Groups of English 100 and environmental studies students going down to East Beach every week, picking up hundreds of pounds of trash at low tide, have named themselves the City College “Beach Angels.”

On Sunday at low tide, 4:45 p.m., English 100 instructor Patricia Morrill picked up trash with City College students to raise environmental awareness for ocean wildlife. She has been organizing beach cleanups since July, and once a week groups of 12 to 15 students show up.

“One low tide each weekend, we’ve never gotten less than 100 pounds; even when it’s two of us,” said Morrill. “Marine life is not going to die from these hundred pounds. That’s how I sleep at night.”

Morrill teaches environmental awareness in her classroom by assigning essays on climate change. She has shown documentaries such as “The 11th hour,” and Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth.”

“We’ve only been in school for two weeks so far, but we watched ‘The 11th hour,’ it’s a documentary about the climate crisis,'” said City College student Gregg Ramirez. He said he was inspired by the movies Morrill showed in class, and when he heard about the beach cleanups, he “decided it’s a really good idea to come out here and clean our own beaches.”

Morrill has purchased eco-friendly green bags and gloves for the students’ use. Waste on the beach has included shoes, t-shirts, plastics, condoms, cigarette butts, and even a garden hose.

While picking up plastic out of the sand, international student Shan Shan Ding commented on the beach cleanup.

“I think to clean the beaches is everyone’s responsibility,” said Ding. “I was moved by my teacher Patricia, so after Independence Day I got some friends to come down here. We were all picking up the trash and people just walked past us-it’s a tragedy.”

In the past two weeks, these “Beach Angels” have picked up over 200 pounds of recyclables that had been littered on the Santa Barbara beaches, and found over 5 dead birds.

“As a college we must accept our responsibility to properly educate students to deal with the world they live in and create a world they can survive in,” said environmental studies Professor Adam Green. “We must lead by example and provide opportunities for students to take their education outside the walls of ‘classrooms’ and deal with real problems.”

With Morrill’s beach cleanups the students are able to get involved and, literally, get their feet wet.

One of Morrill’s past students, Jon Daniels, said that “she keeps us all updated on coming out and… the bad effects that the trash has on wildlife.”

The “Beach Angels” focus on picking up trash that has direct harm on wildlife. Morrill explained that birds eat certain types of plastic that have broken down on the beaches, which then wind around the birds’ intestines.

Morrill has been contacting organizations such as Heal the Ocean, Surf Rider, and the Santa Barbara Urban Creeks Council (SBUCC) for possible sponsorship. So far, she has only heard back from SBUCC’s Liz Smith. Smith purchased bags and gloves for the students on Sunday.

Morrill believes that the change must begin with students.

“How can I look in my classrooms, into the eyes of the future, when I’m teaching them about their environment and not take action?” asked Morrill. “This generation will do the work if we make them aware; it’s not fair to leave this beautiful world we had in a disaster for the next generation.”

On Sept. 19, the Costal Commission is holding a cleanup at 9:00 a.m., but Patricia says that the organizations involved aren’t using their resources properly. She argues that they should hold the cleanup at low tide, so the expected 500 plus volunteers can cover the most area of beach.

Referencing The 11th Hour,” Morrill said that “the underlying problem and what all the scientists say is not global warming, is not the CO2 levels, not pollution, it’s the way we’re thinking.”

She added, “(Wasteful behavior) is immoral, that’s why I’m here; plus I’m having a good time with my students, who I love.”