Among the numerous beach cleanup organizations, Clean the Coast stands out because of their commitment, community involvement, and opportunities for everyone.
Clean the Coast runs clean ups every Sunday, depending on the weather conditions, for two hours. Their locations change every week, but they mainly stay in Portsmouth and Rye.
Clean the Coast founders Ben Gotlieb and Mason Patterson, both Portsmouth High School Juniors, started the organization in September of 2023. The idea for Clean the Coast came to them over the summer as they looked around beaches and saw an abundance of trash.
Gotlieb and Patterson knew they wanted to help the community and make a difference. They knew that establishing it as school was starting would draw students in who needed National Honors Society hours. The organization also fulfills Ecology community service hours which is a big help to students, says Rachel Pozzetti, a PHS science teacher.
It was created to be open to anyone in the community and has had a range of students and families in the Portsmouth community participate. At each cleanup their numbers vary between 5 to 15 people. Their first clean up didn’t have ideal weather, but it didn’t discourage their mission.
“Even though it was raining we still went to the beach, and still spent two hours out in the rain,” said Gotlieb.
Through Clean the Coast’s efforts, they have collected more than 600 pounds of trash total from all cleanups. They continue to show up to make a difference for the people in Portsmouth as well as around the world. Clean the coast sells t-shirts, hoodies, and water bottles that can be purchased on their website, with the majority of sales going towards Blue Ocean Society. The money left over goes to buying their supplies. So far they have donated $100 and hope to see it increase.
In the future Clean the Coast is hoping to partner with businesses around the seacoast to grow the organization to be able to pick up more trash.
Gotlieb and Patterson hope Clean the Coast is a role model for the community and inspires others to keep Portsmouth clean. They want to teach cooperation and teamwork to people around the seacoast. They hope to continue the legacy of Clean the Coast by passing it on to a passionate student when they graduate and are looking forward to how the new leaders will bring more motivation to the group.
Gotlieb and Patterson noticed that because Clean the Coast is an organization run by students with limited funding, that it makes the clean ups more of a community, in comparison to well known companies. Others can feel more connected to the clean ups and will make friends.
Pozzetti expressed that she has never seen in 13 years of teaching a group as organized as Clean the Coast. She hopes to see it integrated into PHS to gain more advertising and obtain new members so it will give students more of a worldview.
To find out more information, visit their Instagram page @cleanthecoastnh.
