After much preparation, it finally got underway: Clean-Up Day on Saturday, September 24, 2022.

First and foremost, a date was found that had to take place within a time frame set by the Pasch network. The Pasch network played a central role in this, as it summoned and organized the worldwide Clean-Up Day. Together, we set a Saturday morning to spend four hours collecting and documenting trash at Newport Beach. This required obtaining a permit from the City of Newport Beach, which included a visit to the Civic Center. Due to the good organization and friendly staff, the registration went quickly and easily. To motivate the students of the German School Campus for the Clean-Up Day and to inform the parents about our event, I designed flyers that were distributed two weeks before.
On the day itself, we teachers met shortly before 9 am to set up the EZ-Up and provide drinks and food for the helpers. There were kids from elementary as well as high school, which made the importance of protecting our environment all the better at any age. It was especially common to find cigarette butts, used wrappers and used dishes, old clothes, or food scraps. Especially cigarette butts, or even small plastic particles struck us very negatively because we often discovered these things only by looking closely. All the worse was the thought of how much more waste would otherwise have ended up in the sea. Also, bystanders on the beach brought their trash and expressed their gratitude for our work, which made it even better and showed how important it is to set a good example and protect the environment as a community. Participants received a certificate that they could use for high school credits, or for their resumes.