2024: PBC Year in Review

Wow! What a year it has been for the Pacific Beach Coalition and our vast network of dedicated Earth Heroes and supporters. As we reflect on the past year, we want to first take a moment to thank each and every volunteer who stepped up to make a difference at one — or more — of our beach cleanups, habitat restorations, or educational events. We continue to feel motivated and inspired by you.

Our 2024 Earth Honoree, the majestic whale, also thanks you. We’re so fortunate to experience whale migrations twice a year along the coast in the areas that our volunteers selflessly protect each month. Your efforts continue to keep extremely harmful microplastics, cigarette filters, landfill trash, and recyclables off of our beaches and out of the ocean.

Two female volunteers pose at a cleanup event
A female volunteer holds a container filled with cigarette filters collected to be recycled
Two young volunteers pose with tires found during a cleanup event
A couple poses with their beach cleanup supplies
A volunteer next to a pile of green waste at a Pacific Beach Coalition Give Back event
A woman and three young Girl Scouts look at small whale figures on a table

Our 2024 Awards and Recognitions

This year, the Pacific Beach Coalition is proud to have received two prestigious awards that further uplift our mission and the important work that we do.

  • 2024 California Nonprofit Award of the Year: This honor, bestowed by California Assemblymember Marc Berman of District 23 (part of San Mateo and Santa Clara County), celebrates nonprofits that make significant impacts in their communities. Receiving this award is a crucial platform that enhances our visibility and strengthens our voice in legislative circles. This support enables us to advocate more effectively for policies that protect our environment and sustain our communities.
  • Candid Gold Seal of Transparency 2024: This seal provides volunteers and donors with the information they need to make confident choices about supporting our organization. Candid is a “nonprofit that provides the most comprehensive data and insights about the social sector.” You can read more about our impact and Candid’s findings on our personalized nonprofit profile.

Our 2024 Impact by the Numbers*

One of our favorite parts of the work that we get to do is seeing Earth Heroes of all ages coming together in service of their community. Together, we made a meaningful and lasting impact:

  • 10 cleanups and 3 habitat restoration events every month from Daly City to Half Moon Bay
  • 10,924 volunteers of all ages did their part to contribute to a cleaner, more sustainable planet at 1,067 events
  • 26,574 pounds of trash and 2,543 pounds of recyclables collected
  • 248,052 cigarette filters collected and recycled via our partners at TerraCycle
  • 50,500 pounds of green waste removed from creeks to cliffs to make way for native plants
  • 668 native plants planted and 4,396 square yards of land mulched — almost the size of a football field
  • 678 Street to Beach Program cleanups with 1,811 volunteers from Seattle to Santa Barbara (and many places in between) yielding 5,052 pounds of trash and 31,578 cigarette filters
  • 68 Give Back events to promote education and team building in an outdoor setting
  • 30 assemblies to raise awareness about our Earth Honoree, the whale, at 15 Bay Area schools reaching 4,925 students
  • 72 Teen Site Captains committed to supporting weekend cleanup events and building leadership skills
  • 14 certified naturalists provided expertise at weekly cleanups, Give Backs, and school field trips such as tidepooling

*As of December 24, 2024

To say we’re proud is an understatement.

Three adults at a tide pool event looking at a sea star
Two adult volunteers show off the trash and debris they collected
A child and an adult pose with dinosaur figures near a coloring table
A family of four shows off the trash collected during a beach cleanup
Four young volunteers show off the trash collected at a beach cleanup
A child and adult pose with their trash-collecting tools at a beach cleanup

But Wait, There’s More…

In addition to these achievements, we hit a major milestone during our annual Butt Blitz campaign this fall. We began recording our cigarette filter data in 2014 and since then have collected and recycled a staggering 2 million cigarette filters. That’s 2,000 pounds of toxic chemicals and microplastics!

Finally, we’d be remiss not to mention how successful Earth Day & Whalefest and California Coastal Cleanup Day events were this year. It was the first time that we hosted Whalefest, and the turnout was more than we could have asked for. The highlight was seeing kids from all over the Bay Area interact with activities and exhibits led by students from our very own schools in Pacifica.

That’s a Wrap on 2024

None of this would have been made possible without our volunteers and donors. Donations help fund annual educational efforts, onsite naturalists, school assemblies, cleanup supplies, native plants, outreach and recruitment, and so much more.

Thank you for your continued support. We can’t wait to see what we accomplish next year.

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Or, send us a check at Pacific Beach Coalition, PO Box 932, Pacifica, CA 94044.

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The PBC acknowledges and respects the Ramaytush Ohlone peoples on whose traditional territory we now stand and whose historical relationships with the land continue to this day.