You buy a necklace online, we get to work. You buy a shirt at your favorite California surf shop or bag from a Manhattan boutique, we roll up our sleeves.
United By Blue hosts beach and waterway cleanups with our partners and retailers across the country, since every quiet creek and mighty river leads out to our oceans. Our volunteers are a mix of community members: from students to municipal employees, civic leaders to business owners, religious group members to service organizations.
Volunteer FAQs
What should I bring?
We provide our volunteers with bags, bamboo gloves, shovels, grabbers, water, coffee and a free breakfast or lunch. You just need to show up in long pants and old closed toed shoes.
How old do I have to be to volunteer?
We ask volunteers that be at least 14 years old. Any minor attending our cleanups needs to have a waiver filled out by their parent prior to the cleanup. Click here to download one. Please email [email protected] for further clarifications.
May I bring a friend, spouse, relative, or my entire soccer team?
Yes, yes, yes, and yes. The more the merrier! We don’t put a cap on the amount of people that can give back. However, we like to be prepared to supply and feed as many people as we can, so please let us know how many people are coming with you.
Can I use your volunteer opportunity for service hours?
Absolutely! Any UBB staff can sign off for your hours at the cleanup or we have a verification letter we can give you.
Do I need to sign up ahead of time or can I just show up?
To get a better picture of how many gloves, bagels, and cups of coffee we need to bring, we prefer if everyone signs up online. Also, the more people that register ahead of time, the less time it will take at cleanups, ensuring you’re on the water faster.
What happens if it rains?
If it sprinkles, it’s still on. Once it starts to thunder and lightning, it’s a completely different story. If Mother Nature is finicky, check our website, facebook, and your inbox the day of the cleanup. We will notify if the cleanup is cancelled.
Will I be getting in the water?
We prefer to stay on land, but volunteers are more than welcome to take a dip if they are so inclined.
How does the cleanup work?
Our cleanups kick off with breakfast, a 15-minute orientation and safety overview, and then we dish out supplies. Depending on the site, volunteers fan out along riverbanks or beaches, removing plastic bottles, bags, chip wrappers, and stryofoam pieces. After volunteers have turned in their full bags in exchange for new ones, we weigh all of the trash. After about 2-3 hours of cleaning, the cleanup concludes with weirdest trash and guess the total weight competitions.
In case we missed anything, feel free to email [email protected] or call 215-642-0693.
