Miss Earth USA organizes cleanups at Rose Creek and La Jolla Cove for annual Coastal Cleanup Day – Marisa Butler who was named Miss Earth USA 2021 on…

Miss Earth USA organizes cleanups at Rose Creek and La Jolla Cove for annual Coastal Cleanup Day

Miss Earth USA Marisa Butler with 900 pounds of trash after cleaning up the Rose Creek Bike Path on Sept. 18. COURTESY PHOTO

Marisa Butler, who was named Miss Earth USA 2021 on Jan. 17, grew up next to a wildlife center in Maine where she played outside all day and also helped her mother rehabilitate sick, injured, and orphaned animals. That upbringing influenced her and led her into becoming a passionate advocate for animals and the environment.

After graduating from Stonehill College in Easton, Mass.five years ago, Butler moved cross country to San Diego and continued her fervor for the environment. She started the nonprofit We Clean Trails program in June 2020 and has collected nearly 10,000 pounds of litter from San Diego trails.

On Sept. 18, the 37th annual International Coastal Cleanup Day in San Diego County, she organized cleanups at Rose Creek in Pacific Beach and La Jolla Cove. She joined the 5,970 registered volunteers on Coastal Cleanup Day who helped remove more than 30,000 pounds of litter and debris from local communities.

San Diego Community Newspaper Group spoke with her about cleanups, tagging sharks, and environmental, social, and governance financial investing.

SDCNG: The Rose Creek area has been a sore spot in PB for a long time how did you find out about it and how successful have your cleanups been? How was Sept. 18?

MB: My group visits many different locations, and per the request of one of our members we decided to tackle the Rose Creek Bike Path. On our first cleanup at that location, we met Karen (Zirk) of Friends of Rose Creek, which has long been an advocate for this part of San Diego. Karens expertise and local insight have helped make each of these events a huge success. Ever since then, we have teamed up with Friends of Rose Creek to tackle the litter issue in this important watershed. We now meet at this location every other month and it has quickly become my volunteers' favorite location.

We have conducted six cleanups with Friends of Rose Creek since we first started, and have removed approximately 3,500 pounds of trash from this locationin 2021 alone. Our cleanup on Sept. 18 was a huge success, as we removed 900 pounds in 90 minutes.

SDCNG:How did the La Jolla Cove cleanup go?

MB: The La Jolla Cove cleanup was modest in comparison, totaling in at 26.4 pounds. However, as I always tell my volunteers, every little bit counts. Cigarette butts are the single most littered item in the world and can secrete harmful toxins into the water. As thislocation is so close to the ocean and a variety of wildlife, it is just asimportant we remove this type of litter as it is to remove the big bulky items at Rose Creek.

This cleanup was done in conjunction with the San Diego Seal Society, who educate the public and advocate for the Harbor Seal and Sea Lion populations in La Jolla. I spent the afternoon leading the cleanup, and assisting them at their informational booth. One of my favorite parts of the day was talking to children about the differences between seals and sea lions, the importance of Leave No Trace, and seeing the positive effect the new signage has made on the situation at La Jolla Cove in keeping the public a safe distance from the sea lions. Our most unusual find of the day was an empty urn on the beach.

SDCNG:How is the We Clean Trails program going?

MB: I started We Clean Trails as a socially distanced social group in June 2020. When COVID-19 hit San Diego, more and more people turned to the great outdoors than ever before. While I was happy to see more people getting involved with healthy activities such as walking, biking, and hiking I, unfortunately, noticed a huge uptick in litter on my favorite hiking trails as many of these newcomers were not properly educated on the Leave No Trace principals.

I decided to invite some of my friends from the San Diego Hiking Society out on some group hikes and cleanups each Saturday in June as part of my Think Global Act Local project for Miss Earth USA. I had so much fun creating this beautiful community of earth advocates that when June came to a close I decided to continue the project indefinitely. We have now collected just under 10,000 pounds of litter from San Diego and recently became a non-profit.

SDCNG: You are working as a financial analyst/advisor how does that square with also being an environmental advocate? Dont profits outweigh the environment?

MB: The amazing part is that these two things are not mutually exclusive. As a financial advisor and earth advocate, I am a big fan of ESG (environmental, social, governance) investing. Studies have recently seen a trend that companies with a high ESG score have higher profitability and less volatility than their market counterparts with lower ESG scores. My theory as to why that is is because companies that strive to make the world a better place are approaching their decisions from a long-term and holistic point of view.

While a high ESG score does not guarantee profitability,it isto me, an indicator of a good management team that is looking towards the long-term health of their company and not just short-term profits. My generation in particular has shown an increased demand for sustainable goods and expects the companies they support to share the same moral values. As my generation grows older, and the wealth of the nation shifts to us, I expect the demand for sustainability to only intensify. If a company does not keep up with this demand, it will shortly be phased out for more environmentally and socially responsible options.

SDCNG: How did you end up on a catamaran in Puerto Rico tagging sharks with the NOAA?

MB: In college, I became friends with one of the biologists who was involved with this study, and joined his data collection team. Through this experience, I was able to work directly with sharks of all types and gain experience collecting field data, such as size, gender, location, and blood samples.We mostly worked off the coast of Nantucket, Mass.,the gulf of Florida, and off the coast of Puerto Rico following the migratory patterns of the sharks in the Atlantic Ocean. Our data was used to place stricter fishing restrictions on the dwindling populations of theAtlantic shortfin mako shark.

SDCNG: You studied political and environmental economics at Kings College in London. Did that experience broaden your thinking about environmental advocacy?

MB: The environmental and politicaleconomics education I received at Kings College definitely broadened my knowledge base with regard to the intersection of business and the environment. This has allowed me to not only carve out a space for myself at work as an ESG investor but also explain to other people what action steps we can take to promote a healthy economy and environment simultaneously.

SDCNG: How has your athletic background molded your life/personality?

MB: I have always been an extremely active individual, and even played three Division II sports in college. Athletics has taught me discipline, leadership, goal setting, and time management skills all of which have helped me excel in academics, work, and pageants. I now stay active by weightlifting, rock climbing, hiking, and paddleboarding. The hiking community in San Diego actually was my inspiration for starting We Clean Trails.

Butlers reign as Miss Earth USA will end in January 2022.

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Miss Earth USA organizes cleanups at Rose Creek and La Jolla Cove for annual Coastal Cleanup Day - Marisa Butler who was named Miss Earth USA 2021 on...