SANTA MONICA DEBUTS 'SMART' BEACH TRASH CANS

Roll-out features new "Beachcast" mobile website allowing visitors to scan for eco-tips, latest beach info

SANTA MONICA, Calif. (June 1, 2011) - Just in time for summer beachgoing season, the City of Santa Monica and regional nonprofit Heal the Bay have teamed up to create 500 new trash cans for Santa Monica State Beach that encourage environmental stewardship via a creative marriage of technology and visual design.  The trash cans are wrapped in eye-catching artwork that reflects the playful nature of a day at the beach, while reminding the community about the need to keep trash in its proper place.

The colorful artwork includes a QR code linking smart phone users to the new Santa Monica Beachcast.  Once on the mobile website, users have access to a variety of local content, including tips on how to keep the beach clean, a chance to sign up for beach cleanups with Heal the Bay, the latest weather and water quality conditions, community Twitter updates, and important information about the beach, Santa Monica Pier and emergency contacts.  

The SM Beachcast also invites users to upload and share their favorite beach photos through the smart phone app, Instagram.  Once users tag their images #SMBC, they become part of the SM Beachcast online visual gallery, viewable on the site.  The goal of the interactive gallery is to highlight the beauty of the beach, and in turn, provide the community with a stronger sense of pride and connectivity to the beach and each other.

"Our beaches are wild open space, as famous as any national park, and protecting them is one of our highest priorities" said the city's Dean Kubani, director of the Office of Sustainability and the Environment.  "This collaborative effort puts an exciting new twist on the vital public works infrastructure we provide every day to ensure that we 'keep it out of the sand.'  We think we have the smartest beach trash can in America today."

The initiative between the City of Santa Monica and Heal the Bay, would not have been possible without DDB LA, a global advertising firm that donated their inspiration and talents to the effort.  The wraps and Beachcast website were developed by the creative team at DDB LA -  executive creative director Matt Reinhard, creative director Kevin McCarthy, writer Maureen Faris and art director David Boden. They teamed up with Axis Graphics and Los Angeles based illustrator Keith Scharwath to bring the project to life.

Santa Monica completed distribution of the new cans in anticipation of the Memorial Day weekend.

Visit www.sustainablesm.org  for images and more details on Santa Monica Beachcast.