Ian Butler is San Mateo County "Health Hero for April, 2012"

"For his work against "styrozilla," and for all his efforts to clean up the Coastside, the San Mateo County Health System named Butler a Health Hero last month.  Pacifica Tribune/Jane Northrop, 5/22/12.  "Pacifican Ian Butler earned county's Health Hero award for cleaning up 60-pound block of Styrofoam and more."   Read Article. 

Best not to be a friend of Ian's?

From San Mateo County Health System, 4/2012, "Man Against "Styrozilla".  "Ian Butler removed a 60-lb block of styrofoam on Pacifica's shore...and that's just one of the many things he's done to clean up our coast.  For many years, Pacifica resident Ian Butler has been working to clean up the County's coast. As a member of the Pacifica Beach Coalition and a board member of Pacifica's Environmental Family, he is a passionate advocate for making San Mateo County a healthier place to live.

"Several years ago I discovered the most polluted beach in the county and decided to take on the task of cleaning it up," he said. "What started as a one-time project turned into a life-long passion, and I have been cleaning it up a few times a week ever since."
 
When he was cleaning up Pacifica's shores this week, he struck styrofoam. And we're not just talking about a few restaurant take-out containers or popcorn peanuts - we're talking about what Ian calls "Styrozilla," a 60-pound block of styrofoam, surrounded by thousands of particles that were floating in the water and littering the beach. Ian called up two of his friends to help haul "Styrozilla" up the cliff before it polluted the beach even more.

Ian Butler, picture from Pacifica Riptide.

Though "Styrozilla" has been removed from San Mateo County's shores, the work of making San Mateo County a healthy environment has just begun. For Ian, this is just one of many things he's done to protect and clean up the coast over the years, and he hopes to see others get more involved.

"My feeling is that if everyone took on a project of their own we could make our world far less polluted," Ian said. "The project has been far more rewarding than I ever could have imagined - I even discovered a mammoth fossil while picking up litter there once!"  Read More.
 

Related article -  Remember "Nurdle Beach? Coastsider 2/27/10. Ian has been cleaning-up the beach for a long time.
Definition - Styrofoam is a trade name for polystyrene, Earth Resource Foundation.
Recent styrofoam clean-up article -  Santa Cruz Sentinel. 3/30/12. "Dan Haifley, Our Ocean Backyard:  Why do these surfers chase Styrofoam?

Posted by Kathy Meeh