Keep Our Beaches Clean!: What if Everyone Did That?

In this simple and creative book, created by a passionate class of second graders and in collaboration with professional surfer Kelly Slater, we emphasize the importance of taking care of the beaches and oceans we live near.

When it comes to our beaches, many people believe that they alone won't make a difference to the environment, that they can leave one piece of trash on the beach, and it wouldn't change anything in the big picture. But have you ever wondered what would happen if everybody left their "one piece" of trash on the beach? What would happen to the environment and the sea life? What would our world become? On the other hand, what would happen if everybody cleaned the beaches and used reusable products instead?

Ms. Keyser and her second grade class have lived their entire lives alongside beaches and oceans, and their passion for taking care of the environment they love has spurred the creation of this book. Influenced and motivated by role model Kelly Slater, they have all contributed to doing their part to help raise awareness and action with keeping their beaches clean.

In this book, you will see how every choice you make on the beach affects it,  and how we can all do our part to help keep it clean.

Hi! I’m Mackenzie Keyser, a second-grade teacher from Ocean City, Maryland. Recently, my two worlds, the ocean and education, collided, and this book is a result of that. By the time I was one, I was in the water. By seven, I knew I wanted to be a teacher, and at eleven, I was on a surfboard. Since then, the ocean, teaching, and surfing have been huge and influential parts of my life. Growing up in a beach town, I’ve seen firsthand how our actions on land directly affect our oceans. And being a teacher, I understand just how crucial education is to the development of children’s interests and passions. It’s important to me to make sure that our younger generations know, from an early age, that they can make a difference in so many ways. This book is proof of that. Let’s be the change.

We are second graders from Ocean City, Maryland. We go to Showell Elementary School! We started the year off by Zooming with professional surfer, Kelly Slater. He inspired us to clean the beach. So, we adopted a beach in Ocean City, and it was our job as a class to keep it clean. We couldn’t believe all the trash we found and how it was affecting our environment. Now we hope that everyone else will be inspired to clean the beach with us!

Kelly Slater is known as one of the best surfers of all time, having won the World Surf League championships numerous times, and holding 56 Championship Tour victories. He has many other accomplishments related to surfing, but his profession also paves a way for his lifestyle. Slater is a known advocate for sustainable living and preserving oceans and beaches. He has created a nonprofit organization to help promote the cleaning of our beaches.