Program: Making San Diego a Cleaner Place

Alaina Ibarreche, Education Specialist at I Love A Clean San Diego, explained the group’s mission:  “Through outreach, community involvement and example, I Love A Clean San Diego leads and educates our community to actively conserve and enhance the environment.” 

Founded as the San Diego War Against Litter Committee (WALC) in 1954, I Love A Clean San Diego (ILACSD) has worked to improve the health and beauty of San Diego for over 60 years. In the 1970s “I Love A Clean San Diego” was the slogan for the organization’s anti-litter campaign and in 1980 it became the organization’s name. In 1989, ILACSD merged with the San Diego Ecology Center, joining two leading environmental organizations together to better serve the community, under one name. ILACSD continues to be San Diego’s leading environmental organization in San Diego County connecting over 60,000 youth and adults with the local environment each year.

ILACSD’s educational programs build on decades of experience to awaken passion within San Diegans countywide to inspire change through individual action by inviting all facets of our community to join the effort in sustaining, protecting, and appreciating the natural world around us. They offer classroom presentations, after-school programs, and community workshops.

Kids’ Ocean Day inspires students to be a voice for change as part of an international movement. Since 1998, ILACSD has partnered with the California Coastal Commission to unite students from underserved communities in a beach cleanup, which culminates in creating an aerial art image. This living art piece, only visible from the sky, empowers the global community to protect our life-giving oceans. This annual event magnifies the importance of the ocean and underscores the connection between students’ inland actions and the health of our ocean.

ILACSD and City of San Diego’s Think Blue Brigade is the premier club bringing together eco-conscious high school students throughout the City of San Diego. TBB members participate in fieldtrips and activities investigating local ecosystems and sustainability in San Diego. TBB provides students with the unique opportunity to explore nature, as well as analyze and offer solutions for real world issues.