MARTINEZ, Calif. – The Golden Eagle
(GE) refinery partnered with students and
Boy Scout troops to keep local waterways
free of debris. The Pacheco Slough Clean-
Up began four years ago with one person
paddling a canoe to collect debris in the
water.
This year, more than 150 volunteers,
including GE employees, friends and family
members, showed up for the annual event.
Garbage that is deposited into Walnut Creek and Grayson Creek, near Pacheco, finds its way into Pacheco Slough which empties into a local bay. Concord High School, Mount Diablo High School, Glenbrook Middle School, Hidden Valley Elementary School, Contra Costa County Supervisor, Susan Bonilla, Community Advisory Panel, and BSA Troop 370 joined GE employees in 14 boats to remove trash from the water.
The day began with a safety and environmental talk reaffirming the importance of recycling and disposing of debris properly so that it doesn’t end up in waterways. Teams were quickly formed and fed and ready to board their boats. Each team had a landing area for depositing what they removed from the slough. There was a competition to choose the most creative display for the garbage repositories. The top three teams received awards for their creations, but everyone walked away a winner. At the end of the day, Tesoro Golden Eagle presented each participating school a check for $5,000 to support their science departments.
“Education does not begin nor end at the classroom door and this opportunity allowed us to reinforce science education for our students,” Principal Gary McAdam from Glenbrook Middle School said.
“Golden Eagle employees believe in providing service to their community to improve the quality of life. The hands-on experience of collecting and removing discarded plastic bags, cans, bottles, garden equipment, sports equipment, furniture, car parts and recycling as much as possible, puts environmental awareness into action where you can see the results,” Refinery Manager, Bill Bodnar said.
