More than 80 students from Hofstra University traveled to Jones Beach on Sunday, Sept. 16, to participate in an annual beach cleanup. This event was organized by the Office of Commuting Student Services and Community Outreach along with Hofstra Hillel. The event ran from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and allowed time for students to collect as much trash as possible along the Jones Beach shore.
While the trip served as an opportunity for students to get involved with the community, it also coincided with the International Coastal Cleanup organized in New York by the American Littoral Society.
“This is the 38th year and it’s not just a cleanup,” said Lou Siegel, Nassau County director for the New York State Marine Education Association. “All the students kept a record of what they collected. So this goes into a tremendous database.”
The data collected during the cleanup serves a greater purpose, allowing the state to analyze and determine which products and garbage have the most negative impact.
“It’s like when they passed the bill in New York State and Nassau County to outlaw single use plastic bags,” Lou Siegel said. “That was the outcome of a lot of environmental groups pushing the politicians, and the reason the environmental groups were pushing them is because we found, over the years of collecting, that there were a lot of plastic bags around.”
Not only does the trip result in cleaner beaches, but it also helps Hofstra students connect with the greater Long Island community off campus.
“It was so much fun,” said Mia Ramika, a freshman music education major. “I think it’s so amazing that we got to do something that’s going to help to keep the environment clean and to help keep people happy at the beach.”
The trash that was collected on the beach ranged anywhere from napkins to larger waste.
“We picked up 10 pounds of trash and so much construction material,” said Diana Booth, a freshman biology major. “We found this fence piece that was broken and sticking up and had to dig in the sand to get it out.”
Both Hofstra Hillel and the Office of Commuting Student Services and Community Outreach worked to ensure a smooth and productive event.
“Each year when we do this program,” said University Chaplain and Hofstra Hillel Executive Director, Dave Siegel, “I think it really highlights for our community how important it is that as Hofstra students, we’re not just thinking about what goes on on our campus, but really what’s happening in the larger Long Island area.”
Even with a productive motive for the cleanup, both organizations added a dedication to Hofstra members lost to 9/11 to the event.
“It’s been 24 years since that event, and it’s important that we always remember the 27 victims of the Hofstra family who passed away,” Dave Siegel said. “But also, we actively do things to make this world a better place in their name.”
Along with student pride, residents of Jones Beach noticed the cleanliness of the fields and beaches.
“After a beach season, there is plenty of garbage everywhere,” said George Argondizza, Jones Beach resident. “I’ve seen birds with their feet stuck in plastic bags and flying around or they got something stuck on a wing so every little bit of garbage that they can get off the beach helps.”
At the end of the day, students left Jones Beach, taking pounds of collected trash with them.
“We got a lot of things off that beach,” Booth said. “Which is really good. I think between all of us, the beach is now really clean.”
