RAVEN is hosting beach cleanups this World Oceans Day! Join us at Willows Beach in Victoria — OR, plan your own beach cleanup at a location near you!

What it is:
This year, we’re choosing to engage in community reciprocity not just for our own local watersheds, but as an act of solidarity with Heiltsuk Nation, whose own beach cleanup — following the tragic Nathan E. Stewart spill — is so much more complex.  Solidarity IS as simple as gathering some friends for the afternoon to pick up some litter, passing the hat to collect donations, and posting about it to spread the word! 

How it works:
We’re putting a twist on the fundraising run, instead it’s a fundraising cleanup. Make a donation to Heiltsuk’s campaign as you sign up to join our beach cleanup crew in Victoria or Port Moody. Or, plan your own beach cleanup and get your network to contribute to your personal fundraiser. Together we are aiming to fundraise $10K for Heiltsuk’s legal challenge on World Oceans Day.

Want to organize your own fundraiser but don’t know how to clean up a beach? We’re here to help!

Step 1: Choosing the where:

• First off, any part of a watershed impacted by litter and debris is a good site for a cleanup. You can consider cleaning up a lake, stream, pond or beach. 
• We suggest choosing a location you are familiar with to ensure you can pull together a crew to clean safely. 
• Take into consideration weather patterns, tides, and water levels to ensure that you can access the area safely for the duration of your clean up.  
• Being familiar with the location, and even visiting it in advance, can also help ensure you know if there will be accessibility needs to consider for folks who may join you, for example if there are stairs to the beach or the riverbank is very steep in areas. 
• To prepare for the day of the event, consider the ease of access to the area, and if necessary the availability of parking for folks who may join you.
• If the clean up will last longer than a couple hours, you may want to consider if there are publicly available washrooms, or if there is a business nearby that may give you permission to use theirs. 

Step 2: Start a Fundraiser

• Follow this link to set up your fundraising page (and start collecting donations)
• Share your fundraiser with your family and friends

Step 3: Gather a crew

Who should you invite?

You can invite anyone you like to join you to clean up a beach! We suggest friends, family members, coworkers, your book club, your soccer team… you name it! But if you really want to be ambitious nothing is stopping you from inviting your exes, frenemies, or industry rivals if you really want to. 

Step 4: Learn more about Heiltsuk Nation’s Legal Challenge

Learn more about Heitsuk’s story and legal action. Share what you learn with your friends (and ask for donations). 

Heiltsuk Nation’s “beach cleanup” cannot be done over a weekend with some friends. The remediation after the Nathan E. Stewart spill is nearly 8 years deep — and the community still cannot use the area for marine harvesting.

Find out more at raventrust.com/heiltsuk 

Step 5: Clean Up the Beach

Here is a list of our suggested items to prepare for your beach cleanup day!

You will need:

• (ideally) reusable gloves like gardening gloves or dishwashing gloves, 
• bags to put garbage in: strong  reusable grocery bags or garbage bags, 
• a rigid-sided container for sharps, in case things like glass or needles are found, which should only be handled by adults. Some pharmacies will offer sharps disposal programs where they will give you a sharps container which you can return. You can also check your local area for rules on disposing of a sharps container.
• Proper shoes: we suggest closed toed shoes to ensure your feet are protected. 

You may also want to encourage participants to bring water and snacks, and make sure they dress for the weather! 

Step 6: Take pics and share your cleanup

• Tag RAVEN in any beach cleanup photos online: @raven_trust on instagram so we can share your stories
• Sharing on your social media will encourage others to donate to your fundraiser!