Cargill celebrates International Coastal Cleanup Day to help Save Our Seas

NAMEPA on hand to educate and activate

September 27, 2018 – NAMEPA (North American Marine Environment Protection Association) supported the staff at Cargill’s ocean transportation office in Teaneck, New Jersey, one of NAMEPA’s corporate members, when they got their hands dirty to celebrate International Coastal Cleanup Day (ICC Day). ICC Day is an international movement to mobilize communities to clean up marine environments run by the Ocean Conservancy and several state partners. ICC Day has been helping to preserve marine environments for the past 30 years, and results in the International Coastal Cleanup annual cleanup report, which is one of the largest citizen science reports on marine debris and has become the basis for the United Nations’ report on marine debris.

The day began with a “Lunch and Learn” led by NAMEPA’s Education and Outreach Director, Nina Quaratella. The education program focused on what marine debris is, how it travels, and how it negatively impacts marine habitats and humans alike. This sparked meaningful discussion among Cargill staff to raise awareness of marine debris issues and how the marine industry plays a role in understanding this pervasive environmental problem. The Lunch and Learn concluded with cleanup procedures and how to properly collect data according to the Ocean Conservancy’s ICC protocols. 

Cargill and NAMEPA staff left the office and took to the wetlands. The team met with staff at the Teaneck Creek Conservancy, a 46-acre nature park that is adjacent to the Cargill office. The Teaneck Creek Conservancy, is a wetland system 10 miles from downtown Manhattan and an official NY/NJ Harbor Estuary Program Priority Restoration Site. As part of the Teaneck Creek watershed, all debris transported from storm water runoff in this area will flow into Teaneck Creek, which connects to Overpeck Creek and various other rivers and tributaries before reaching the New York Bight and Atlantic Ocean. 80% of trash in the ocean comes from land-based sources.

The team of Cargill maritime industry professionals, NAMEPA staff, and staff and volunteers of the Teaneck Creek Conservancy, worked together to remove 110 pounds of trash of debris from the nature preserve. 

Items included small items such as: food wrappers, cigarette butts, straws, plastic bottles, glass bottles. Additionally, larger items such as bicycle parts, speakers, and rubber hoses were also collected. All litter removed was tallied and will be submitted to the Ocean Conservancy to contribute to the ICC Annual Report. Not only did this contribute to positive environmental change for the Teaneck region, but also created a sense of partnership between the community and the Cargill staff. 

This dedication to environmental education and conservation is a quintessential example of Cargill’s, and the maritime industry’s, commitment to Save Our Seas and giving back to the local community.

“Cargill is committed to enriching our communities through economic development, partnerships and giving, combined with volunteer efforts of our employees,” said Jan-Willem van den Dijssel, Americas lead with Cargill’s ocean transportation business. “Through our partnership with NAMEPA we are striving for safe, responsible and sustainable shipping, while improving the health of our coastlines and waterways through employee volunteer efforts. We are pleased to work alongside NAMEPA in our Teaneck community to see an immediate impact on the local environment, while also having fun doing it.”