Fostering Coastal  & Environmental Stewardship

People will protect what they know and love. That's why we create opportunities locally  to learn about the coastal environment in and around Boston. Fostering stewardship is easy when you exemplify a love, understanding and appreciation of that resource. Whether it's through shoreline clean-ups, teaching coastal topics in the classroom, supporting others in their efforts and advocacy  on climte justice or teaching citizen science in waterfront areas, our presence in the community is one of support and modeling that stewardship. 

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                         The Marine and Maritime Festival - A Unique Experience on the Waterfront

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Harborkeepers' signature Marine and Maritime Festival is inspiring hundreds of people to learn about the coastal environment and how they can play a part in its improvement.  For the last two summers, we've created a unique experience on the East Boston waterfront invites hundreds of people to come together and celebrate the contributions of some of the most amazing organizations and groups in the Metro Boston area that are working hard to foster coastal and environmental stewardship. 

Take a look at the videos of the last two Marine and Maritime Festivals held at Constitution Beach, East Boston. If you would like to sponsor the 2020 festival or participate as an organization, click below.

Thank you to all the event sponsors from 2018 and 2019!

Environmental Stewardship Through Shoreline Clean-ups 

The marine trash pollution problem is a global crisis, is a threat to human health and coastal habitats and is contributing to marine species extinction. But the global marine trash problem starts at the local level. We must do our part in Boston.  Since 2016, Harborkeepers' has been conducting volunteer shoreline clean-ups.  At the close of 2018, we documented a collection of over 2,555 pounds of trash and in 2019 over 4,000 pounds of trash through our clean-ups. From plastic bottles, to styrofoam, bottle caps, cigarette butts to all kinds of miscellaneous debris and litter, we've seen it all.  The marine trash keeps piling up on our shoreline.  With the amount of trash and debris Harborkeepers and supporters are collecting on a yearly basis, we can be rest assured that less trash is entering the ocean from our part of the coastline while improving waterfront areas for humans and marine life. You could be a harbor hero, too!  Send us an email if you would like to volunteer or if your group would like to sponsor a shoreline clean-up.

Inspiring the community in making a difference.

Upcoming Shoreline Clean-ups

The 2020 Harborkeepers' 

Shoreline Clean-ups Kickoff is currently on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We are following the guidelines of the CDC and Mass.gov guidelines

Stay tuned for updates!

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Thank you to The Eddy for offering to sponsor the kickoff and we hope to continue to partner on this when programming resumes!

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Did you know that last year we collected over 4,000 pounds of trash?

Thank you for sponsoring a shoreline clean-up:

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Channel Fish Co. - Shore Plaza East - Aetna - Boston University Upward Bound - Donald McKay Elementary School - Excel Academy Charter School - The Eddy - Atlantic Works Gallery - Starbucks - Friends of the Boston Harborwalk - Boston East Residents - Love Your Block Volunteers - Friends of the East Boston Greenway - The East Boston High School Seniors 2019 - Lendlease

Partners in Environmental Stewardship 

Building partnerships, fostering collaboration and creating spaces of connectedness between diverse stakeholders is at the core of our work of fostering environmental stewardship and building coastal resiliency. Together and in partnership, we can build resiliency from the ground up by advocating for better resources for our communities, building consensus on environmental progress, improving access to waterfront spaces equitably and uplifting all communities. Whether it's partnering on a marine education training session with the New England Aquarium, arranging a tour for locals to the Nantucket Lightship LV-112, organizing free kayak sessions with the Piers Park Sailing Center or coming together as partners to remove hundreds of pounds of trash from the shoreline with the Friends of the Boston Harborwalk, fostering environmental stewardship requires sustainable partnership-building and collaboration. Together, we will make more progress.

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As a partner of the Barr Foundation's Waterfront Initiative, Harborkeepers works in conjunction with other waterfront stakeholders to create a welcoming, fun, productive and resilient waterfront, aWaterfront for All.