Breaking news: Kali Lindsay becomes president of Emerald Keepers

Emerald Keepers has a new leader to take the helm of the nonprofit’s board of directors. Kali Lindsay has taken on the role of president of the board for the environmental organization, a position that has been held by Emerald Keepers founder Amy Steward for six years.

Lindsay, a native San Diegan who grew up in Coronado, has been involved in the organization since 2023, starting out by going to informative talks and the organization’s Coronado Community Conference. She joined the board in January 2024 and has been serving as treasurer. As a board member, she has also been mentoring the Emerald Keepers high school interns in their quest to reduce single-use plastics, and in November, Lindsay spoke at the City Council in support of the Island Express on behalf of Emerald Keepers.

“It seemed like a really good opportunity to get even more involved and to grow with Emerald Keepers,” Lindsay said about taking on the position of president.

Lindsay is a passionate environmentalist who practices sustainability at her home, which she shares with her husband, Robbie Ruelas.  You’ll find Lindsay riding her bicycle around town for transportation and shopping at thrift stores. She also composts and adheres to a mainly vegan diet because it’s better for the environment.

Lindsay, 34, attended Francis Parker High School and studied dance at the Coronado Academy of Dance. She graduated in 2008 and went on to attend Stanford University, earning a degree in psychology. Her career path eventually led her to follow her parent’s footsteps into accounting, working as a tax accountant.

But her passion for the environment has been a constant in her life. The couple enjoys hiking and camping. As a resident advisor at Stanford during her senior year in college, Lindsay took the freshman in her dorm camping and river rafting.

“I’ve always liked to mentor young people,” she said.

The pandemic brought Lindsay and Ruelas back to Coronado to be closer to her parents. They had been living in Seattle, where Ruelas was in a pediatric residency program.

As president of Emerald Keepers, Lindsay would like to grow the Emerald Keepers community in Coronado and have more volunteer opportunities available.

“We’re hoping to have quarterly membership meetings with the community,” she said. “Community education is so important. A lot of this (sustainability) stuff isn’t intuitive. There is still a lot of need to get information out to the community.”

Lindsay also wants to focus education on climate change and how people can help mitigate it.

“Kali understands our mission and the importance of education,” Steward said. “She shares the belief that most people want to do the right thing when it comes to the environment. Kali is smart, personable, and passionate about protecting Coronado for future generations.”

Emerald Keepers was founded in 2019 by Steward with the idea that Coronado can be a model city of sustainability. The nonprofit has been championing the implementation of the Circuit shuttle, which finally came to fruition this year, although the successful pilot program was halted by the City Council. Emerald Keepers has also been key in getting the city to consider a single-use plastic reduction ordinance.

Part of the organization’s educational mission is producing weekly pages in the Eagle & Journal, designed to help people understand that they do not have to be perfect when it comes to sustainability, but every action makes a difference. 

“Emerald Keepers is such a cool thing. Coronado was a good place to grow up and it’s nice to be involved in the community,” Lindsay said. To better serve the organization, Lindsay is planning on enrolling in UC San Diego’s certificate program on sustainability.

“I cannot think of anyone better to take the helm of Emerald Keepers than Kali Lindsay,” Steward said.

Island Express discontinued for now

The six-month trial period for the Island Express is set to end on Dec. 4. During last Tuesday's city council meeting, on Nov. 5, council members heard public comments on the all-electric mini shuttle but opted to hold off on a full extension of the service at this time.

But the program is not lost yet.

Council members still could direct the city staff to negotiate a short-term extension that would keep the Island Express running through the holiday season and into early next year. This interim period would allow the city to explore cost-saving measures. Options include implementing a dynamic fare system, reducing service in higher-cost areas like the Cays, and introducing advertising — strategies that have proven successful in other Circuit markets.

These possibilities could provide a pathway for a more sustainable, long-term future for the Island Express.

The Island Express has been a positive addition to the community, and many residents, especially seniors, have come to rely on the service. According to Circuit data, 16% of the riders are seniors.

 “The Island Express is a terrific convenience for seniors. Driving at night here is difficult. It’s much better to take the Circuit. I now have the option to go to a movie or restaurant or even happy hour and have a couple of drinks,” said Sharon Raffer, a local senior and Emerald Keepers board member.

“I don’t walk long distances anymore or ride a bike, so the door-to-door service is great,” she said.

Raffer rides the shuttle often and has noticed the service being used by a cross-section of the community, from students going to after-school practice to Navy personnel looking for a meal off base. One resident used the shuttle service to get to the emergency room after she rolled and sprained her ankle, and it became a lifeline during the healing process when she couldn’t drive or ride her bicycle.

Since the service began on June 4, the Island Express has moved 50,220 passengers (about 10,000 people a month) and has traveled 42,815 miles, which is the equivalent of 2,140 gallons of gas and 19 metric tons of greenhouse gases saved, according to Circuit representative Mark Iannon. (At the council meeting, city staff presented lower figures with 38,366 riders.)

 The response to the shuttle has been overwhelmingly positive, even though the service has had some growing pains, especially in the Cays.

Initially, wait times to catch the shuttle into the Village from the Cays were long or nonexistent. Dina Demeo, who has lived in the Cays for nearly 30 years, has been a frequent user of the Island Express. She said one time it took 1.5 hours to get back from the Ferry Landing because the driver picked up riders who weren’t heading to the Cays. The Cays are served by an electric van because the mini shuttles are not allowed on state Route 75.

But even with some issues, the wait time for all shuttles has been 9.5 minutes on average, according to Circuit.

“Our development team is deeply focused on improving the app to enhance the user experience, particularly in areas like wait time accuracy and ride flow. One of our biggest challenges in Coronado is that rider demand often exceeds the supply of vehicles available. While high demand is a positive indicator, it still presents a challenge,” Iannon said. “Circuit has successfully addressed this issue in several other markets nationwide by implementing a fare system.”

Since the latter part of September, the service has improved greatly, Demeo said. And despite the growing pains, she loves the Island Express and would be happy to pay a nominal fee for the service.

“We just can’t walk or ride our bikes into town,” she said of Cays residents.

Unfortunately, the shuttle service will end in just a few weeks and will be halted permanently unless the city council is convinced to keep the Island Express after looking at more data.

Emerald Keepers is requesting a month-to-month contract extension from the city to allow the new city council and mayor time to take office and evaluate cost-saving measures on a trial basis before making a final decision on the program's long-term future.

During the trial period, the average per passenger cost has been $9.50. The service to the Cays has been the most expensive aspect of the Island Express. To offset costs, a nominal rider fee and additional grants, as well as public-private partnerships are options worth exploring to support this important service to our city. Other Circuit markets have even implemented zone-based fares.

“I would like to see a task force put together comprised of Cays riders, Circuit, the City and Emerald Keepers to determine a more effective solution for the Cays,” said Amy Steward, president and founder of Emerald Keepers.

With the upcoming holidays, our businesses would benefit from the Island Express to transport shoppers and diners, for a safer, more environmentally friendly holiday season in Coronado.

HOW CAN YOU HELP?

Email your Mayor and Council Members.

·       Richard Bailey: rbailey@coronado.ca.us

·       Mike Donovan: mdonovan@coronado.ca.us

·       Carrie Downey: cdowney@coronado.ca.us

·       John Duncan: jduncan@coronado.ca.us

·       Casey Tanaka: ctanaka@coronado.ca.us

And if you haven't already, take the Emerald Keepers survey at Emeraldkeepers.org.

Glorietta Bay Inn and GM Claudia Ludlow Emerald Keepers of the Month

Coronado has a true gem in its crown gleaming above Glorietta Bay: the historic Glorietta Bay Inn. Not only is it the John D. Spreckels mansion, it is a charming boutique hotel that is working to be the greenest hotel on island. 

General Manager Claudia Ludlow has made the hotel even more special by enacting creative, more sustainable practices to become a truly eco-friendly hotel. Glorietta Bay Inn offers water bottle refilling stations, solar panels on the roof of the mansion, a Go Green Service that awards discounts to guests who promise to room skip service to save water, and –her newest addition—canned

 water with a screw top. The can is reusable and is fully recyclable.

Ludlow found a local water company called Open Water. It’s label says it all: MORE OCEAN. LESS PLASTIC. STILL WATER. “I wanted to reduce plastic waste and Open Water is a mother-daughter, minority run company,” explained Ludlow.

In addition to the new water bottles, Ludlow is pleased to have both recycle and trash receptacles in every room to separate waste. She also reduces waste at breakfast with sustainable products.

As a Coronado local with over 100 years of family ties to Coronado, Ludlow participated in Emerald Keepers’ Community Conference last fall contributing great ideas and high energy. Her long history of community engagement continues to serve Coronado well.

“At the end of the day we all need to do better and become stronger,’ said Ludlow. “We may not be 100% sustainable yet, but we start small and become mighty.”

In keeping with Emerald Keepers goal to become a model city, Glorietta Bay Inn is a model for other Coronado hotels. Emerald Keepers congratulates General Manager Claudia Ludlow and the Glorietta Bay Inn for being Emerald Keepers of the Month.

CoSA Dancers - Emerald Keepers of the Month

When the power of the arts is harnessed to drive environmental change, you see possibilities revealed and are inspired to act. The Conservatory of Classical and Contemporary Dance’s spring recital, MOBILIZE, was stunning and served to generate conversation and educate through art.

The dancers worked all semester creating the dances. Topics covered diverse but ecologically related issue including the gratitude for our sun to grow plants, marine life adapting to climate and pollution, ocean policy to shape change, climate refugees, birds, the importance of eliminating fossils fuels to avoid weather catastrophes, celebration of biodiversity, dangers of invasive species, healthy ecosystems, fashion consumption, sustainable agriculture, and the belief that we can and must make changes to protect our future in the face of climate change.

Under the direction of Gina Bolles Sorensen, each dance was beautifully choregraphed to selected musical pieces and Amanda Gorman’s “Earthrise” poem. Exquisite costumes amplified the themes and added to the visual experience. Most impressive was the athleticism of the dancers.  Communicating science through the art of dance was mesmerizing and beautiful.

One of Emerald Keepers’ goals is to educate the community about environmental issues. These 17 dancers took environmental education to new and novel levels. To show deepest community appreciation, the CoSA Dancers have been named as May’s Emerald Keepers of the Month. Thank you for your moving performances!

Chalk Walk Inspires Environmental Change

The Third Annual Chalk Walk hosted by Emerald Keepers, the Coronado Public Library and the Coronado Cultural Arts Commission took place Wednesday, June 29 at the Coronado Public Library. Students from Coronado schools and members of the community were invited by Emerald Keepers to walk the Coronado Library grounds and discover a variety of chalk illustrations by talented CHS art students. Under the directions of Coronado High School art teacher, Laura Hill, dozens of colorful inspirations of both the beauty of our planet and threats to our environment brought the Library’s sidewalks to life by talent young artists.
Emerald Keepers, Coronado Public Works department, and Coronado Public Library hosted information booth activities on proper waste disposal, sustainability and planting native seeds. Films about plastics, sustainable swaps, and how to sort waste were shown in the Winn Room.  It was an amazing showcase of talent, education and fun for all ages.

April Emerald Keepers of the Month: Student Environmental Activists By Maria Laguna

After an eventful Earth Month, Emerald Keepers is pleased to honor the numerousstudent environmental activists as Emerald Keepers of the Month for April. These Gen Ziers'feverish commitment to sustainability and positive progress has touched Emerald Keepers. Coronado High School boasts over seventy clubs, with a few being dedicated to environmental awareness and preservation.

Stop the Sewage Club, led by Sophomore Danny Vinegrad, has attended rallies and helped draw youth attention to the damaging issue of sewage affecting Coronado beaches, residents, and military personnel. Club members want to help alleviate the pollution in any way they can so they can get back to swimming in their precious beach. Moreover, this club follows the same mission as its parent organization, Stop the Sewage.

Similarly, the Coronado High Surfrider Club, led and founded by Olivia Chavez, and its respective parent organization have dedicated themselves to ceaselessly protecting local beaches, while also sharing in the oceanic enjoyment. This past year, the club has done shoe donation drives and attended sewage protests.

Our own Emerald Keepers Club has teenagers getting their hands dirty at their community garden on a bimonthly bimonthly basis. Junior Abigail Pearson and Senior Dylan Berk share presidential duties while also being interns with Emerald Keepers with other club members. Their garden grows produce in nutrient rich soil to later be donated to the food insecure at the Imperial Beach Food Pantry. On these Saturday mornings, Environmental and Teen Librarian Tara Davies advises students on proper ways to compost, harvest kale, and, all in all, grow their green-thumb knowledge with sincere care.

Emerald Keepers high school interns have advocated for plastic reduction in Coronado at the City Council, a Coronado High School assembly last month, and the community screening of We Are All Plastic People Now. As the only beach community from Imperial Beach to Oceanside without a plastic reduction ordinance, these interns are determined to change this. They have also worked to implement zero waste at schools in the district by advocating for recycling and organic waste bins and teaching students and the community how to sort their waste. The CHS Emerald Keepers Club now composts their school's food waste.

Sustainability has proven to be a major issue high school activists care about, especially when it comes to fashion. The Clothes Swap Club emerged on the Coronado High campus in 2023 and has grown in popularity ever since with their mission of providing accessible second-hand fashion for all. Junior Isabel Campo-Ford worked alongside peers in French class to create this group. Clothes swap events are held a few times a term where students can exchange their used clothes for others, making a sustainable thrifting alternative with your peers. Earlier this year, the club partnered with Emerald Keepers and the Coronado Public Library to have a booth at the first annual "Fix-it-Clinic"

Finally, as each generation works toward cleaning up the mess the last one left behind, there is much hope and joy coming from the students at Village Elementary and Silver Strand Elementary Schools as they celebrate their Emerald Green, Ocean Blue Classrooms. Many classrooms have pledged to be environmental stewards to do their part in protecting our planet.

Emerald Keepers wishes to extend their sincerest appreciation to all student environmental activists who work to be the change and the future leaders our planet needs. Congratulations to all Coronado student activists who make a difference in their schools and community every day.

Emerald Keepers Interns Address City Council

At the March 19 City Council meeting, Emerald Keepers’ interns made the case for Coronado to enact a strong single-use plastic reduction ordinance. From environmental impacts, to real health risks to our community, student activists challenged the Council to do better for future generations. As the only beach community from Imperial Beach to Oceanside without a single-use plastic reduction ordinance, Emerald Keepers joins these young activists in advocating for change!

Emerald Keepers Interns Speak at the San Diego Zero Waste Symposium

Dylan Berk, Cate Gregory and Abigail Pearson spoke at the San Deigo Zero Waste Symposium on Wednesday, February 28, at the County Operation Center.

Christ Church Thrift Shop February Emerald Keepers of the Month - by Maria Laguna

Emerald Keepers is pleased to honor the Christ Church Thrift Shop as Emerald Keeper of the Month for February. Tucked away on Ninth Street, this hidden sustainable gem has touched Emerald Keepers with its generous donations and impressive environmental efforts.

Originally opened by the Junior Women’s Auxiliary in 1951, the Thrift Shop has undergone name and location changes. Entirely volunteer-run, the Thrift Shop has an extensive inventory of clothing, shoes, household items, books, and children’s toys.

“The thrift shop itself is sustainable with how it reuses and repurposes things. It’s part of our mission to keep things from going to a landfill if they can be reused,” says Manager Ellenjoy Weber.

Weber oversees the thrift shop’s needs alongside other volunteers and managers to include Manager Karen Ketts.

“As people of faith, we believe people have a responsibility what to do what they can to take care of our Earth. This is one of the ways we can do this as a group,” says Ketts.

While serving as managers for the shop, Ketts and Weber are also members of the Episcopal Church, which is committed to creation care and has worked to make important environmental changes. Christ Church Day School is the first and only school in Coronado to be solar powered.

Another goal of the shop is to be civically engaged  --almost 70% of their profits going directly to nonprofit organizations. They recently donated to the Maui Humane Society for post-Lahaina fire support.

Weber explained the thinking behind their most recent donation. “We discussed donations at our managing meeting, and we all felt that Emerald Keepers had a wonderful role in town and we wanted to support them.”

A frequent attendee at Emerald Keepers’ conferences and events, Ketts added, “I took away a lot of information from [the Emerald Keepers Annual Community Conferences] and, in the future, I hope to apply it here and through the church.”

Emerald Keepers wishes to extend their deepest gratitude to the Christ Church Thrift Shop for their generosity and commitment to the environment.

Congratulations to the Christ Church Thrift Shop and their many volunteers. Be sure to stop by 1210 Ninth Street to find hidden treasures and support thrift culture in Coronado.

TONI TRINIDAD JANUARY EMERALD KEEPER OF THE MONTH —Maria Laguna

Emerald Keepers is pleased to honor Toni Trinidad as the Emerald Keeper of the Month for January. As the Innovation Lab (iLab) teacher for Village Elementary School, Toni is familiar with educating the technologically apt generation, but she’s also nurturing students' love for nature by utilizing the Emerald Keepers website in her lessons. 

Toni was originally inspired to make her classroom Emerald Green, Ocean Blue certified after attending the Annual Emerald Keepers’ Community Consortium the past two years. 

“We started with putting the weekly Emerald Keepers pages from the Coronado Eagle & Journal into our classroom, where students can go to read and discuss the topics when they have extra time. What I love is that [the Emerald Keepers pages] are very local and specific for the kid’s community. I think that sparks their curiosity and lets them know there’s something happening right here and how they can get involved, and I think that’s great,” says Toni. 

Coronado School Foundation’s financial support in granting teachers' wishes makes environmental iLab units possible. Toni’s wish for a school-wide supply of native pollinator-friendly seeds with all the seed-starting accouterments will be true in the springtime, when all students will learn the importance behind planting native pollinator-friendly seeds and start their own seedlings in the iLab. 

“iLab is about helping kids identify problems and find solutions, which I think can relate to the environment, fostering [student’s] future ability to take care of the environment, and [student’s] feeling empowered to solve problems. The kids are encouraged to find ways they can help the environment but also learn how to share what they know with people who might not know it,” says Toni. 

By introducing environmental awareness and Emerald Keepers to students at elementary age, Toni is setting them up for a lifetime commitment to bettering the environment, academically at Coronado schools and personally in their own lifestyles, just like Toni herself. 

When not teaching in the iLab, Toni keeps a pollinator-friendly garden at home from which Toni has brought monarch chrysalises from her for students to observe. Toni adds, “Several classes got lucky and were able to watch the butterflies emerge and dry their wings. It was so special, and I know it was a magical moment for many students who truly felt inspired to support pollinators as a result.”

Emerald Keepers thanks and congratulates Toni Trinidad for her passionate efforts in building a strong foundation and community of students who appreciate and care for the environment. 

Coronado Public Library December Emerald Keepers of the Month

Emerald Keepers is proud to celebrate the Coronado Public Library as Emerald Keepers of the Month for December.  As well as being one of Emerald Keepers’ community partners, they were among the first to be designated an Emerald Green, Ocean Blue business. Taking the lead as Teen Librarian, Tara Davies was named as the Environmental Librarian by Director Shaun Briley.

Modern libraries are centers of learning and gathering. Recognizing this, Briley has embraced the library’s partnership with Emerald Keepers cohosting over a dozen events aimed at educating the community about sustainable practices. Topics include electric vehicles, solar energy, electrification of homes, native plants, citizen scientist programs, a marine biologist led beach walk, vegetarian cooking, sea level rise mitigation, eco book talks, and reduction of single-use plastics.

Davies established a seed library and hosted composting classes for the community. Additionally, she works with both middle and high school students in their gardens to compost food waste and grow organic vegetables. The latter are donated to the Imperial Beach Food Pantry with the help of Rotarians committed to helping the food insecure. 

Library hosted events are zero waste with everything being recycled, composted, or reused. Former Librarian, Eileen Houser, made sure the library has sufficient washable dishes and utensils on site.

Beth Skelly works with Emerald Keepers to schedule events in the Winn Room – not an easy task given the many groups vying to utilize the facilities. Always gracious and helpful, she works her magic on the aged AV system to insure smooth events.

The Coronado Public Library teams works tirelessly for our community promoting and exercising sustainable practices daily. Their commitment to an Emerald Green, Ocean Blue Coronado is to be applauded. Congratulations and a huge “thank you” to the Coronado Public Library for their continued partnership and leadership.

Director Shaun Briley

Environmental Librarian Tara Davies

November Emerald Keeper of the Month: Executive Chef Meghan McKee

Executive Chef Meghan McKee at the Coronado Island Film Festival

Meghan McKee’s passion is food – sustainable food.  As the Executive Chef at Coronado Yacht Club, Meghan is transforming the club’s menu, implementing sustainable practices, and educating its membership.

“I love creating sustainable, delicious, healthy food,” explained McKee as she enthusiastically talked about buying sustainable, locally grown and sourced foods.

“All of our seafoods and meats are locally sourced,” said McKee, “Our meats are all hand cut.”

“We have vegetables and herbs growing in our new garden, and we order fruits and vegetables from local farmers through Specialty produce, so everything is fresh, never frozen.”

McKee and her team implemented composting when she was hired at Coronado Yacht Club. “All kitchen scraps are composted, and food waste is placed in the green bin,” explained McKee.

The club’s menu has changed and three to four new specials are offered each week. “I am very proud that we have not repeated our weekly specials. I like the variety, and I love the challenge that it creates for myself and my staff.” 

In addition to changes to be more sustainable, McKee has been instrumental in changing hearts and minds to embrace meatless options and reduce plastics. This past week, one of the specials was Burrata and Pesto Lasagna. The holiday themed red (tomato) and green (pesto) layered lasagna with pesto, ricotta, burrata, spinach, crispy Prosciutto and Italian herbs was served with a side of CYC Caesar salad.  Delicious!

McKee promotes understanding of the necessity for clean, plastic-free waters and their responsibility to eliminate plastics. Emerald Keepers created table toppers to inform members of the detrimental effects of plastics.

Coronado Yacht Club is to be commended for their sustainability efforts to include Boris -- the marine skimmer (gifted by Emerald Keepers with the help of generous donors), the work of the Green Team, touchless faucets to save water, and the expansion of the garden.

McKee recently partnered with the Coronado Island Film Festival as part of their Culinary Cinema for the film Spear. Spatula. Submarine sponsored by Emerald Keepers. The film is about lionfish, an invasive species in Florida and the Caribbean. Scientists believe about ten lionfish were released by someone into the Floridian waters. These invasive, poisonous fish decimate local fish populations which disrupts the food web critical to reef health. As a way of reducing their population, lionfish hunting is encouraged in these areas. The toxins are removed when cooked. Rather than wasting the protein resource, restaurants serve lionfish. For the showing, McKee prepared two beautiful and delectable bites for the occasion. The first was a cucumber cup with pesto hummus, an olive tomato tapenade, basil, parsley and crumbled Feta. The second, a wonton cup filled with a mini version of the CYC poke cup mixed with seaweed salad, furikake, wasabi and sriracha aioli.  The table was beautifully presented and was zero waste with only a napkin to be composted or placed in a green bin.

One cannot help but be inspired to think and act more sustainably in the kitchen after speaking with Meghan McKee. Emerald Keepers certainly is and has partnered with Meghan to provide a vegetarian recipe for our monthly newsletter. Be on the lookout for her yummy recipes. We are all excited to learn more about recipes that can help heal the body and the planet. If you are not signed up to receive our newsletter, you may sign up on our website: emeraldkeepers.org.

Congratulations, Meghan McKee, for being Emerald Keeper of the Month – a well-deserved recognition.

Emerald Keepers of the Month: Blue Wave Coronado, The Seaside Ryde Coronado Surf Lessons, and Visitor Coffee Roasters

Blue Wave Coronado, The Seaside Ryde Coronado Surf Lessons, and Visitor Coffee Roasters hosted a community cleanup on Saturday, October 21.

Blue Wave Coronado owner, Jan Baker Searfus, moved along the top of the rocks with her young boys and their friends pulling out trash people had intentionally stuffed in the rocks rather than using the trash and recycle bins along Ocean Blvd. “Join us for some coffee,” she said with an easy smile pointing to a tent on the beach behind the lifeguard tower.  She wouldn’t be finished collecting trash for another 30 minutes.

Ryan Wamhoff, owner of The Seaside Ryde Coronado Surf Lessons explained, “Jan and myself are big advocates for the ocean. Coronado has had a rough run this past year and we wanted to get a little community involvement and some camaraderie going.”

The vibe among those cleaning the beach was happy, and the full buckets and bags of trash provided a sense of accomplishment.

As people finished cleaning the beach, they made their way to the tent for muffins and fruit. They were treated to coffee provided by Visitor Coffee Roasters in mugs from all three businesses. The gathering was reminiscent of a laidback surf competition and its contingent of people who love the ocean and care for it.

Visitor Coffee Roasters owner, Will Holder, said his coffee is sustainably sourced and sold in biodegradable, compostable bags. After only a few minutes of chatting, it was obvious that sustainability was important to him and fully incorporated into his product line. 

The gathering helped raise awareness about trash and plastic on our beaches and provided a sense of community working together to protect the health of our ocean. Their banner said it all, “Save our ocean.”

In organizing the event — as well dedicating time, resources, and labor to clean Coronado beach — Blue Wave Coronado, The Seaside Ryde Coronado Surf Lessons, and Visitor Coffee Roasters went above and beyond and are recognized as Emerald Keepers of the Month. Thank you, Jan Baker Searfus, Ryan Wamhoff, and Will Holder. 

September Emerald Keepers of the Month: Larry Cox and Dan’l Steward

When Coronado Teen and Environmental Librarian, Tara Davies, said she wanted to start an Emerald Keepers Club at Coronado Middle School, her fellow board members were ecstatic. The once beautiful garden, an Eagle Scout project by Cole Mullins, had fallen into disrepair during the pandemic. Revitalizing the garden began with weeding, weeding, and more weeding. The walkways are still overgrown with weeds after 30 volunteers worked hours to remove weeds from the four planter beds before school began. Most notably the old plastic tool shed and table were falling apart (the shed had aged and fell repeatedly during storms or strong wind gusts).

“It was a hazard,” said Davies who worried it might fall on a student.

That is when Larry Cox and Dan’l Steward, spouses of Emerald Keepers, stepped in. The two evaluated the shed and table. Emerald Keepers purchased supplies and Larry and Dan’l went to work. Dan’l took the lead on the new tabletop. He broke out his table-saw and created new planks carefully notched to fit the table. He then drilled and screwed each piece into place. He stained the entire table and put up a new sunshade reinforced with a strip of stained wood drilled into the frame top. Then flower and succulent baskets were hung.

Meanwhile, Larry singlehandedly assembled and sealed the shed at his home. He ordered uprights and cement to brace the shed so it would remain upright during storms. Each piece was fashioned to perfection. Dan’l dug post holes, and together they poured the concrete, placed the uprights making sure everything was level. Minor adjustments followed to ensure the shed was ready for student use.

CMS student and Emerald Keeper Club member Azalea Bowen was asked what she thought of the newly renovated garden workspace. She enthusiastically replied, “The garden looks amazing! The new shed looks so much better than the one we started with at first, and the worktable is wonderful!”

Larry and Dan’l together put in over 20 hours over several weekends and weekdays… a true labor of love going above and beyond to do the job right. Spouses of Ginger Cox and Amy Steward--both Emerald Keepers Board members-- the two selflessly support their families and their activities. Their volunteerism to help Emerald Keepers create a beautiful, safe, organized space for students is why they are Emerald Keepers of the Month for September.

Congratulations, Larry Cox and Dan’l Steward, for giving of your time and talent. CMS Emerald Keepers Club, Coronado Middle School, and Emerald Keepers thank you!

The CMS Emerald Keepers garden will foster community among students and provide food for the Imperial Beach Food Pantry – the latter a collaborative effort with the Rotary Club of Coronado that delivers delicious vegetables.

Community Volunteers – August Emerald Keepers of the Month - Prepping for Back to School

It was a banner weekend for Emerald Keepers! Forty volunteers overhauled the Emerald Keepers’ student gardens and cleaned the beach at the Ferry Landing before hurricane Hilary hit Coronado and students returned back to school.

At Coronado High School’s Emerald Keepers Club garden and compost, students and community volunteers painted 13 large and extra-large planter boxes with care. Students chatted about the upcoming school year and took pride in their handiwork. In addition to staining the boxes, students cleaned and organized storage sheds, planted melons and potatoes, and turned compost. Adults helped cleanup in and outside the garden, hauled debris, painted boxes, and pulled weeds.

“The gardens – a collaboration between Emerald Keepers and Public Library- are important as we want the gardens and compost to be an inviting place for students to relax and work together,” said Amy Steward, president of Emerald Keepers.

In addition to painting the boxes the roughly 35 volunteers weeded for four hours.

“The tenacious weeds were knee-high and above,” said volunteer Dan’l Steward. “We filled ten 65 gallon trash cans.”

Music resounded as the skies grew gray, but impending weather did nothing to dampen the volunteers’ spirits.

CHS senior Troy Martin said, “This is my first time coming out to Emerald Keepers. I came out because it sounded like a fun thing to do and help get the garden ready for the school year.”

Emerald Keeper Intern and Cathedral Catholic Junior Liza Delach commented, “It is important to renew the compost and garden and get the gardens ready for the school year.”

Accompanied by his family, incoming Emerald Keepers Club member Colin Thoms explained, “I came out to prepare the planter boxes at the high school before the rain and hurricane and help renew the middle school garden.”

Rotarian and Emerald Keepers Board Member Ginger Cox volunteers with students at the Coronado Middle School garden. She explained, “The produce the students harvest from the organic gardens at the middle school and high school is taken to the IB Neighborhood Center Food Pantry, and it gets distributed there. The Rotary Club helps provide food at the center.”

Students harvested and donated potatoes, kale, and two boxes of tomatoes to the Food Pantry this weekend thanks to Ginger Cox who delivered the produce.

Environmental and Teen Librarian and Emerald Keepers’ garden leader Tara Davies said, “Hopefully we will have lots of new recruits to work in the gardens this year. I am really proud of all the high school students who also worked in the CMS garden.”  

Concurrently with the garden effort, Emerald Keepers team leader Stef Angel held a beach cleanup at the Ferry Landing. She was pleased that young Emerald Keepers brought their parents to help clean the beach.

Special thanks to the Cox, Berk, Thoms, Hejl, and Steward families. This month we celebrate all our incredible volunteers who work together to build community while helping the environment. Congratulations to each and everyone, the August Emerald Keepers of the month!