Local Surfrider Foundation Chapter Taking the Cigarette Litter Issue to the Streets

San Diego, CA, August 11, 2011 --(PR.com)-- Hold On To Your Butt Awareness Day is Saturday August 13

Local Surfrider Foundation Chapter Taking the Cigarette Litter Issue to the Streets!

In an effort to raise awareness of the cigarette butt litter problem and reduce the amount of cigarette butt litter in the region, the Surfrider Foundation San Diego County Chapter will be conducting Hold Onto Your Butt Awareness Day on Saturday, August 13th from 10 a.m. to noon at two locations in San Diego County.

Cigarette butts are the most littered item in the United States and the world. This type of litter is not just found on streets and in urban settings; the number of cigarette butts found on beaches and nearby areas is overwhelming--typically accounting for nearly one in every three items collected during a beach cleanup.

Cigarette waste discarded miles inland compounds the problem as it can end up in drains that flow to streams, rivers, bays, lagoons and ultimately the ocean. To make matters worse, lighted cigarette butts flicked into California’s dry arid environment can spark deadly and costly wildfires.

Hold Onto Your Butt Awareness Day will involve activists, volunteers and friends of the environment gathering on San Diego's busiest traffic intersections as people arrive at the beach. Surfrider activists will hold signs, pass out personal ashtrays, stickers and graphically demonstrate to motorists the problem we're so concerned about. Surfrider will encourage motorists and beachgoers to dispose of cigarettes safely, and explain that cigarette butts thrown on the ground can eventually end up in the ocean and affect marine life, including surfers and swimmers.

Surfrider activists will be at these intersections from 10 a.m. to Noon on Saturday, August 13th:

• Mission Beach - across from Belmont Park at the intersection of Mission Blvd. & West Mission Bay Drive
• Oceanside - Pacific Street near the Pier

Representatives from the Calif. Dept. of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) will be at the Mission Beach location in support of Hold On To Your Butt as cigarette litter is the cause of many fires. According to their website, Cal Fire is “dedicated to the fire protection and stewardship of over 31 million acres of California's privately-owned wildlands. The Department provides varied emergency services in 36 of the State's 58 counties via contracts with local governments.”

These are some of the busiest intersections in the county and ideal for getting out our message to Hold On To Your Butt!. More information about the Surfrider Foundation San Diego County Chapter and the Hold On To Your Butt Campaign can be found at http://sandiego.surfrider.org/campaigns/hold-on-to-your-butt.

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