Clean Water Now! CWN! COALITION ANNUAL REPORT

2006 Annual Report

In what’s become almost routine, CWN!C and our great volunteers continued to remove thousands of pounds of trash from Laguna Beach strands in 2006. Our Quarterly Adopt-A-Beach and yearly Coastal Cleanup Day (CCD) were once again award-winners---Even our reproduction and advertisement graphics were deemed “best in show.” Kudos to all for a job well done!

The health food market chain Wild Oats Inc. made a modest donation plus provided beverages and munchies for our numerous CCD stations on September 16th. Waste Management once again provided critical logistical support by providing recycle and regular trash bins at each of our seven (7) CCD sites.

After reviewing our 2005 Annual Report, please note that the CWN!C now enters the new year with a slight mid-course correction: Instead of exporting our beach cleanups in 2007, we’ve decided that our programs here in Laguna Beach need expansion, also helping to meet state mandated recyclable trash goals.

We’re now focused on creating a local chapter of the esteemed Keep America Beautiful campaign. Seeking partners throughout the business and residential community, we hope to remove all debris before it reaches our beaches via our storm drain systems. Tapping into local pride, our vision includes helping neighborhood associations, schools, churches plus other like-minded groups and individuals to organize periodic cleanups within their immediate vicinity.

Laguna Beach is now an international year round destination or getaway, and we feel that our local population will respond to the challenge. Let’s face it, more visitations means more trash throughout our city. Supplementing our municipal employees and their efforts to Keep Laguna Beautiful, this is a reflection of our potential leadership role, plus an additional opportunity to extend our public and private educational outreach.

Special thanks to Waste Management, who joined the other significant financial supporters, The Hearts of Montage, Athens Group and Laguna Beach Visitors & Conference Bureau in helping us meet our general operating expenses.

Browse our website and you’ll see that we also started a Galleries section of cleanup activity photos starring our staff and volunteer participants. We’ve added a Resources section with newsletters, glossaries and links regarding environmental issues. Last, an abbreviated list of my personal reading list, some of the authors/books that line my library shelves and have inspired, enriched or influenced my personal learning curve Founders Favorite Books & Authors.

CWN!C will be 9 in 2007, and I’ll be enjoying my 36^th year as a Lagunatic, an indigenous species passionately committed to positive core values. If you live here or visit, hopefully you feel the same way about our special place.