Stand Up To Trash

Home
United States
Dana Point, CA
Stand Up To Trash

Directions Website

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.

10/01/2026

🎃🌊 TRICK OR TREAT? 👻✨

It’s October 1st, and all month long we’re playing a little TRICK OR TREAT with our ocean. 🍬🌊

Some things that sound good for the planet are actually TRICKS 🕸️ like greenwashing, misleading labels, vague “eco-friendly” claims and packaging designed to look greener than it really is.

But there are plenty of TREATS worth celebrating too! 🎉🐢
 Real solutions. Ocean wins. Wildlife success stories. Communities making a difference. And everyday choices that actually help.

🗓️ Follow along with our October Trick or Treat Calendar!

👻 TRICKS = We’ll expose greenwashing, misleading claims, hidden trade-offs, fake certifications, and other spooky things to watch out for.

🍬 TREATS = We’ll celebrate real progress for our ocean, wildlife, waterways, and communities.
And here’s your first Halloween hint:

🕸️ Just because a package says “green,” “natural,” “earth-friendly,” or “eco-friendly” doesn’t necessarily mean it is.

Tomorrow, we’ll show you one of the easiest greenwashing TRICKS to spot. 👀🎃

💬 Got a TRICK or TREAT you think belongs on our calendar?
Drop it in the comments!
We may feature it this month.

🎃 31 days. 👻 Plenty of tricks. 🍬 Lots of treats. 🌊 One ocean worth protecting.

09/20/2026

Lots of little ONEs add up to something BIG! 💙🌊

With 406 participants removing 271.5 lbs of trash, you might already call that a BIG cleanup!
♻️ Recyclables collected: 4.2 lbs of plastic,  5 lbs of aluminum

But when we looked back on the day, we realized there were a whole lot of little ONEs to be thankful for…

💙 ONE beautiful city to protect. City Of Dana Point
⚓ ONE harbor to keep clean. Dana Point Harbor
🚙 ONE car packed with supplies, thanks to Frank’s Irvine Subaru Irvine Subaru
🧘‍♀️ ONE beautiful yoga teacher, Breezy, grounding us before the day began. Breezy Mattox
☕ ONE beloved coffee house, Coffee Importers, fueling our volunteers with coffee, hot chocolate and donuts. Coffee Importers
🎶 ONE fun band—Baby Beach Friendly Old Guys—filling the morning with Hawaiian music while we cleaned.
🛺 ONE golf cart company, SC Carts, helping us reach more areas of the harbor. SC Carts
🏄 ONE paddleboard or ONE kayak at a time, taking our cleanup onto the water with Westwind Sailing. WestWind Sailing & Paddling
🌊 ONE incredible on-the-water classroom for Lunch & Learn, thanks to Ocean Institute. Ocean Institute
🦅 ONE osprey visitor who decided to join Lunch & Learn while enjoying his own lunch!
💙 ONE amazing Ambassador who pours his heart into helping us month after month. Dana-Beth
🎤 ONE incredibly informative California Sea Grant Lunch & Learn with Alexiss Rivas. California Sea Grant
🐋 ONE amazing partner, Dana Wharf, who surprised us by donating not 75…but 80 whale-watching trips! Dana Wharf Whale Watching
🤎 ONE beautiful blessing shared in the Native Acjachemen language. Juaneño Band of Mission Indians Acjachemen Nation Jenna Fonseca
🔎 And millions of tiny pieces of microplastics, patiently collected by Jessica Cincotta and Spencer Thomas.

Then there was…
ONE lobster trap. ONE bicycle tire. ONE youth group from Laguna Niguel. ONE Girl Scout troop. ONE Lion’s Heart group. ONE Whittier College swim team.

And behind it all…
ONE amazing team of volunteers. ONE very grateful nonprofit. ONE beautiful place we are lucky enough to call home. 💙

Because when each of us does ONE thing to help, all those little ONEs can add up to something really, really BIG.

08/30/2026

Thank you, Stu News Dana Point, for the wonderful write up about our first San Juan Creek Cleanup! 💙🌊
Stu News Dana Point

We are so grateful for the opportunity to share the incredible impact our community can make when we come together. 107 volunteers and 583 pounds of trash removed in just an hour and a half! 🙌

Thank you for helping shine a light on the people who show up and care for our waterways and our environment.

We truly appreciate you! 💙📰

📲Link in bio to read the full story!

Nation

08/18/2026

🌊 California Coastal Cleanup Day! 🌊

Join Stand Up To Trash on Saturday, September 19 for one of the biggest cleanup days of the year! 💙

Bring your family, bring your friends and come spend a beautiful morning giving back to our coastline and community.

📅 Saturday, September 19 📍 Baby Beach + Ocean Institute | Dana Point ⏰ 8:00–11:00 AM

Schedule

🧘‍♀️ 8:00–9:00 AM | Yoga on the Sand at Baby Beach Start the day with an all-levels yoga session overlooking the harbor.

🧤 9:00–10:30 AM | Beach Cleanup Grab a bucket and picker and help us remove litter before it has a chance to reach the ocean. Every piece picked up makes a difference!

🌊 10:30–11:00 AM | FREE Lunch & Learn at Ocean Institute After the cleanup, stick around to learn, connect and be inspired to keep making a difference beyond cleanup day.

♻️ Bring your reusable water bottle, reusable gloves and bucket if you have them. Cleanup supplies will also be available.
✨ Come for yoga. 💙 Stay for the cleanup. 🌎 Leave inspired to make a difference.

Whether this is your first cleanup or you’ve been with us for years, everyone is welcome!
Because when our community comes together, small actions add up to BIG impact. 🌊

08/17/2026

🌊 583 POUNDS REMOVED FROM SAN JUAN CREEK! 🌊

What an incredible way to kick off our first San Juan Creek Cleanup!

💙 107 people came together yesterday and removed a whopping 583 pounds of trash from San Juan Creek! That’s 583 pounds of litter that now has ZERO chance of making its way downstream to our ocean. 🙌🌊

We began the morning with a beautiful welcome and blessing from the Juaneño Band of Mission Indians, Acjachemen Nation, who shared the significance of San Juan Creek and its deep connection to the Acjachemen people. It was such a meaningful way to begin our work together. Juaneño Band of Mission Indians Acjachemen Nation Nathan Banda

Thank you to our amazing partners who helped bring this event to life!

🚙 Irvine Subaru — thank you for providing the vehicle that helps us transport all of our cleanup supplies and makes events like this possible!🌊 City of Dana Point — thank you for your continued support of our mission and our community. Irvine Subaru

💙 Supervisor Katrina Foley — thank you for supporting this event and our efforts to create cleaner waterways and communities. OC Supervisor Katrina Foley

🏞️ County of Orange & the Adopt A Channel Program — thank you for giving us the opportunity to adopt San Juan Creek and for coordinating the many moving pieces behind the scenes to help make this cleanup possible. County of Orange

🛺 SC Carts — thank you for keeping our volunteers moving and helping transport participants throughout the cleanup area. SC Carts

☕ Starbucks — thank you for providing the morning fuel we needed before heading into the creek! Starbucks

💪 The Creek Team — thank you for bringing in the “special forces” and tackling areas of the creek that required a little extra muscle and expertise! The Creek Team

🐋 Dana Wharf — thank you for always showing up and supporting the work we do! Dana Wharf Whale Watching

And most importantly, THANK YOU to every single person who came out, got dirty, climbed into the creek and helped make our first San Juan Creek Cleanup such an incredible success.

08/14/2026

A huge THANK YOU to the Dana Point Times for featuring Stand Up To Trash & the Juaneño Band of Mission Indians, Acjachemen Nation as this week’s Editor’s Pick! 💙🌊 Dana Point Times Juaneño Band of Mission Indians Acjachemen Nation Nathan Banda

We’re so grateful for the opportunity to shine a light on our San Juan Creek Cleanup and the beginning of our long-term commitment to caring for this important watershed.

This is about so much more than picking up trash, it’s about protecting the waterways that connect our neighborhoods, wildlife, history and ultimately the Pacific Ocean. 🌎💧

Thank you for helping us spread the word and for recognizing the importance of this work!

Come join us this Sunday, August 16, from 9–11 a.m. as we care for San Juan Creek together! 💪🏽🗑️🌿

08/06/2026

🌊 Partner Spotlight ~ Ocean Institute
Ocean Institute

Some partnerships simply feel meant to be 💙

Since our very first cleanup in September 2021, the Ocean Institute has opened its doors, welcomed our volunteers and helped turn an idea into a thriving community movement.
Together, we’ve always believed one thing ~
“Always Better When We’re Together” 🎶

Over the past five years, we’ve shared more than 60 beach cleanups and Lunch & Learns, inspired 13,000+ volunteers and removed 18,000+ pounds of litter from our beaches, harbor and ocean.

The Ocean Institute has been so much more than a venue, they’ve been a true partner in our mission.

Their commitment to hands-on ocean education has inspired generations of children and families, reaching thousands each year through immersive marine science and maritime history programs that spark curiosity and a lifelong appreciation for our blue planet.

Founded in 1977, their mission, “Using the ocean as our classroom, we inspire children to learn,” perfectly complements our belief that education is the first step toward lasting change.

Every month, they’ve welcomed our community with open arms, creating a place where volunteers don’t just pick up litter, they learn why it matters.

To everyone at Ocean Institute, thank you for believing in us from the beginning, for your unwavering support and for helping thousands of people build a deeper connection with our ocean.

Here’s to five incredible years together and many more to come. 💙🌊

07/28/2026

San Juan Creek Cleanup

We’ve adopted a section of the San Juan Creek Channel through the Adopt A Channel program, and we’d love for you to join us for our very first cleanup!

🗓️ Sunday, August 16 ⏰ 9:00–11:00 a.m. 📍 Meet at the end of Alipaz Street, off Camino del Avion

What to expect:
🌿 Meet members of the Acjachemen Nation, who will share the cultural significance of San Juan Creek and its connection to the ocean 🌊 Help remove trash before it reaches our ocean 💧 Visit our Watershed Education Station and discover how The Ocean Starts at Your Front Door. 
Please come prepared 🧤 Bring work gloves (if you have them) 🥾 Wear sturdy, closed-toe shoes that can get wet 🚶 Be prepared to walk on uneven dirt, rocks and natural terrain 💧 Bring water, sunscreen and a hat

Every piece of trash removed helps protect wildlife, improve water quality and keep our community beautiful.

We hope you’ll join us as we begin caring for our newest cleanup location.

📲 Link in bio to register

07/25/2026

🎉 We Adopted a Channel!

We’re excited to announce that Stand Up To Trash has officially adopted this section of the San Juan Creek Channel through the Adopt A Channel program!

Join us for our first cleanup:

🗓️ Sunday, August 16
⏰ 9:00–11:00 a.m.
📍 Meet at the end of Alipaz Street, off Camino del Avion

When we walked the site today, we noticed quite a bit of trash that needs to be cleaned up. Together, we can make a real difference in keeping our waterways clean and preventing litter from reaching the ocean.

Please come prepared:
🧤 Bring work gloves (if you have them)
👟 Wear sturdy, closed-toe shoes that can get wet
🥾 Be prepared to walk on uneven dirt, rocks, and natural terrain
💧 🧴🧢Bring water, sunscreen and a hat

We hope you’ll join us as we kick off the stewardship of our newest cleanup location.

Link in bio to register! 🔗📲

07/24/2026

A heartfelt thank you to the Dana Point Times for publishing my latest guest column, “Choosing Connection Over Convenience.” 💙

It’s a reflection on the small choices we make every day, how convenience has shaped our habits and how reconnecting with each other and the places we love can create meaningful, lasting change.

I’m grateful for the opportunity to share this message with our community and hope it inspires others to pause, connect and remember that even the smallest actions can make a difference.

📖 The link to read the full column is in our bio!

Thank you, Dana Point Times, for helping amplify the conversation and supporting a cleaner, healthier future for our coastline and community. 🌊

3StandUpToTrash

Address

Dana Point, CA

Website

https://www.standuptotrash.com/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Stand Up To Trash posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Want your organization to be the top-listed non profit organization in Dana Point?