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Maine is home to one of the most beautiful coastlines in the country – that’s why the ɫ����Ƶis taking steps to preserve it by hosting the ɫ����Ƶ Coastal Cleanup on Monday, June 8, 2015, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. in honor of World Oceans Day.

Community members are invited to join ɫ����Ƶ faculty, staff and students at the ɫ����Ƶ Marine Science Center to help clean up the beach along ɫ����Ƶ’s seaside campus in an effort to protect and maintain the ocean and its marine life. The event will close with a community barbecue at the ɫ����Ƶ Marine Science Center from 12 to 2 p.m.

“The ɫ����Ƶ campus is located on the shores of the Saco River Estuary, which is connected directly to the Northwest Atlantic Ocean, and offers our students an open ocean of opportunities,” says Barry Costa-Pierce, Ph.D., professor and director of Marine Sciences at ɫ����Ƶ. “World Ocean Day is on June 8, but for ɫ����Ƶ, it’s our commitment every day. ɫ����Ƶ is an ocean university embedded in an ocean state in an ocean world. We are incredibly lucky to be in this special place, and we take our ocean stewardship roles very seriously.”

is an annual celebration aimed at encouraging action to protect the ocean. This year’s theme, “Healthy Oceans, Healthy Planet,” focuses specifically on eliminating plastic pollution. Plastic waste poses a significant threat to all marine life, and 80 percent of it comes from land. ɫ����Ƶ’s Coastal Cleanup provides a way for community members to take action and alleviate this issue.

The rain date for this event is Thursday, June 11, 2015. For more information, please contact Bradley Goodwin at (207) 602-2750, or email bgoodwin2@une.edu.