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2015 Autumn | Education & Outreach

Surfrider Foundation Investigates how to Deal with Cigarette Litter in the Seattle Area, ‘Hold on to your Butts’ Campaign Finds Perception is Key!

Student(s):

Nicholas Schippers

Program or Department(s):

  • Program on the Environment
  • University of Washington

Site supervisor(s):

Barbara Clabots

Partner(s):

  • Surfrider Foundation

Faculty advisor(s):

Nancy Rivenburgh, Communications, University of Washington

Over the summer I interned with the Surfrider Foundation, a non-profit focused on beach cleanup, and worked within their cigarette-specific litter annihilation campaign ‘Hold On To Your Butts’. Cigarette litter on beaches is the number one item littered worldwide estimated at 4.5 trillion butts each year. I conducted 100 surveys between Golden Gardens and Alki Beach gathering information on the perceptions of cigarette litter around the region and what the public felt would shift behavior and provide the best solutions to the problem. Education and improved messaging on Surfrider’s part proved to be key components as well as receptacle availability.