History
Serving San Diego County Since 1954
Through the decades we've taken different approaches to
conservation and education.
- 1954
Growth had surged in the two prior decades, fueled by the aviation industry during
WWII. As the community grew, litter emerged as a pressing problem. The County and City
responded with the "War Against Litter" Committee, ILACSD's first incarnation.
1960s
- The organization's first mascot, Pelican Pete, was
unveiled in 1961. Later that year a downtown parade of
dignitaries, boy scouts, and military personnel kicked off the "War Against Litter Week."
- 1970s
- Board members and staff developed a new
slogan "Stop Littering Our Bays and Beaches" or SLOBB for
short to drive the anti-litter message home with beach and
bay goers. The SLOBB campaign won numerous awards and
even spawned a Miss SLOBB pageant.
- 1974
- ILACSD becomes a 501 (c) (3) not-for-profit corporation
1980 - "I Love A Clean San Diego County" (ILACSDC) becomes organization's name.
- 1984
- The Padres went all the way to the World Series, and ILACSD was there to help
celebrate. Recycling bins were placed around the then named Jack Murphy Stadium to divert waste
from tailgate parties, after all "a winning team deserves a clean city!"

- 1989
- ILACSDC merges with San Diego Ecology Center to better serve the community.
- 1990s
- Extending the success of the Adopt-A-Beach program, ILACSD launched the "Adopt and
maintain a bus stop bench" program to cleanup city streets and make public transportation more attractive
to residents.
- 1995
- Name change from I Love A Clean San Diego County to I Love A Clean San Diego. ILACSD received the Excellence in Solid Waste Education award from the Solid
Waste Association of North America.
- 2003
-
ILACSD took a page out of the history books, organizing a large-scale, countywide cleanup
during Earth month. The resulting Creek to Bay cleanup was a resounding success with almost 2,000 volunteers
removing 25,000 pounds of debris.
- 2006
- Annually, ILACSD coordinates over 13,000 volunteers to remove 100 tons of trash and debris from San Diego, delivers 250 presentations and community events.