SEAL BEACH, Calif. — April is Earth Month and April 22 is Earth Day!

It’s a day when beach cleanups happened up and down the coast, including in Seal Beach. Surfrider Foundation North Orange County hosted a beach cleanup.

Huntington Beach High junior Sophie Kresge, her family and some friends showed up to help pick up trash along the jetty and sand. Kresge says she hopes more people in her generation start showing up to help clean the beaches beyond Earth Day. 

“People say Gen Z is the change, but most of the time it’s not Gen Z that coming to these things,” says Kresge. “And we need to reach out to people and make sure that they know that this is a big issue.”  

And on this Earth Day, the new California Center for Climate Change Education opened up at West Los Angeles College to reach more young people. The center will connect students to environmental internships and jobs, create climate related curriculum and more. It is the first dedicated climate center at a California community college.