Each fall, just as the leaves begin to change, volunteers in our hometown of Massachusetts come together to participate in COASTSWEEP – a statewide coastal cleanup that takes place from September through November.

This season our team took the opportunity to get out of the office and spend a day cleaning up Crane Beach. Located in Ipswich, Massachusetts, Crane Beach consists of a four-mile conservation made up of sand, dunes, and pitch pines. Not only was it a unique opportunity to take part in a meaningful initiative, but it was also a great chance to enjoy the ocean with team members and coworkers.

Scroll below to see a few photos from the day:

Crane Beach is a more than 1,200 acre beach on the North Shore of Massachusetts. Our team set out to clean up the beach once the summer season ended.

On the surface, the beach looked very clean, but as we walked along the shore we found rubbish and trash scattered all across the beach. While walking the beach we stumbled across plastic bottles, pieces of styrofoam, soda cans, empty tubes of sunscreen, and other common items that were left behind after beach season came to a close.

Many of the items we found were dirty and gross, but there was one highlight. We came across a bright blue buoy washed up on the shore. The rope had frayed and broken loose and the body of the buoy was banged up, so we collected it for recycling, but we were all filled with curiosity as we wondered where it might have come from.

The beach cleanup was also the perfect opportunity for the ladies on the team to rock their Saltwater boots by salt water. You can shop them HERE.

To learn more about COASTSWEEP or to find out how to organize a similar cleanup effort in your area, click HERE.