San Diego Coastkeeper celebrated its 20th anniversary Thursday with the help of environmentalist Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Kennedy, president of the clean-water group Waterkeeper Alliance, served as the keynote speaker at Coastkeeper's annual Seaside Soiree fundraiser. Kennedy was also in San Diego in 1995 when the nonprofit Coastkeeper was created to advocate for the region's waters.
"The real heroes are the people, like the 266 river-keepers who are going about fighting this battle everyday, and committed their lives to it," Kennedy told KPBS.
Kennedy, the son of former U.S. Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, said polluters range from maritime to oil and gas producers. That toxic waste goes into the ocean and eventually works its way into our food supply, he said.
"It's not just the pollution of our waterways, it's the pollution of our democracy and our information system," said Kennedy, who lives in Santa Monica.
He urged the public to speak up at the ballot box and elect people dedicated to protecting the environment.
Coastkeeper officials said the group has helped to remove more than 1 million pounds of debris from San Diego County beaches and waterways since being created in 1995.
