Adopt-a-Beach

Adopt-a-Beach volunteers are on the front lines of keeping litter, most of it plastic, out of the Great Lakes. And they collect valuable data on what they find for researchers to use worldwide.

Visit our Adopt-a-Beach page to see how you can get involved with Adopt-a-Beach. Read the latest news about Adopt-a-Beach cleanups below.

Podcast

April 13, 2022

Juliann Krupa Spring Kick Off

Juliann Krupa is the Volunteer Engagement Manager at the Alliance for the Great Lakes. In this role, Juliann utilizes her passion for aquatic science and conservation to oversee over 15,000 Adopt-a-Beach […]

Blog

November 16, 2021

Over 200,000 Volunteers and 8,282,807 Pieces of Litter

2021 marked the 30th anniversary of the Alliance for the Great Lakes’ Adopt-a-Beach program. This year alone, volunteers hosted beach cleanups on all 5 Great Lakes and in all 8 […]

BLOG

September 23, 2021

30th Anniversary of September Adopt-a-Beach a Success! 

It’s hard to believe that 30 years ago in September, volunteers joined our first Adopt-a-Beach events on Lake Michigan. Today the program reaches across all 5 lakes and all 8 Great […]

Blog

November 19, 2020

Pandemic Can’t Stop Volunteers from Connecting, Cleaning Up

The pandemic slowed but couldn’t stop Great Lakers from volunteering this year. While taking precautions, volunteers throughout the Great Lakes region cleaned beaches and neighborhoods and helped spread the word […]

Blog

August 27, 2020

Trash picked up anywhere can help clean beaches everywhere

Trash picked up anywhere can help us have cleaner beaches and lakes everywhere. While the journey of a piece of trash can be as short as a few feet – […]

Blog

May 28, 2020

New Adopt-a-Beach Website Is Live!

We’re excited to share our new Adopt-a-Beach website with you! Visit adopt.greatlakes.org to check it out. The new website will make hosting Adopt-a-Beach events much easier. It also makes it super […]

BLOG

March 18, 2020

Adopt-a-Beach Cleanups Suspended Until Early May

At the Alliance for the Great Lakes, our volunteers’ safety is our top priority. We have been monitoring developments with the COVID-19 virus and have made the decision to suspend […]

BLOG

February 25, 2020

Alliance Announces Exciting Updates to Adopt-a-Beach Website

While it’s been too cold for Adopt-a-Beach, we’ve been cooking up some big things here at the Alliance. We’re happy to share that this year, we are launching a new […]

BLOG

November 18, 2019

Adopt-a-Beach 2019

Our Adopt-a-Beach volunteers put in some serious work during the 2019 Adopt-a-Beach season. We had volunteers cleaning on all five Great Lakes in all eight Great Lakes states. And across […]

BLOG

September 23, 2019

Celebrating September Adopt-a-Beach

From Duluth, Minnesota to Rochester, New York⁠—Parrotheads to university students⁠—September Adopt-a-Beach brought together a large community of people who love the Great Lakes.  September Adopt-a-Beach, part of the International Coastal […]