Trash mob shakes down litter zones

Carpinteria’s Trash Mob picks up pounds of litter at each workday. At the intersection of highways 101 and 150, Trash Mobsters collected 13 bags of debris in one day. From left are Marlene Hazen, Jim King, Sally Galati, Donna Jordan, Bill Crowely, Chris Sobell and Bryan Mootz.

Trash Mobsters shake down big litter zones

BY DEBRA HERRICK

Among the many problems related to the pandemic, Carpinteria is now showing signs of an uptick in litter. Bryan Mootz of Carpinteria Beautiful said that he’s been “unpleasantly surprised” by the amount of trash the organization’s volunteers have picked up over the last couple of months.

On an average day Mootz and his volunteer crew, aff ectionately named the Trash Mob, can fi ll over a dozen Caltrans trash bags, upwards of 45 pounds of litter and debris. Hot spots for the mobsters include Via Real by Santa Monica Road, Santa Claus Lane and the interchange of highways 101 and 150. These heavily used locations are experiencing more trash during the pandemic, according to Mootz.

“It is a lot more than normal,” said Mootz, “A lot of food containers and doggy bags, cigarette butts, and for some reason, especially on Santa Claus Lane and Hwy 150 at Bates, human toilet paper and paper towels used as toilet paper.”

When the pandemic cut off regular meetings for Carpinteria Beautiful, Mootz put out a call to the nonprofi t’s 55 “adopt-a-spotters” to do more than their once a week trash pick-up. Mootz also established a new group volunteer initiative, the Trash Mob. “The idea was to keep in contact with members and to keep the vibrancy and sense of purpose alive,” said Mootz. “We’re picking a spot every weekend and we go out and do it.”

During September—California’s Coastal Cleanup Month—Carpinteria Beautiful volunteers joined the Santa Barbara Channelkeepers and Explore Ecology to collect and document trash in Carpinteria. Across the state, thousands of volunteers participated in the monthlong cleanup eff ort. Over 10,000 people participated in 3,000 cleanups across the state, gathering close to 70,000 pounds of trash from neighborhoods, local parks, creeks and other natural spaces, reported Explore Ecology. “Trash in California can fl ow easily through stormwater systems to reach the coast and ocean once the rains begin, so cleaning neighborhoods and inland areas is one way of preventing trash from polluting the coast,” stated Julia Keane, environmental educator of Explore Ecology.

“Californians cherish our coast, and they proved it yet again under the most trying circumstances most of us have ever faced,” said Jack Ainsworth, executive director of the California Coastal Commission. “Everything in California fl ows downhill to our coast, so while this year’s

With a day’s work done for the Trash Mob at Santa Claus Lane, Bryan Mootz loads his truck with the haul to take it away for disposal.

cleanup eff ort may have been unusual, it was still an important and eff ective way to engage in coastal stewardship.”

Keane also noted that according to past cleanup data, 75% of the debris that volunteers remove is composed of plastic—most of it single-use, disposable plastic—a material that never completely biodegrades and is harmful to the environment. “Plastic pollution can kill wildlife, leach toxins into the environment, and even introduce them into the food chain,” stated Keane. “Since up to 80 percent of the trash on the California coast originates on land, volunteers across the state helped prevent enormous amounts of trash from ever reaching the ocean, no matter where they participated.”

This September, across 68 miles in Santa Barbara County, 776 volunteers cleaned up 3,918 pounds of trash and picked up 17,444 pieces of litter. Top items collected were cigarette butts (3,130), plastic pieces (2,848) and food wrappers (2,064). In Carpinteria, Explore Ecology recorded 18 cleanups, 46 volunteers, 269 pounds, 21 bags and 1,517 total pieces including 307 cigarette butts, 303 pieces of plastic and 228 food wrappers. But those numbers sound low to Mootz, who noted that Carpinterians might not have reported all of their data. Mootz said that at each Trash Mob day, his crew was collecting on average a dozen bags of litter, which would put Carpinteria’s trash numbers much higher.

“Coastal Cleanup Month was a great way for us to see how many people care about their environment and their neighborhoods,” said Keane. “It was very encouraging to see everyone get outside and participate in socially distanced cleanups throughout their communities. However, the momentum doesn’t have to stop here. You can make this a regular habit by bringing a bag every time you go for a walk.”

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Seahouse Affordable Housing Lottery Accepting Applications until November 20th, 2020

The City of Carpinteria will be accepting applications for an affordable housing lottery. Two two-bedroom and two three-bedroom* condominium residences at Seahouse by Warmington Residential will be offered through this lottery. Visit SeahouseAffordables.com for full application instructions and deadlines.

Number of Persons in Household

Maximum Annual Income

1

$122,920 2

$140,480 3

$158,040 4

$175,600 5

$189,648

*Purchasers of 3 bedroom units must be households of at least 3 persons. This can change if the director waives the requirement in the event the developer/owner is unable to find a qualified household of at least 3 persons.

Units available through the Lottery Process:

Address

4006 Green Heron Springs Drive 4022 Green Heron Springs Drive 4045 Green Heron Springs Drive 4005 Green Heron Springs Drive

Plan / Lot

Plan 1B / Lot 3

Plan 1XBR / Lot 7

Plan 2A / Lot 18

Plan 3CR / Lot 29

Bedrooms

2

2

3

3

Sale Price

$391,500 $391,500 $471,000 $471,000

The lottery will be drawn with the following preferences. One preference point is earned for each criterion below if at least one member of the household is:

Employed in a critical work force job with may include firefighting, law enforcement, public agency/government service, public or private school teacher, nursing/health technician, or emergency technician. Employed in the City of Carpinteria. Living within the City of Carpinteria.

The application period will be open between September 21st and November 20th, 2020, at 5:00 p.m. The completed application can be submitted online at SeahouseAffordables.com or dropped off at the Seahouse Sales Gallery. If you have questions about the application or submittal requirements, please contact Nick Bobroff, Principal Planner, at (805) 755-4407 or nickb@ci.carpinteria.us.

Warmington Residential and the City of Carpinteria are committed to providing equal housing opportunities for all people regardless of race, color, gender, religion, national origin, familial status, or disability. If you believe you have been a victim of discrimination, contact the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Fair Housing Hotline at 1-800-669-9777.

CVN CLUB SCENE

Carp Aid Diem to help Carpinteria businesses

Members of the Rotary Club of Carpinteria Morning have launched Carp Aid Diem, a fundraising effort to help support local businesses impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic.

As part of the Carp Aid Diem fundraiser, Morning Rotarians are selling gift cards and gift certificates to area businesses. As an incentive to buyers, participating businesses are offering a 10-20%. Gift cards from 20 local businesses are available, including many favorite local restaurants.

“We have been so inspired by local businesses who worked hard to provide for us in these trying times, and we wanted to do our part to pay them back by paying forward,” said Mary Layman, committee chairperson of Carp Aid Diem.“Gift cards make such great gifts during the holidays, and with these businesses offering a discount, we hope to inspire the whole community to come out and support this worthwhile cause to help those that have really struggled to stay afloat.”

Purchases can be made through Dec. 5, with gift cards and certificates available for pick up at individual businesses on Dec. 7 or after. The fundraising effort will culminate in a community walk on Dec. 5 led by members of all three Carpinteria Rotary Clubs: Morning, Noon and Sunset.

Rotary members Alec Hardy, Paul Wright and Jon Everett volunteer at a Carpinteria beach as part of the Community Alliance for Surveying Topography of Sandy Beaches.

Rotarians help survey beach topography

Starting in October of 2019, Carpinteria Noon Rotary began monthly surveys at the Linden and Ash avenue beaches for the Community Alliance for Surveying the Topography of Sandy Beaches (Coast Santa Barbara). This California Sea Grant (CASG) program, based at the Marine Science Institute at UCSB, and funded by CASG and UCSB’s Coastal Fund, is an educational research opportunity for community volunteers to contribute to science and learn about beach ecosystems. The surveys measure the contour of sandy beaches (known as beach profiling) using a quick and simple technique. The data help scientists and beach managers track seasonal changes and human impacts in these dynamic ecosystems.

Morning Rotarians celebrate October Fest at the beach.

Morning Rotarians send solar around the world

Rotary Club of Carpinteria Morning recently met at the beach for a “mini October Fest.” In addition to festivities, members presented the Rotarian of the Month Award to Art Fisher. Fisher joined the Unite to Light Global 5K swim event along with fellow Rotarian Erik Olson and raised enough sponsorship donations to send 69 solar lights around the world through the Peacebuilder Matching Grant project.