Water gushes in the background while a guitarist strums and two plushy feet step into frame and land between a bright red plastic bottle cap, a cigarette butt and a crumpled lid near a creek bed.
Izzy, a foraging snowy egret puppet, goes for the red bottle cap and struggles to swallow it before a red-legged frog puppet named Fred races in from the right and discourages Izzy from eating plastic.
“Oh yuck, I keep thinking that stuff is food,” Izzy says to Fred before noticing the eight-pack ring choking the egret’s new, handheld friend.
“Well the wind blew this on me and I got tangled up in it,” Fred tells Izzy before the pair notice a pair of Alameda County residents volunteering and cleaning up creekside litter. This scene at Sycamore Grove in Livermore opens the signature video in a campaign Alameda County’s Clean Water Program launched in 2018 to increase awareness around storm water pollution prevention.
Through a red-legged frog puppet talking on screen to an egret while plastic suffocates it, the county department in charge of federal clean water law compliance sends a clear message: Litter hurts.
In fact, red-legged frogs like Fred are an Alameda County native species considered among the most vulnerable to storm drain pollution as seen in the video, which is one of more than two dozen the agency has published since May 2018. Fred’s status as a threatened species is one reason why Oakland-based Gigantic Idea Studio and Los Angeles-based builder Puppet Garage chose the amphibian as one of the two mascots.
“Everyone knows Kermit and we thought that may be an issue but having a red-legged frog was different enough where he could be red and spotted,” said Lisa Duba, principal at Gigantic Idea Studio. “We thought the bird would lend a different energy than the frog in terms of being funny and being able to fly around and moving around from creek to creek whereas frogs kind of stay in one place. So we wanted to have them work off each other.”
The duo’s stardom extends beyond the videos now: There’s activity books, coloring pages and an online, interactive game featuring Fred and Izzy centered around storm drain pollution prevention education. Four of the original videos meanwhile were translated last year into Cantonese and Spanish while the social marketing campaign has racked up more than two million views on the agency’s YouTube channel as of publication time.
“Our main goal really is to educate the public that the difference between the storm drain system and sewer system is that what goes down the storm drain system is not cleaned,” said Cynthia Butler of the county’s clean water outreach program.
And that’s how it is for most cities, the street drains most people call “gutters” transport water to creeks and natural bodies of water without stopping for treatment. San Francisco is a rare exception in California as its only coastal city served mostly by a combined sewer system, which collects and treats storm and waste water in the same pipe network. In Alameda County, storm drain runoff is delivered to creek beds like the one at Sycamore Park in the original video, where the puppets see humans cleaning it up.
For an Earth Day remix of that first video, Fred and Izzy drive home their message with a double entendre: “Hey look at that, the litter business is picking up already. Thanks guys.”
Alameda County’s Clean Water Program invites the public to volunteer at the following events on the 53rd annual Earth Day and upcoming Arbor Day:
Berkeley Bay Festival
Date: Sat, April 22, 9-11am (clean-up) and 11am-4pm (interactive activities)
Location: Shorebird Park
Address: 160 University Ave, Berkeley, CA 94710
Join us at the Berkeley Marina on Saturday, April 22nd from 9 am to11am for a shoreline cleanup and from 11am to 4pm for the Berkeley Bay Festival and Earth Day Celebration. Connect with the Bay and our local community through live music, performers, food, hands-on educational activities and free boat rides. This free family-focused event celebrates the Bay, its local wildlife, and the people and agencies dedicated to its protection. Over 30 environmental and wildlife conservation organizations from around the Bay will share their exhibits with the public.
Castro Valley and Unincorporated Areas
Creek Trail Beautification & Cleanup
Date: Sat, April 22, 2023, 9am-12pm
Location: Castro Valley Creek Trail at the Castro Valley Library
Address: 3600 Norbridge Ave, Castro Valley, CA 94546
The Earth Day Clean-Up and Recycles Day event has brought together 500 to 1,000 community volunteers every year to help with projects all around Castro Valley. Many Castro Valley schools also join the effort with staff, students, and family. Volunteers work together to beautify school campuses and clean up and enhance Castro Valley’s beautiful parks. Earth Day events puts into practice CVSan’s vision statement to practice environmental stewardship and to protect our resources.
Dublin
Dublin Pride Volunteer Day
Date: Saturday, April 22, 8am-12pm
Location: Several locations throughout Dublin
Dublin Pride Volunteer Day is an annual event that provides a variety of volunteers opportunities for the community to choose from. This project will be held at various locations throughout Dublin. All volunteers will meet at Emerald Glen Park at 8:00 am for breakfast and instructions. Please select your job duty upon registration.
Light breakfast will be provided. Tools will be provided for your project but please feel free to bring your own as well. Please bring water, sunscreen, work gloves and wear close-toed shoes. A community BBQ lunch and Volunteer Fair will be provided for all volunteers at Emerald Glen Park.
Emeryville
Earth Day Shoreline Cleanup
Date: Sun, April 23, 2023, 9:00am-12pm
Location: Shorebird Park, Emeryville
Address: W Frontage Rd & Access Rd, Emeryville, CA 94608
No registration required. More info
Have fun with family, friends and neighbors, cleaning up the beach! Come to the Earth Day Shoreline Clean Up at Shorebird Park in Emeryville on Sunday, April 23rd any time from 9:00 a.m. to noon.
Bring ‘em if you got ‘em: Collection buckets and/or bags, garden claw, reusable water bottle, and coffee mug, and wear layers, sunscreen, hat and work gloves. Additional tools will be available for use until supplies run out.
Fremont
Go Green! Earth Day Fair
Date: Sat, April 22, 2023, 11am-3pm
Location: Downtown Event Center & Plaza
Address: 3500 Capitol Ave., Fremont, CA 94538
No registration required
Community Fair for the public to come and learn about pollution prevention, water/energy/resource conservation, waste reduction and recycling, healthy gardening, alternative transportation, and more.
Hayward
Annual Earth Day Citywide Clean-up and Community Fair
Date: Sat, April 22, 2023, 8:30am-1pm
Location: Weekes Park
Address: 27182 Patrick Ave., Hayward, CA 94544
The Annual Earth Day Citywide Clean-Up & Community Fair is a litter pick-up event hosted at Weekes Park. Volunteers come together to collect litter and abandoned debris in various neighborhoods throughout the City. The Annual Earth Day Citywide Clean-Up will take place on Saturday, April 22, 2023. After volunteers collect litter, there will be an Earth Day themed Community Fair at the park, with local organizations hosting booths with activities. Free lunch will be provided to volunteers who register via Eventbrite.
If you are unable to make it to Weekes Park, but would like to organize a litter pick-up in your neighborhood or at your school on April 22nd, please contact Sustainability Specialist, Nicole Grucky at [email protected]. The City of Hayward can provide you tools like gloves, bags, and litter grabbers, and pick up your collected litter at the end of the day.
Hayward Shoreline Beach Cleanup
Date: Sat, April 22, 2023, 9am-12pm
Location: Hayward Shoreline
Address: Hayward Shoreline 3050 West Winton Ave., Hayward, CA 94545
We are so excited for Earth Day! If you would like to bring a group of 10 or more people, please register yourself and then call us at (510) 544-2229 or email [email protected]
Participants over 2 years old are encouraged to wear masks and attempt to maintain 6 ft of distance. Please check in with staff near the trail head at the end of West Winton Road- look for signs. Please do not show up to your volunteer event if you are showing ANY symptoms of illness!
Oakland
City-wide Cleanup
Date: Saturday, April 22, times vary
Register for any of the events below.
Oakland will be celebrating our 29th Earth Day on April 22, 2023 with volunteer activities throughout the city. Individuals, households and small groups are invited to clean up neighborhood streets, parks and waterways; activities will include litter removal, habitat restoration and other beautification projects.
Earth Day with Friends of Sausal Creek
Save the Date! Friends of Sausal Creek will be hosting volunteer events at several sites across the watershed for habitat restoration and beautification of Oakland’s green spaces.
Beaconsfield Canyon
Date: Sat, April 22, 9am – 12pm
Location: Beaconsfield Canyon
Address: Beaconsfield Canyon Trailhead, 2639 Beaconsfield Pl, Oakland, CA 94611
Help us create a firesafe community around Beaconsfield Canyon! We will be clearing brush from winter storms, pulling invasive species, and clearing trails. Meet at the Beaconsfield Canyon Trailhead. We are looking for 20 volunteers ages 16+.
Dimond Park & Canyon
Date: Sat, April 22, 9am – 12pm
Location: Dimond Park and Canyon
Help us create a healthy ecosystem in Dimond Park and Canyon! We will be cleaning up the creek, beautifying the park, pulling up invasive species, and working on erosion control projects. Meet at the Scout Hut. We are looking for volunteers of all ages, but this site will be most accessible for small watershed stewards as well!
Bridgeview Trailhead
Date: Sun, April 23, 9am – 11am
Location: Bridgeview Trailhead
Address: Bridgeview Trail, Oakland, CA 94602
Check out our ongoing restoration experiments at the Bridgeview Trailhead! We will be clearing trails, repairing storm damage, and removing invasive species. Meet at the Bridgeview Trailhead. We are looking for 8 volunteers over 16.
Piedmont
Arbor Day Celebration
Date: Thurs, April 27, 5-7pm
Location: Piedmont Community Hall
Address: 771 Highland Ave., Piedmont, CA 94611
No registration required.
Arbor Day Celebration
Date: Sat, April 29, 11am-2m
Location: Alviso Adobe Community Park
Address: 3465 Old Foothill Rd, Pleasanton, CA 94588
Event with information tables, Fruit tree pruning demonstrations, and fun activities for kids
No registration required.
Richmond
Point Pinole Beach Cleanup
Date: Sat, April 22, 2023, 9am-12pm
Address: Giant Highway Staging Area 5551 Giant Highway Richmond, CA 94806
We are so excited for Earth Day! If you would like to bring a group of 10 or more people, please register yourself and then call us at (510)544-2229 or email [email protected]. Participants over 2 years old are encouraged to wear masks and attempt to maintain 6 ft of distance. Please do not show up to your Volunteer event if you are showing ANY symptoms of illness! Please meet staff at the Giant Marsh and Beach, near the Bayview Trail. Parking at the Giant Highway Parking lot and staging area.
San Leandro
Community Tree Planting at Cherry Grove Park
Date: Sat, April 22, 2023, 10am-12pm
Location: Cherry Grove Court
Address: 1600 Williams Street
San Leandro, CA 94577
Join City of San Leandro and its community partner Common Vision for an Earth Day tree planting at Cherry Grove Park! Bring your own gloves, shovels and other equipment provided. Kids welcome. Trees funded by the CalFire Urban Forestry grant program.
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