Sea, Sand and Sky: Day of Service

Thursday, September 27, 2012

The Carson Beach Blues

Tuesday was the perfect day, the sun was shining in a brilliant blue sky, and the breeze a perfect mix of salty ocean air warmed by the sun blowing in over sparkling blue waters. Even the sand was blue- with our dedicated partners from Blue Cross Blue Shield that is. Save the Harbor / Save the Bay and Blue Cross Blue Shield came together to do our part to keep Carson beach clean. Blue Cross Blue Shield participated with us as just one part of a larger effort including thirty projects, 1600 hours, and 3000 participants in a statewide cleanup effort. Working with the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, we were placed into eight groups and to spread out so each group could take a section of the beach and cover more ground.

The BlueCrew hard at work cleaning Carson Beach.

My group was assigned the far side of the beach near the seawall. Our mission was to pull weeds and pick up any trash. Once we arrived to our section we split into groups of two and we got to it. It was nice seeing people from other communities coming together to keep the Carson Beach landscape beautiful. As we prepared to head back for lunch our group took a moment to see what we had accomplished with just a few hours of hard work. BCBS employee Jackie Bliss stated that it was amazing the difference from when we started.

Jackie Bliss, Greg Ciagelo and Jackie Kenney from BCBS.

During lunch, I talked with Greg Ciagelo of Somerville. We spoke about how it’s great that the water is now clean so people can swim at the beaches, but that there’s still much more to do. We need to continue to maintain the beaches so visitors can enjoy them for their recreational purposes. I agreed with him-it’s one thing to be able to swim at the beach, but if the sand is dirty or the facilities are not in good condition then it limits other activities that these beaches can provide. After lunch, the teams spent another three hours beautifying this relaxing space just minutes from downtown Boston. Performing service to better our community is rewarding in itself, having the opportunity to meeting the employees from Blue Cross Blue Shield and be a part of their cleanup project made the day that much better.

- Camilla

Camilla Fitzpatrick

Communications and Development Intern

Save the Harbor / Save the Bay

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Blue Cross / Blue Shield join Save the Harbor / Save the Bay for Beautiful Day of Service

On Tuesday, September 25, nearly 100 Blue Cross/Blue Shield employees joined Save the Harbor/Save the Day for a day of service, helping to clean up South Boston’s Carson Beach. The Blue Crew’s participation in the project contributed to their 16,000 hours spent on 30 service projects across the area.

Among the many participants were expectant mother Jill Aiello, of Pembroke. Jill along with Scott McLaughlin of Scituate worked to trim dead branches and bushes that lined the beach. Both were enthusiastic about the event and were happy to spend the beautiful day outdoors.

Similarly, Donna Fox of Weymouth, and Paul McNulty of South Boston, also put in a lot of hard work cleaning up the park adjacent to the beach. As I joined the friends in their efforts, I was shocked by the amount of broken bottles scattered in the grass. Before the Blue Crew had a chance to help clean things up, it would have been dangerous for anyone to play in the park, because of all the sharp glass pieces. Luckily, Donna and Paul were there to do their part and make the park a safe environment once again.

Overall, the Blue Crew and Save the Harbor helped to clean up nearly a mile and a half stretch of beach. It’s important to keep the beaches clean because they are free for the public to use. Maintaining their cleanliness ensures that families and individuals will have them available to use for many years to come.

What made the day even better was the beautiful weather we were treated to. The sun brightly shone for the entire day, which encouraged people to work even harder. I have to say it was amazing to see the difference in the beach by the end of the clean up!

- Nathan

Nathan Rossi

Communications and Development Intern

Save the Harbor / Save the Bay

Welcome!

Welcome to Save the Harbor / Save the Bay's Boston Harbor blog "Sea, Sand & Sky".

Save the Harbor/Save the Bay is a non-profit public-interest Boston Harbor environmental advocacy organization whose mission is to restore and protect Boston Harbor, Massachusetts Bay, the Boston Harbor Islands, the Boston Harbor region's public beaches, Boston's waterfront and the marine environment and share them with the public, for everyone to enjoy.

Since 1986, Save the Harbor / Save the Bay has been the driving force behind the transformation of Boston Harbor from one of the dirtiest urban harbors in America to one of the cleanest in the world.

As a result of our advocacy, Boston Harbor has been transformed from a "Harbor of Shame" into a source of recreational, educational and economic opportunity and civic pride. Today the beaches of South Boston are among the cleanest urban beaches in the nation, the Boston Harbor Islands are a National Park, and Boston's waterfront has become a compelling destination for residents and visitors alike.

Working with a broad base of civic, corporate, government, scientific, philanthropic and community partners, Save the Harbor / Save the Bay continues to strengthen the connections between communities and the harbor, and promote the increasingly important impact Boston Harbor has on the region’s economy.

Each year Save the Harbor / Save the Bay runs 2 free Youth Environmental Education Programs that combine recreation and hands-on education to bring Boston Harbor alive for thousands of Boston area young people. Since 2003, we have connected nearly 250,000 youth and teens to Boston Harbor, the Boston Harbor Islands, our region's public beaches and Boston's waterfront.