Covering for the slovenly among us, hundreds of thousands of volunteers are expected to participate in an annual trash collection effort on Sept. 15, 2007, along the shores of the world's oceans, lakes, and rivers. In last year's International Coastal Cleanup, volunteers in almost every US state and 68 countries picked up more than 7 million pounds of trash.

The Ocean Conservancy estimates that trash such as plastic debris and discarded fishing gear directly kills more than 1 million birds, mammals, and turtles each year. In addition, contaminants leaching from trash pollute the world's waters and shorelines.

The trash collection effort provides a ready opportunity for TV, radio, print, and online coverage of an environmental topic in your neighborhood. For background information and a contact person in most states and dozens of countries, see the International Coastal Cleanup website. [2]