Stand Up To Trash

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Stand Up To Trash

Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Stand Up To Trash, Nonprofit Organization, Dana Point, CA.

Stand Up To Trash Mission: 501(c)(3)
Our Mission
Protect our ocean by raising awareness of the harmful impact of plastic pollution through environmental education that empowers future generations.

05/19/2026

What does it really mean to be an ocean steward? 🌊

While planning this year’s Dana Point Scavenger Hunt, I found myself reflecting on something much deeper than clues, passports and local history.

Growing up in Dana Point, this town shaped who I am.
The beaches, harbor, trails, and people created a connection that made me want to protect it.

As our community grows, I started wondering… how do we help others build that same connection to the places around them?

Inspired by the words of Baba Dioum, “In the end we will conserve only what we love. We will love only what we understand, and we will understand only what we are taught,” and our partnership with the Acjachemen Tribe, the original stewards of this land, I wrote a new blog post about community, connection, stewardship and why people protect what they love.

This one came straight from the heart. 💙

📲Link in bio to read the full blog

Let me know what you think it means to be an ocean and/or land steward

05/18/2026

A huge THANK YOU to Harbor Rock Wealth Management for cohosting our 4th Annual San Clemente Beach Cleanup this weekend! 🚮

The morning started with a beautiful blessing and land acknowledgment from Chena Edmundson of the Juaneño Band of Mission Indians Acjachemen Nation, reminding us of our connection and responsibility to care for the land and sea. 🪶🌊

Together, 62 amazing volunteers removed 40 pounds of trash from the coastline, proving that every piece picked up matters, especially the small debris that can easily be mistaken for food by birds and marine life.

One thing we heard all morning was, “I didn’t pick up much, just a lot of little stuff.”
But those tiny pieces are often the most harmful to our ocean wildlife.
Every bottle cap, plastic fragment and micro piece removed helps create a healthier future for our beaches and ocean. 💙

So while the trash collected may not always weigh much, the value of removing it is far greater.

We loved seeing so many people come together to give back to the community, including one participant who celebrated her birthday with us alongside her family, and kids who drove all the way from Fountain Valley just to participate!

Thank you again to Harbor Rock Wealth Management for 4 years of partnership, community leadership and helping inspire positive action for our oceans!

Turning awareness into action together! 🩵💙🚮

04/26/2026

Today was a historic day of firsts.

For our nonprofit.
For the City and County

We’re incredibly proud to introduce the first Toy Box Library in Orange County, right here at Baby Beach!

Built on the simple idea of community and care, this “take a toy, leave a toy” box encourages reuse, reduces waste, and brings a little extra joy to families spending the day by the ocean, just like the little free libraries you see in neighborhoods, but with a coastal twist.

This project truly took a village, and we’re so grateful for the support that made it possible:
Supervisor Katrina Foley, OC Parks, and the City of Dana Point

Huge thank you to:
Matt Macarwich for building the box 🪚🗜️🧰
Dana-Beth Farris & Candace Alfaro for the beautiful artwork 🎨🖌️
Sign Lingo for bringing the signage to life

This is what community driven impact looks like and we’re just getting started!

Take a toy. Leave a toy. Love our beach. 💙

04/23/2026

Big impact from a small but mighty crew 🚮

Shoutout to these Tesoro High School classmates who took home the Biggest Catch at our Earth Day cleanup, removing a large piece of treated wood from the beach!

Here’s why that matters
 Not all “wood” in the ocean is created equal 🌊
 Natural driftwood is part of the coastal ecosystem, it breaks down over time and even provides habitat for marine life.

But treated wood is a different story. 🚫
 It’s often coated or infused with chemicals to prevent rot (think pesticides, preservatives, heavy metals) and when it ends up in the ocean, those toxins can leach into the water, impacting marine life, water quality and ultimately all of us.

By removing this piece, these students didn’t just clean the beach…they helped stop harmful chemicals from entering the ocean. 👏

This is what turning awareness into action looks like.

Want to make an impact like this?

Come join us at our next cleanup for World Oceans Day Sunday June 7! 🌎🌊

04/22/2026

🩵💙🌎 Earth Day is Every Day and we’re just getting started!

What began as a simple idea has grown into something truly powerful, thanks to this incredible community 💙

Together, we’ve made a lasting impact: 5 years and 60+ events 🌊 18,000 pounds of trash removed 🙌 13,000+ volunteers showing up for our ocean 🎓 6,000+ people engaged through 60 Lunch & Learn sessions, connecting everyday actions to real change.

This is what happens when a community comes together with purpose.

And we’re just getting started. 🌊💙

04/21/2026

What an incredible day with the Sandisk team! 🙌

After our big Earth Day cleanup on Saturday, this group still showed up ready to make a difference and together we removed an additional 38 pounds of trash before it could make its way into the ocean.

We kicked things off with an educational talk, connecting the dots between everyday litter and its impact on our environment, our ocean, and ourselves.
Because when you understand the why, the work becomes even more meaningful.

And of course…we had a little fun along the way 🎉
 🏆 Biggest Catch 🔍 Smallest Catch (microplastics!) 🤔 Most Unusual Find

Thank you Sandisk for bringing your team and such great energy!

Want to bring your team out for a cleanup?

Send us a DM, we’d love to have you join us. 🌊💙

04/20/2026

What a powerful Earth Day weekend! 🌎💙

We kicked things off with a yoga session led by Breezy, then flowed into a day of impact with our clothing swap and beach cleanup.

Together, 225 volunteers:
🌊 Removed 425 pounds of trash
♻️ Recycled 1.5 lbs of PET plastic
👕 Kept 166 lbs of clothing in circulation

All while enjoying the sweet Hawaiian sounds of BBFOG (Baby Beach Friendly Old Guys) 🎶

Thank you to our incredible partners for your continued support and welcome to Citibank for stepping in and showing up for this community.

We also heard from many who wanted to join but were impacted by limited parking, thank you for making the effort and we hope to see you at another cleanup event soon!

Last but not least, a very special shoutout to Frank’s Irvine Subaru for providing a beautiful 2026 Forester to help us transport supplies for the day 🚙💙

We’re also proud to celebrate 5 years of partnership with them, dating all the way back to April 18, 2021, when they joined us for their first Earth Day cleanup.

Grateful for partners who don’t just support the work, but grow with it. 🙏🏼

04/18/2026

Big shoutout to Dana Point Harbor for standing with us since day one 💙

Their support and partnership have helped power everything we’ve built and everything still to come.

We’re proud to stand together in protecting and caring for our harbor, beaches and ocean 🌊✨

04/17/2026

Gratitude, again and even deeper today 💙

To be featured not once, but twice on the covers of the Dana Point Times and the San Clemente Times is something we don’t take lightly.

Thank you for continuing to tell the story of this work and for recognizing a community that shows up, time and time again, for our coastline.

What makes this especially meaningful isn’t the covers, it’s what they represent.

Volunteers waking up early.
Families making it a tradition.
Partners standing with us.
A collective commitment to protecting the places we love.

This isn’t just our moment, it belongs to everyone who has ever picked up a piece of trash, shared our mission, or believed in what we’re building together.

We are so grateful.

Let’s keep going. 🌎

04/16/2026

Grateful doesn’t even begin to cover it 💙

A heartfelt thank you to the San Clemente Times for featuring us on the cover, for your continued support and for shining a light on the importance of coming together for our ocean and our community.

To see our work and upcoming Earth Day events shared alongside so many incredible local efforts is a beautiful reminder… this movement is bigger than any one of us.

It’s neighbors, families, volunteers and partners all showing up, taking action and proving that small choices really do add up.

We’re so honored to be part of this story—and even more excited for what we’ll create together this Earth Month 🌎

See you at the beach 🚮

Address

Dana Point, CA

Website

https://www.standuptotrash.com/

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