Boatsetter’s 2023 Waterway Clean-Ups | #MindYourWake

Get Out & Clean Up

As things heat up across the U.S., we are excited to soak up the summer sun the only way we know how: on the water! Boatsetter has made boating possible for so many people and now we’re taking it a step further with our #MindYourWake initiatives. Minding Your Wake means being conscious of your vessel’s ‘wake print’ and minimizing the impact boating has on aquatic ecosystems. 

As a core value, it’s important we set an example for recreational boaters and do our part to ensure these environments are around for future generations to enjoy – the best way to do so is to practice sustainable boating.

Along with sustainable boating practices comes a responsibility to clean up and preserve the very same environments we love to explore. 

To join in the fight of protecting and saving our waterways, Boatsetter continues to be involved in waterway clean-ups across the country. As a grassroots effort to invoke environmental change, coastal clean-ups are a great way to show you care. Not to mention that these events promote a sense of personal satisfaction and cultivate a unique environmental consciousness. Picking up someone else’s garbage makes you realize how much waste you produce yourself! 

Check out the details below for our 2023 clean-up events.

 

Schedule of Events

Part of minding your wake is generating a boots-on-the-ground presence to help mitigate the effects of pollution in real time. Also, collaborating with other like-minded organizations and combining our strengths is what will allow us to create the biggest change possible. This year, we’re doing just that!

 

Broward County Waterway Clean-Up (March 2023)

For the third year in a row, Boatsetter is a proud sponsor of the 46th Annual Broward County Waterway Clean-up. Each year, several locations across the county host volunteers to help clean up the local community. We spent the morning clearing trash from the New River in Fort Lauderdale and made some new friends along the way.

Clean Miami Beach: Earth Day Clean-Up (April 2023)

No better way to celebrate Earth Day than by coming together as a community and cleaning up the beaches we call home. Boatsetter is a three-time partner with Clean Miami Beach, who is making waves with their sustainability initiatives and bi-weekly clean-ups (like by helping pass the ban on cigarette smoking in Miami Beach!) Catch the Boatsetter team on April 22nd clearing trash and debris from Miami Beach!

Check back often for updates on upcoming events!

 

Friends of the Chicago River: River Day Clean-Up (May 2023)

Our efforts to clean up waterways across the country have expanded inland to a large and important freshwater ecosystem, the Chicago-Calumet River system. Friends is the only organization solely dedicated to improving the health of the Chicago River system. Each May, they host a “Chicago River Day” litter cleanup and restoration event that draws thousands of individuals, families, community groups, and corporate teams to work at more than 70 locations along the river system. Boatsetter was a proud sponsor of the event, which in total collected a tremendous 30,000 lbs of trash and debris from the greater Chicago area. 

 

Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful: World Ocean’s Day Clean-Up (June 2023)

Returning to Tampa for the second year in a row, the Boatsetter sustainability team spent World Ocean’s Day cleaning the waters of Tampa Bay. As a Keep America Beautiful Affiliate, KTBB is dedicated to inspiring and educating people to take action every day to improve and beautify their community environment. The majority of our efforts were spent clearing debris and fishing line that was trapped in the mangroves along Davis Islands Park. It was astonishing the amount of fishing line we found, which is concerning because it can take 600 years to break down and is a huge threat to marine life. In total, participants removed over 1,100 lbs of trash from Tampa Bay in celebration of World Ocean’s Day!

 

Puget Soundkeepers: Post-Fireworks Clean-Up (July 2023)

As we honor our country’s independence, it’s important to be conscious of the environmental effects of these celebrations. Fireworks, albeit beautiful and patriotic, can produce waste that majority of the time gets forgotten about once the celebrations are over. This year, we partnered with the Puget Sounkeeper to host a post-fireworks clean-up on Lake Union in Seattle, WA. Not only was the park littered with trash, but the water was also scattered with small cardboard-ish paper pieces, a result of the fireworks display the night before. Joined by a fleet of kayakers, we successfully removed 100 lbs of trash and litter from the Lake Union area, making Seattle’s waterways that much greener!

 

Clean Miami Beach: Labor Day Clean-Up (September 2023)

We spent the holiday weekend on Miami Beach removing over 300 lbs of trash from the sand, dunes, and walkways! This marks Boatsetter’s 4th sponsored clean-up with Clean Miami Beach. We collected a total of 150 straws, 100 cans, 99 plastic bottles, 57 plastic cups, 20 plastic utensils, 15 clothing items, 1 bike seat, and more! These numbers emphasize the importance of eliminating single-use plastics and switching to reusable alternatives whenever possible. Is one single-use red solo cup worth 400 years in the landfill?

 

Keep Palm Beach County Beautiful: International Coastal Clean-Up (September 2023)

Another Keep America Beautiful Affiliate, KPBCB celebrated National Clean-Up Month by hosting their annual International Coastal Clean-Up series on September 23rd. There were 18 different clean-up locations across the county with Boatsetter sponsoring the event at the Sandoway Discovery Center in Delray Beach, FL. KPBCB kept detailed, standardized data of all the debris and trash collected from the clean-ups. This data will be used by the Ocean Conservancy and other organizations to determine the various sources of marine debris, to evaluate the impact of marine debris on wildlife and habitat, and to influence industries that manufacture products that cause harm to the marine environment. We removed over 150 lbs of trash from the beach at Sandoway Center and we look forward to partneting with KPBCB again next year!

 

Clean Miami Beach: Land & Sea Clean-Up (October 2023)

Boatsetter’s last sponsored clean-up of 2023 took place in the city we hold closest to heart…Miami Beach! With the help of one of our top owners, Captain M, we cruised the intracoastal cleaning up the water and surrounding mangroves by removing 360+ lbs of straws, plastic bags, bottles, parking tickets, take-out containers, construction debris, you name it!  No matter how often we come back to Miami, there is always something to clean up. We should all work towards reducing our consumption and use of single-use plastics in 2024. But for now, that’s a wrap on our 2023 clean-ups! Check back soon for updates on next year’s schedule!

 

Interested in Volunteering with Boatsetter?

If you’re interested in giving back to your local community and helping to protect our aquatic world, waterway clean-ups are great environmental events to get involved in. Try searching for upcoming clean-up events in your area. Local county parks are a great place to start and have environmental programs and activities for a wide range of interests. During the past decade, Keep America Beautiful has collected over 750 million pounds of trash and recyclables and is a great organization to check out if you’re interested in hosting your own clean-up. 

10 Tips for a successful waterway clean-up

1. Wear proper clothing (closed-toe shoes, clothes you don’t mind getting dirty, hat/sunglasses)
2. Stay hydrated
3. Apply reef-safe sunscreen
4. Bring garbage bags and trash pickers if not already provided
5. Always wear gloves
6. Look before you grab trash—pay attention to any sharp or unknown objects
7. Respect live animals nearby
8. Recruit family and friends
9. Wash hands and equipment afterward
10. Post on social media to give recognition to the event and inspire others to take action!

To learn more about Boatsetter’s #MindYourWake initiatives, check out our Community Impact page or email us at sustainability@boatsetter.com.

Other Ways to Help Keep Our Waterways Clean

Outside of volunteering your time to help mitigate the effects of pollution, there are a number of different things you can do as a boater to help keep our oceans clean. 

• First, remember to keep all your trash inside the boat and never let it fall into the water—once you’re back on land, you can dispose of it properly. 
• While refilling your boat’s gas tank, try to eliminate any oil or fuel from spilling into the water. If a spill does occur, notify marina management or local authorities immediately.
• Additionally, be conscious of nearby coral reefs, seagrass and fish beds when anchoring. 
• Back on land, try to take advantage of reusable containers and do your part in recycling items from your household.

To learn more about sustainable boating practices, be sure to read our step-by-step guide here.

Read other stories within our #MindYourWake Series:

• Green Boating: 6 Sustainable Best Practices for Boaters
• Seabin Project for Cleaner Oceans
• Miami Waterkeeper: Protecting the Water You Love
• Billion Oyster Project: Building Back New York’s Harbors
• Captains for Clean Water: Protecting Aquatic Ecosystems
• The Everglades Foundation: Science First