Who Are We?

WHO ARE WE? We are volunteers who want to rid our county of the eyesore the litter creates on our highways. We know the agencies and people in Caltrans, City of Mill Valley, Strawberry and Marin County responsible for litter cleanup and continued maintenance. We are diligently working with them to resolve this problem.

Archived Newsletters

July, 2013 Newsletter

More good news! We are on our way with honest-to-goodness cleanup in the Strawberry frontage road area. July 1 was the date the county was out in force, weed whacking the fennel from the fenceline. The county finally came through for us! If you haven't done so already, it's almost worth the drive just to see all the weeds and debris cleared out from under the Richardson Bridge curve all the way up to Tiburon Boulevard.

Now we have a “clean slate” for our chosen contractor to work from. Two times a month from now on you will have the entire Strawberry Hwy. 101 frontage road cleaned of litter and weeds kept at bay. Marin Clean Highways has hired a contractor to do the work. Of course this isn't being done for free. It's a big job. And it will require money.

So.....we ask that you dig deep and contribute funds to our cause. Remember our umbrella organization, MarinLink, is a 501(c)3 so your donation will be tax deductible. It's simple to contribute; write a check to:

MarinLink (put “Marin Clean Highways” on the memo line)
500 Northgate Mall, Suite 250
San Rafael, CA 94903

We will send you a letter acknowledging receipt of the tax-deductible donation.

If any of you are interested in getting involved in our cause, we are moving ahead in various fronts to tackle litter, area by area. We could use help with: soliciting funds, apply for grants, website and social media development, liaison with local governments to develop anti-litter campaigns, organize volunteer cleanups in your area. And many others. Just contact us at marincleanhighways@gmail.com

Happy Clean & Green & Safe July!

Jill and Vicky


June 2013 Newsletter

We have exciting news about upcoming road adoptions.  Through CalTrans, Pizza Orgasmica will be adopting the 101/131 interchange.  They will do both litter pickup and weed abatement.  The Chevron car wash on Strawberry Village frontage road is adopting the Seminary Drive Park and Ride lots.  What a huge difference these two adoptions will make to our cause!  Please thank these businesses when you patronize them.

And that's not all: in June expect to see new trash cans at Golden Gate Transit bus stops on 101.  Soon those rusted out 30-gallon oil drums will be history.   We've been told the new ones even have tops to discourage crows from picking up the litter and spewing it around.  That's huge!

Now for the real kicker:  Supervisor Kathrin Sears has granted $5,000 from her discretionary fund to Marin Clean Highways.  We have also had our organization accepted by MarinLink, a non-profit entity that helps community-minded people realize their dreams, serving as an incubator, fiscal sponsor, and multi-faceted resource for real solutions.  We now feel we can ramp up our fund-raising efforts and move ahead with hiring crews to regularly clean up litter "hot spots".

Are you interested in volunteering or becoming involved?  We are looking for others who are passionate about restoring Marin to its original beauty – without litter!  We currently have two very specific needs, soliciting funds and education.  Please send us an email if you can help.

Stay tuned for more good news!

Vicky and Jill

Marin Clean Highways

May 2013 Marin Clean Highways Newsletter

Welcome and thank you for checking out our site. We are Jill and Vicky, Marin County residents who, like you, care about our beautiful area and are appalled by the litter on our roads. As Jim Wood noted in a previous issue of Marin Magazine, “The magazine got more responses to editorials about highway weeds and litter than about anything else we've written about.".  To read the article in full, go to http://marinmagazine.com and click on April 2013 edition, page 56.

 We’re determined improve the situation. We hope you’ll join us. Some of the ways you can help are listed below.  

Our Goal
Marin Clean Highways can help you navigate the complicated bureaucracy and rules of various public agencies. Throughout this past year we’ve spoken with many local businesses and private individuals who want to get involved with change, but didn't know where to start. Now they – and you – can start here, with Marin Clean Highways. We plan to concentrate our initial efforts in Southern Marin, from the Golden Gate Bridge to Novato, along Hwy. 101.  We plan to expand our reach as our organization grows.  It's a work in progress, and It's important that you speak up and let government agencies know how much you value cleaner roads in Marin.  Supervisor Kate Sears' office has helped with coordinating our efforts.

Road Adoption News
We're thrilled that the Hwy.101/Tiburon Blvd. interchange is in the process of being adopted.  Soon we should be seeing a sign that specifies who is volunteering to do this.  It will be great to see this busy intersection looking clean.  Remember, adopting is a low-cost way to advertise your business or organization.

Besides just adopting roads for litter clean up, did you know that you can also adopt the following:
  • Park and ride lots 
  • Tree and shrub planting
  • Vegetation control
  • Graffiti removal

Ending Litter at the Source
Uncovered open bed truck loads are the source of a lot of litter on our highways.  We've all seen it fly out.  Is anyone interested in helping us research if the existing laws regarding truck litter are being enforced?

How Can You Get Involved?
It's simple.  We suggest, for starters, that you email your government officials and Jim Wood of Marin Magazine and tell them how you feel about our litter situation.  A sample:

Marin County Supervisor
Dear Supervisor:
As a driver of the southern Marin highways and streets, I am frustrated and embarrassed by the amount of litter – that rarely seems to be picked up – marring our beautiful county.  It's time we looked at spending public dollars to implement regular, thorough cleanup of our roads.

AND

Jim Wood
Senior Writer
Marin Magazine
Dear Jim:
Your April 2013 article entitled “Cleaning Up Marin's Act” was informative and answered many questions I've had about our road litter.  I have noticed recently that in southern Marin the situation is slightly better, but we have a long way to go.  I hope to see more of those “Adopt-a-Highway” signs in our area.  

Thanks for reading!
Jill and Vicky
Marin Clean Highways





Newsletter
April, 2013

Welcome and thank you for checking out our site. We are Jill and Vicky, Marin County residents who care about our beautiful area and are appalled by the litter on our roads. As Jim Wood noted in the Marin Magazine April 2013 feature, highway litter is the single biggest hot button in Marin.

 We’re determined improve the situation. We hope you’ll join us. Some of the ways you can help are listed below.  

Our Goal
Marin Clean Highways can help you easily navigate the complicated bureaucracy and rules of various public agencies. Throughout this past year we’ve spoken with many local business and private individuals who want to get involved with change, but didn't know where to start. Now they – and you – can start here, with Marin Clean Highways. We plan to concentrate our initial efforts in Southern Marin, from Novato to the Golden Gate Bridge, along Hwy. 101, and plan to expand our reach as our organization grows.  It's important that you speak up and let government agencies know how much you value cleaner roads in Marin.

A Little Background
For the past year we’ve been researching which government agencies are responsible for which geographical areas in Marin.  We'll spare you the details; suffice it to say it's complicated beyond belief!  Adding to this complexity is the fact that virtually every agency and city we’ve contacted -- Caltrans, Marin County and various cities along Hwy 101— has little or no money budgeted for road cleanup.

Where Does the Litter Come From?
Unfortunately, many area businesses, particularly fast-food chains and gas stations, serve customers who are careless with their trash. We’ve seen people thoughtlessly drop cigarette butts and other litter while walking and driving.  We've seen pickup trucks, their beds uncovered, heedlessly spew debris.  We've seen the ravens and crows feasting at public dumpsters and trash cans.  And even nature plays a role when the wind blows trash out of cans that aren't emptied often enough.

The Good News
Two businesses have already stepped up to help keep litter more under control:
·       Chevron Gas Station/Car Wash at the Seminary Drive Exit
·       McDonalds at Seminary Drive Exit (helped with the Lagoon behind them)
Simple Ways You Can Help
1.     Be sure to acknowledge Chevron’s and McDonald’s efforts next time you’re on their premises.
2.     Voice your displeasure to businesses whose branded litter you see in our public areas.  Tell the owners you will boycott their business unless they “clean up their act.”
3.     Send a quick email, which can be very effective, to those government officials responsible for public works (see the tab for Government Agencies and go to your Supervisor's page). Let them know they can no longer ignore the community’s demand for less litter. 
4.     Send an email to Jim Wood, Senior Writer, Marin Magazine at pov@marinmagazine.com.
5.     Adopt a section of a highway by either contributing funds to pick up litter, or perform the manual labor yourself.  Contact us at marincleanhighways@gmail.com and we can send you to the right place. Click on “Adopt a Highway” link.
6.     Join Marin Clean Highways by clicking below on “Subscribe To:”

Thank you! We expect to update this newsletter monthly.
~ Jill and Vicky