Meet 

Joanna

 

This month's newsletter features a very special volunteer who has been with us since the beginning: Joanna Fletchall. 

 

Joanna and her granddaughter were doing an experiment for a class project. They placed three types of trash around a path in Kailua and sat nearby to see how folks passing by would interact with it. They were surprised at how many people walked by, moved the trash out of the way but not into the rubbish bin, or just got angry about it without taking action. 

 

Then Michael (Executive Director, 808 Cleanups) walked by and threw away all three pieces. They struck up a conversation, and he told them about the nonprofit he ran. Michael invited them to join an event with 808 Cleanups and gave Joanna her own bucket after her first time out. She quickly put it to good use. 

 

Joanna got involved with 808 Cleanups around the time the Pacific Garbage Patch took over the shores of Oʻahu in the aftermath of the 2011 tsunami. She was shocked by what she saw washing up in her neighborhood – laundry baskets, ghost nets, toothbrushes and razors, even a boat – and decided to start cleaning up every day. Every time someone thanked her, she invited them to join in. 

 

She built a crew of people who would message one another about which areas needed attention. They quickly expanded their focus areas and started cleaning up Waimanalo, Makapuʻu, and Kahuku. Today you can find her at several regular 808 Cleanups events, and she still does her own cleanups when she sees areas in need.

 

Q&A with Joanna

What's the most rewarding part of volunteering with 808 Cleanups?For me personally since I’m a social person, it’s really fun. Last month I met a couple staying here from out of town. They were covered with mosquitos, but they still had a blast. I was able to give them travel tips. You meet really interesting people. Because you’re actually working, but you’re doing something fun and rewarding, and you’re talking to other likeminded people that you wouldn’t meet otherwise. 
 

Aside from it just feels good to do it because you live here and this is your home and you want to clean some stuff up, it's astounding to me that there is an acceptance of littering here. I don't remember it being that way in my youth, and you go to other cities and it's not like that. 

 

Silicon breast implant in Kahuku. It just floated up.

 

Come to as many different cleanups as you can. You’ll find ones you love - whether it’s planting native plants or concentrating on a dive or ocean cleanup. There are options all around the island. Find what you like and then start your own. Always carry your gear with you in your car so you can pull over and take care of something when you see it. Just do it!

Mahalo!

The 808 Cleanups Team