thus we are all where the solutions begin. Testimonials from first time volunteers echo this sentiment; hundreds of individuals reach out through email, phone calls, and social media to describe how our programs changed their behavior.

Innovative Education & Outreach: SCH’s mobile Education Station is a converted van that opens up into a mobile classroom. It is used to conduct educational outreach in schools, community groups, businesses and even government facilities targeting thousands of students and community members. The education station is designed to get students out of the classroom to engage in games, hands-on demonstrations, and an immersive experience that bends traditional methods of teaching. While historically our efforts in education and outreach have focused in on plastic pollution, we understand a stark reality that our coastlines are in jeopardy of the impacts of climate change and sea level rise. Our next step in our outreach curriculum will draw the connections from the fossil fuel use in the plastic industry and consumer consumption to the impending threats of climate change.

Event Greening & Reuse: Our waste diversion program takes aim at events and inspires businesses to reduce their impacts on landfills and the incinerator by separating compost and recyclables from the waste stream. This service is highlighted by serving at key events like the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing which also meets educational goals as we reach local and global communities. Our Ocean Plastics Program works with brands to repurpose the plastic debris we find into products. The focus on reuse of discarded items is one of the pivotal points to effective waste management after refusing and reducing. In 2019/20 we aim to bring this whole program in house to Hawaii versus sending the debris to the mainland to be processed. This will create jobs and opportunities for Hawaii and also serve as a model to be expanded elsewhere in the world.

SCH has proven to be the community leader in beach cleanups and marine debris education over the past 9 years. No other organization has united as many communities around the issue of plastic pollution and brought together more volunteers than SCH. Given our success in this field we have developed the strongest core team of volunteers and small group of employees to meet our goals. From our board members, to the executive director, to the operations and waste diversion managers, education director, & media manager, we have a collection of scientists, business savvy members, experienced volunteers in waste management, and community organizers with years of experience in the field. Since our inception in 2011 we’ve brought together over 35,000 volunteers to remove 512,138 pounds of debris from Hawaii’s coastlines and educated over 40,000 students about plastic pollution and coastal stewardship. SCH cleanups are like no other, not only in terms of size but also in terms of community collaboration. Each large-scale cleanup includes a large multifaceted contingent of community organizers, organizations, schools, community groups, and local government. In order to reach a wider range of people, instead of “preaching to the choir”, we include live entertainment, food, guest speakers, treasure hunts, and giveaways.

In 2011 when SCH began with a small group of volunteers and a goal to clean a single beach that year, Makapuu, 150 volunteers removed almost a ton of debris from the beach. That day inspired a movement to grow and SCH to take on the challenge of an ever-increasing load of debris arriving on our shores with every high tide. In 2018, the growth and impact of the organization reached new heights. On Earth Day 2018 we executed our largest cleanup to date by bringing together 1,548 volunteers to cleanup 4 miles of coastline and remove 7,000 pounds of trash. In total our cleanups have removed over half a million lbs of debris, covering over 100 miles of coastline. More important than the debris was the level of engagement in our mission each year, as 5000 volunteers join the cleanups, more than 10,000 students engaged directly with classroom presentations, and we reach thousands more by participating in over 75 community events throughout the year. On the community level in places like Molokai, SCH has become a name associated with giving back and empowering community to work on the issues from the ground up. Our event greening has worked with the WSL, Wanderlust, Howard Hughes, the Biennial and a growing list of partners to divert on average 70% of waste away from linear disposal methods (landfill/incinerator). Additionally, our social media following doubled in the last year, surging from 40,000 followers to 100,000 across our platforms. These results are not trivial; In the last year the stories of Hawaii plastic pollution have reached global audiences with coverage in National Geographic, 60 Minutes, and most recently with Jason Mamoa highlighting the work of SCH on the Ellen show.