Oakland, Calif.—February 6, 2009 —The Port of Oakland and about 100 students from the University of California, Berkeley (Cal) men’s and women’s crew programs joined together to clean up the Eastern shore of the Oakland Estuary near Jack London Square on Feb. 1, 2009. The students picked up approximately 650 pounds of trash during their community service project on Sunday morning.

Led and coordinated by Jeff Jones, Environmental Compliance Supervisor at the Port of Oakland, Mike Teti, Cal men’s crew head coach, and Dave O’ Neill, Cal women’s crew head coach, the volunteers were split into groups of about 20 and walked along the rocky shoreline, where most of the trash enters the estuary either via storm drains or blown in from the west.

The coaches, in conjunction with the Port of Oakland, spearheaded the event to give back to the community in which the crews row. Cal crew teams have trained on the Oakland Estuary for more than a century. The T. Gary Rogers Rowing Center in Oakland has been home to the Cal men’s crew team since 2004.

Men’s head coach Mike Teti said, “We row on the Oakland Estuary every day and this was a great opportunity for the students to be able to have fun and volunteer their time as members of the community in Berkeley and in Oakland.”

Jeff Jones, Port Environmental Compliance Supervisor, was contacted by Cal’s Director of Olympic Sports Operations, Jenny Simon, and men’s head coach Mike Teti, who helped to organize this community service project.

“In the past, Port of Oakland public clean-up events resulted in the collection of around 360 pounds of trash. Sunday’s clean-up almost doubled previous efforts,” said Jones. “When you have a hundred people with strong backs like rowers, they can really clean up a shoreline. This success was the result of great enthusiasm and team work,” added Jones.

About the Port of Oakland:
The Port of Oakland oversees the Oakland seaport, Oakland International Airport and 20 miles of waterfront. The Oakland seaport is the third busiest containerport on the U.S. West Coast. Oakland International Airport offers 151 daily nonstop flights to 26 destinations; and the Port’s real estate includes commercial developments such as Jack London Square, as well as hundreds of acres of public parks and conservation areas. The Port of Oakland was established in 1927 and is an independent department of the City of Oakland. Please visit: www.portofoakland.com.

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Marilyn Sandifur, Port Spokesperson
Media & Public Relations Department
(510) 627-1193
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