Gather your friends, family or a group from your Temple and join us for a trash cleanup at Shannon Beach as part of the global Bedikat HaMayim Waterfront Cleanup effort organized by Repair The Sea!
About the Effort: Bedikat HaMayim is more than a cleanup. It’s a time when we clean our homes and remove chametz, the last remaining bits of leavened products in our homes before the holiday.
But our home isn’t just our house. Our home is the Earth. And 70% of it is water
We search the shorelines, rivers, lakes, and harbors for a different kind of chametz: plastic snack bags and bottles that once held chametz, plastic cutlery that served chametz, and plastic bags that carried chametz — now lingering in our water long after the holiday has passed.
We call this practice Bedikat HaMayim — the searching of the water.
This event will be on Sunday, March 29th from 12:00pm to 2:00pm and all cleanup supplies will be provided. Please keep an eye on your email inbox for event communications.
“How to” of cleanups:
1) Wear long pants, closed toed shoes, and sun protection
2) Bring a water bottle
3) Refrain from picking up sharp items
4) Gloves, bags, and trash pickers will be provided
Want to learn more about Bedikat HaMayim, check out these resources:
Tikkun HaYam-the national organization that launched Reverse Tashlich
What more can you do about trash in our waters?
Keep your yard and local street storm water drain clean of all debris, especially trash. Leaves and dirt are also important to remove from the street storm water drains. These clog the drains and impede drainage. They also contain phosphates from inorganic fertilizers and poisons. Avoiding use of inorganic fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides also protect our environment from toxins. These toxins are flushed into our waterways via street storm water drains.
Refuse plastics and polystyrene (Styrofoam). Easy first steps include bringing your own reusable shopping bags. Nylon bags fit easily in your life. Usually, a local butcher will wrap meat or fish in wax coated paper and a plastic bag. But, that plastic bag can be used for containing trash properly disposed. Ask for paper containers for left-overs from restaurants. You can bring your own take home containers.
Reduce your waste by changing your habits. There are simple ways and more extensive efforts to create change. Use reusable containers for hot drinks. Use reusable bags for shopping vegetables and fruits. Every reduction makes a difference.
Reuse your “disposables”. Be creative, save money and protect the environment! Purchase second hand items. Share decorations and tools with your neighbors. Bring your own utensils and cups to work for meals.
Recycle and compost properly. Review your city recycling policies. Plastic bags and polystrene (#6 Styrofoam) are not accepted in curbside recycling pickups. Clean white foam can be deposited inside the Save Your Stuff trailer at the City Yard. There are commercial composting companies that service Malden: Bootstrap Compost and Black Earth Compost
Learn more about the zero waste movement and tips at EcoWatch.
