Clean Ocean Access (COA) hosted a beach cleanup at Easton’s Beach in Newport on Saturday, Sept. 16 from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m.
Despite the weather on this particularly cloudy day, over 100 volunteers of all ages participated in the coastal cleanup and removed 143 pounds of marine debris from the shoreline, dunes, and surrounding areas at Easton’s Beach. In just a few short hours, volunteers filled five 30-gallon paper bags with debris from the shoreline, that is also home to Newport’s famous Cliff Walk.
Diane Quattrone of Middletown volunteered her time as she chaperoned Girl Scout Troop 721 during the beach cleanup. She also brought along her two daughters, 2-year-old Juliet Florence and 9-year-old Grace Florence. Quattrone emphasized the importance of encouraging the younger generation to get involved “as much as they can,” she explains, “because we live in a beach community, we have an even larger responsibility to take care of our environment.”
Since 2006, COA has hosted 41 beach cleanups at Easton’s Beach, and collected an amazing 15,947 pounds of marine debris with the help of 1,497 volunteers. Their next beach cleanup will take place on Saturday, September 23 from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. at Pheasant Drive Beach in Portsmouth. Clean Ocean Access strives to eliminate marine debris from the shoreline, improve water quality, and protect and preserve shoreline access for both residents and visitors of Aquidneck Island. For more information, contact info@cleanoceanaccess.org.