Canadian Shorelines to Benefit from Record-Breaking Cleanup

Help is on the way for aquatic species living along 1,585 TD Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup sites - September 19-27

VANCOUVER and TORONTO , Sept. 14 /CNW/ - How would you like to share your bed with cigarette butts, water bottles, plastic bags and other assorted garbage? For aquatic animals, that's the reality of living along many of Canada's lakes, rivers, streams and oceans. But help is on the way, with nearly 60,000 Canadians expected to remove the equivalent of 200 garbage trucks worth of trash during the 16th annual TD Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup (TD GCSC), which kicks off this weekend in communities all across Canada .

"Many Canadians are looking for tangible ways to help the environment, and for 16 years the TD Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup has provided a simple, collaborative and extraordinarily rewarding opportunity to do so," said Mary Desjardins , Executive Director, TD Friends of the Environment Foundation. "We're urging Canadians to step up, sign up, and clean up this September."

So far, a record-breaking 1,585 cleanup sites have been registered and organizers are urging participants to register online at www.tdgcsc.ca to be counted in what is likely to be the biggest turnout in the program's 16 year history.

By visiting www.tdgcsc.ca, Canadians can register and/or find information for one of the hundreds of public shoreline cleanups taking place in communities throughout the week.

Attention Photo & City Desks: Drop In Cleanup Kick-Off Events, September 19 and 20

As part of the launch of the TD GCSC, "drop in" kick-off cleanup events will be held in Vancouver , Calgary , Toronto , Montreal and Halifax on September 19 and 20, 2009. These free public cleanup events will feature live entertainment, refreshments, prizes and the opportunity for children to make their mark on the TD Friends of the Environment Foundation Kids Monster Mural.

    
    September 19, 2009:
    -   Vancouver, British Columbia
        Kitsilano Beach Park: 10:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. PST

    -   Calgary, Alberta
        Bowness Park: 10:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. MST

    -   Toronto, Ontario
        Woodbine Beach Park: 10:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m EST

    -   Halifax, Nova Scotia
        Point Pleasant Park (Black Rock Beach): 10:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m AST

    September 20, 2009:
    -   Montreal, Quebec
        St. Lawrence River/LaSalle Riverfront: 10:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m EST
    

"What's important to remember is that we're all connected to the ocean and the cigarette butts or food wrappers you see in the gutter could end up in our waterways, harming or killing marine animals," said Jill Dwyer , Program Manager, TD Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup. "What makes our annual shoreline cleanup so powerful is that it gives Canadians hands-on experience with the problem of shoreline litter, and the solution they can provide."

Unusual trash found in previous cleanups include a parking ticket machine, an engagement ring, a bag full of purses, a hotel safe, a wedding dress, and much more. And the most common item recovered during last year's cleanup? More than 300,000 cigarette butts!

About the TD Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup (TD GCSC)

TD Bank Financial Group has been a proud sponsor of the TD Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup, a Vancouver Aquarium conservation program, through its TD Friends of the Environment Foundation for more than 13 years. The TD GCSC began in 1994 as a small beach cleanup with a handful of employees from the Vancouver Aquarium who wanted to participate in the Ocean Conservancy's International Coastal Cleanup. In 2008, a record-breaking 63,491 Canadians registered for 1,531 sites across the country and removed 135,467 kilograms of garbage from a collective distance of 2,152 kilometres. Now in its 16th year, this year's TD Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup takes place from September 19-27, 2009. For more information or to register please visit www.tdgcsc.ca.

For further information: Aurora Bonin, TD Friends of the Environment Foundation, [phone], [email protected]; Matthew Cram, TD Bank Financial Group, [phone], [email protected]; Jean Fong, Vancouver Aquarium, 1-800-375-8776, [email protected]