Hurricane Sandy

Clean Ocean Action Announces Waves of Action Program

Environmental organization Clean Ocean Action announced a Jersey Shore restoration effort known as Waves of Action.

In the devastation wrought by Hurricane Sandy, Clean Ocean Action sees an  opportunity. As the Jersey Shore makes its comeback, the environmental advocacy group promises it will be there to help now and in the future while shepherding in a movement of responsible restoration. The organization recently announced a new year-long program called Waves of Action. The program was launched to respond to immediate and ongoing needs of coastal towns impacted by Sandy. With a slew of events already scheduled throughout the year, Waves of Action is hoping to pair willing volunteers with communities that still need digging out, habitats that need restoration, and forums designed to provide education about a sustainable future coastline. Clean Ocean …

• Photos (1)
• Documents (1)

Tour For The Shore Aims to Protect Jersey Shoreline from Industry

Bicyclist and kayaker crusading to bring awareness to Clean Ocean Action's offshore oil drilling fight

It hasn’t been the easiest trip she’s ever made, but for Margo Pellegrino, it’s one of the most important. “This is about my home turf,” she said, gesturing to the map of the New Jersey-New York shoreline and a stretch of the Atlantic Ocean labeled “Clean Ocean Zone.” It’s a portion of the ocean that Clean Ocean Action, the New Jersey-based grass roots environmental group, has fighting for years to keep free of pollution and uses that it contends would be damaging to the environment. Now, the organization is trying to convince federal lawmakers to take the steps necessary to forever block any attempts to industrialize that portion of the ocean, including things like offshore drilling and transfer terminals for liquefied natural gas. …

• Photos (4)

An Unlikely Ally in the Fight Against Water Pollution

Chemicals found in laundry detergent help detect more dangerous types of contaminants

Certain chemicals found in laundry detergents have been finding their way into major waters across the country. But while these chemicals, known as optical brighteners, may be considered a contaminant, some environmentalists say they actually help detect other, more dangerous ones. Optical brighteners are being found right here in Toms River, which is near the Barnegat Bay and Atlantic Ocean. Over the last few years water sampling groups like the MATES program at the Ocean County Vocational Technical School in Manahawkin have been finding high levels of optical brighteners in rivers and storm drain runoffs.  Water testing has proved that optical brighteners are also found in connection with other contaminates like E. Coli and fecal …

•  1 Comment
• Photos (1)

Get Ready to Sweep the Beaches This Weekend with Clean Ocean Action

The 26th annual fall beach cleanup is expected to include more than 3,000 volunteers at nearly 70 sites

There have been mannequin legs and a refrigerator, a carpet vacuum and a bottle of Holy Water, toilet seats, a $20 bill and a purple wig. Those are just a handful of the more unusual items that have been found during the annual Clean Ocean Action Beach Sweeps, where volunteers hit the beaches and the waterways to remove thousands of pieces of debris from the sand, the riverfronts and even underwater at sites throughout New Jersey. Last year, volunteers collected more than 475,000 separate pieces of debris, according to Clean Ocean Action’s annual beach sweeps report. On Saturday, more than 3,000 volunteers are expected to join in the 26th annual fall event at nearly 70 locations throughout the state. Tavia Danch, education coordinator for …

• Photos (1)