In 2021, we, the folks at Allagash Brewing Company, officially adopted the East End Beach of Portland, Maine.
What does that mean: to adopt a beach? Broadly it means that we host regular cleanups of the beach, completed by staff, so that the beach stays pristine and enjoyable for all.
Specifically, it means the numbers below:
2024 East End Beach Cleanup Numbers
- 10 clean ups completed
- 196.5 pounds of debris collected
- 12 grain bags filled
- 2,533 foam pieces collected
- 563 glass pieces collected
- 1,127 plastic pieces collected
- 2,046 cigarette butts/remnants collected
The East End Beach
On the eastern tip of the Portland peninsula, just a walk down from the rolling green field of the Eastern Promenade, you’ll find the East End Beach. First, it’s practically downtown. It’s also dog-friendly (at certain times) and an excellent spot to cast off for paddleboarding, kayaking, or just taking a swim. Add to that a little food truck hub just up the street, and you have everything you need in a beach, minutes from downtown.
VTO Hours for Employees
Every Allagash Employee gets 16 hours of paid Volunteer Time Off, per year. They can use that time for basically any volunteer activity that speaks to them. For many of our employees, these beach clean ups have been just the thing!
And, the coolest part, if that employee uses all of their VTO hours at any point during the year, Allagash will direct more money toward a nonprofit of their choosing.
Who is the Blue Ocean Society
The Blue Ocean Society for Marine Conservation is a nonprofit that focuses on the health of the Gulf of Maine. Their mission is to protect marine life in the Gulf of Maine through research, education, and inspiring action. Their vision is of thriving marine life in the Gulf of Maine with citizens committed to environmental stewardship.
And we at Allagash partnered with them because we are not a conservation nonprofit, and we wanted to make sure we were cleaning the East End Beach in a way that went beyond just keeping it free of litter.
With the Blue Ocean Society’s help and guidance, we’ve been tracking every single piece of debris that we pick up, then weighing it all, before it’s bagged and disposed of.
