Cleaner California Coast Receives NOAA Grant to Study Food Waste
Cleaner California Coast, a Leave No Trace initiative, has received funding through the NOAA California Sea Grant Cultivate Awards to launch a regional study examining how visitors manage food waste across Marin, Sonoma, and Mendocino counties. The findings will provide practical insights to help coastal land managers, waste professionals, and community partners improve visitor education and waste management strategies, supporting both healthier coastal environments and local implementation of California's SB 1383 organic waste reduction requirements.
Working with Penn State University and a regional network of public agencies and community partners, Cleaner California Coast will lead the study to explore how visitors use landfill, compost, and recycling infrastructure, respond to educational signage, and make decisions about managing food waste while recreating along the coast.
“The Cleaner California Coast Coastal Ethic gives our three-county region a shared set of principles that partners and the public can put into action. This research will strengthen those practices with evidence, giving coastal communities, land managers, and visitors practical tools to reduce waste and protect the places we all value” says Madeline Nieto Hope at Cleaner California Coast.
Public coastal spaces are vital for community connection, tourism, and local economies. As visitation to California’s coast continues to grow, land managers and communities face increasing challenges in preventing food-related waste, protecting natural resources, and creating effective systems that support responsible recreation. Although food waste is a significant component of the waste stream, limited information exists about how visitors make decisions about food waste and which strategies are most effective in encouraging sustainable behaviors.
This study will help address this knowledge gap by providing evidence that can inform future approaches to coastal stewardship, waste and resource management, and visitor engagement.
The NOAA California Sea Grant Cultivate Awards support applied research projects that generate knowledge, tools, and solutions to help coastal communities, fisheries, aquaculture industries, and resource managers respond to environmental and economic challenges. Through its latest funding round, NOAA California Sea Grant awarded $2.45 million to 17 projects.
“Our Penn State team is thrilled to be working on this applied research and look forward to assisting the Cleaner California Coast and Leave No Trace educators on this important effort” says Dr. Derrick Taff, Professor of Recreation, Park and Tourism Management at Penn State University.
