Solana Beach Eco Rotary Club promotes zero-waste, other environmental goals

As one of a growing number of eco rotary clubs around the world, the Solana Beach Eco Rotary Club has been working to attract more members from the community who want to be more environmentally conscious.

“Our focus is on the environment,” said Amelie Catheline, who joined the club about five years ago and has served a one-year term as president. “Everything we do relates to that. I joined because it was an opportunity for me to meet people, talk about the environment, it was also a way for me to get educated on different topics related to the environment and a way of discovering and learning what was happening in San Diego.”

There are 64 Rotary Clubs in Rotary District 5340, which covers San Diego and Imperial counties, according to the Solana Beach Eco Rotary website.

One of the Solana Beach Eco Rotary Club’s most recent events was a movie night in March featuring the documentary “Once You Know,” which follows director Emmanuel Cappellin’s journey around the world to speak with five climate scientists.

“Every year is about, ‘How can we serve more of our community and have an impact on the environment?’” Catheline said.

Membership is open to anyone who embraces the club’s message of “service above self,” and wants to participate in regular meetings, social events and other activities it holds. Meetings were held remotely during the Covid-19 pandemic, and the group has more recently been using a hybrid format. There are also community service projects and other opportunities for residents to volunteer with Solana Beach Eco Rotary Club.

One of the club’s top priorities is zero-waste, which encourages everyone to minimize the plastics and other single-use waste that piles up in landfills or pollutes sensitive ecosystems. The club’s website has tools such as a “trash audit” form to help people reduce the waste they produce at home.

“Our goal this year continues to be the zero-waste aspect, and hopefully in the long run we can provide more of that to larger groups of people,” Catheline said.

The Solana Beach Eco Rotary Club has also been involved in creating a grant to help provide safe and reliable sources of water.

“We really enjoy that as well and being able to see that we can make a difference in other communities outside our local region,” Catheline said.

For more information about the Solana Beach Eco Rotary Club, visit portal.clubrunner.ca/10061