Programs and Initiatives

Community Clean Ups

Led by Bleu World, Love Catalina Island & Avalon Rotary

2026 By the Numbers

• February Avalon Underwater Cleanup: 232 Divers, 1,952 pieces of dedris collected equalling 1,200 lbs. 110 animals/creatures saved.

2025 By the Numbers / Updates

• January 26 Clean up: 8 volunteers gathered 91.72 lbs of trash.
• February Avalon Underwater Clean up: 260 divers removed 1,492 pieces of debris from the seafloor, with a total weight of 1,336 pounds. 57 animals were also saved and returned to the ocean.
• March Clean up: 7 volunteers collected 92.2 lbs of trash.
• April Clean up: 4 volunteers removed 30.lbs of trash.
• May 31 Clean up: 28 volunteers gathered 153 lbs of trash.
• July 7 Clean up: 8 volunteers collected 36.4 lbs of trash.
• July 13 Clean Up: 6 volunteers removed 67 lbs of trash.
• July kayak clean up: 17 volunteers collected 290 lbs of trash.
• September Clean Up: 9 volunteers gathered 63.8 lbs of trash.
• October kayak Clean Up: 24 volunteers removed 429.6 lbs of trash.

2024 By the Numbers / Updates

• January 6 Clean Up: 66.8 lbs of trash and recycling were picked up from city streets and hills.
• February 11 Clean Up: 16 volunteers collected 125.5 lbs of trash and recycling.
• February 24 Avalon Underwater Clean Up: 282 divers collected 1,376.27 lbs of debris, totaling 2,179 pieces of debris, with 116 animals rescued & released.
• PADI AWARE's marine debris database documented the February clean up through the Green PIer report, Casino Point reprort, and Step Beach report.
• March 23 Clean Up: 110 lbs of trash were collected through combined work in Avalon and Little Harbor with the Campbell Hall School.
• April 27 Earth Day Clean Up: 3 volunteers gathered 29.66 lbs of debris.
• May 11 Calvary Chapel School 6th Grade Volunteer Clean Up: 36.1 lbs of debris were colllected.
• May 18 Kayak Clean Up: In 3 hours, 17 volunteers using 11 kayaks cleaned 2 beaches and collected 326 lbs of debris.
• June 9 Clean Up: 10 volunteers removed 182 lbs of trash and debris.
• August 8 Kayak Clean Up: In 3 hours, 10 volunteers using 7 kayaks cleaned 1 beach and gathered 199 lbs of debris.
• August 18 Clean Up: 10 volunteers collected 51.8 lbs of debris.
• September 1 Clean Up: 13 volunteers gathered 126.7 lbs of debris.
• September 23 Kayak Clean Up: For Coastal Cleanup Day, 9 volunteers paddled past Southern California Edison to a remote beach and removed over 1,000 lbs of trash and debris, including a sailboat that had washed ashore. Bleu World hosted the event with help from Avalon Harbor Dept and Wet Spot Rentals.
• October Clean Up: 15 volunteers collected 89.75 lbs of trash.

2023 By the Numbers / Updates

Care for Catalina held numerous community clean-ups alongside community partners such as the City of Avalon, Bleu World, Rotary Club of Avalon, and the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department.

The May 2023 Community Clean-Up was supported by the Avalon Rotary Club and its Interact Club Members, plus over 100 LA County Sheriff’s Explorers. Together, volunteers removed well over 100 lbs. of trash from Catalina’s beaches, canyons, and popular viewpoints.

Clean-up work also extends below the waterline. In April, the annual Avalon Harbor underwater clean-up centered on Catalina’s ocean environment by removing harmful debris from underwater areas. Catalina Divers Supply and Avalon Rotary Club organized the effort with 500 registered divers, 70 non-diving participants, and over 60 volunteers.

In June, Avalon Rotary Club and 5 volunteers collected 43.65 lbs of trash in just over an hour.

In July, 11 community members joined the town clean-up and collected 104.17 lbs from hills and beaches.

In August, Avalon Rotary Club & Christy Lins hosted a major cleanup where 9 volunteers gathered 67.1 lbs of trash.

In September, the Community Clean up focused on beaches. With 9 volunteers, Avalon’s full coastline was walked, resulting in 33.2 lbs of trash collected.

The October Community Clean-Up brought together 42 volunteers in Avalon and Little Harbor Campground, with 118.7 lbs of trash collected.

The November Community Clean-Up involved 13 volunteers and produced 110.5 lbs of trash and recycling.

Ongoing Initiatives & Programs

Invasive Plant Removal

Invasive species can damage ecosystem health, the environment, and even human health. Care for Catalina has coordinated Invasive Plant Removal Days. At White’s Landing, volunteers removed 17,247 Sea Rocket Plants, an invasive weed species on the Island. 15 team members and helpers from Love Catalina and Catalina Island Conservancy participated.

Recycling Efforts

Recycling and efficiency remain central to Care for Catalina’s clean-up work. In April, Shred Days are hosted with local businesses and volunteers, with the purpose of shredding old documents so they can be recycled off the Island.

Alternative Fuel

Care for Catalina has focused on preventing unnecessary pollution on the island and is pleased that Biodiesel is now the preferred fuel for most passenger ferries serving Catalina. Biodiesel is a renewable, biodegradable fuel made from vegetable oils and soybeans. Catalina Express has put a biodiesel fuel program in place for vessels fueling at its two busiest departure locations: the Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach.

Catalina Express has long prioritized environmental responsibility and has strived to go above environmental regulations to help preserve Southern California’s coastline. Across the years, Catalina Express has collaborated with marine architects and engine manufacturers on vessels designed to reduce emissions. The fleet’s eight vessels have been re-engined to lower nitrogen oxide emissions and updated for Environmental Protection Agency Tier 2 or Tier 3 regulations for emissions levels. As far back as 2017, the Port of Los Angeles reported that Catalina Express reduced 800 tons of nitrogen oxide emissions, 30 tons of particulate matter emissions, and 10,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions – the equivalent of 10,000 cars.

The source page includes attributed remarks from Greg Bombard, President and CEO of Catalina Express, and City Manager David Maistros. These voices highlight emissions reductions, vessel updates tied to Environmental Protection Agency Tier 2 or Tier 3 regulations for emissions levels, and the arrival and rollout timing for Avalon’s electric transit vans and micro-transit vehicles.

Recently, the City of Avalon approved a requirement that future commercial vehicles, known as autoettes, use electricity as their power source beginning January 1, 2024. The city is also introducing an all-electric fleet for transit services. The new electric vehicles will include 2 full-size ADA-compliant vans and up to 4 micro-transit vehicles that are electric and smaller in size.

Recognition

Select Registry 2024 Craft Lodging Awards

• Who: The Avalon Hotel
• Date: 2024
• Nominated for: Sustainability Champion
• Conservation Story: The Avalon Hotel became a finalist in the "Select Registry Sustainability Champion" category. This award is presented to the Select Registry property that best implements and practices innovative green initiatives and programs. Awards will be announced at the Select Registry 2024 National Meeting & Conference in San Diego, California, on November 3-6, 2024.

Love Catalina Care For Catalina Sustainable Tourism Award

The Care For Catalina Sustainable Tourism Award recognizes outstanding work by a business or organization supporting sustainable tourism on Catalina Island. Care For Catalina initiatives became part of the Catalina Island Tourism Authority in 2019. The Sustainable Tourism Business of the Year Award was created to honor an exceptional business contribution to advancing sustainable tourism in/to Avalon and Catalina Island.

• Who: Kayla Feairheller, founder of Bleu World
• Date: 2024
• Nominated for: Founding Catalina Island Community Cleanups

• Conservation Story: Kayla Feairheller was recognized for Community Clean-up work, co-founding the first ever Kayak Clean-up event with Wet Spot Rentals, and partnering in the annual Avalon Underwater Clean-up events. Kayla and Bleu World exemplify acting locally and impacting globally!

• Who: Catalina Divers Supply

• Date: 2023

• Nominated for: 2023 Avalon Harbor Underwater Cleanup

• Conservation Story: Catalina Divers Supply received multiple nominations for successfully managing the Avalon Harbor Underwater Clean-up.

Southern California Edison's Water Conservation Program

• Who: Chet's Hardware
• Date: 10/23/22
• Nominated by: Steve Whittington
• Conservation Story: Since Aug 2022, Chet's Hardware installed an 850-gallon storage tank to collect air conditioner and ice machine condensation, with plans to also connect it to their rain runoff system. The collected water supports their Nursery, saving an estimated 600 gallons per month (7,200 gallons/year, 0.022 acre-feet per year).
• Validation: Customer’s water use reduction of >25% in Summer 2022 vs Summer 2021, even when the rest of the system showed an average increase of roughly 12%.

Have a nomination? Please send your water conservation story to catalinawater@sce.com to help spread awareness in the community and have a chance to receive a small prize.