The Carlsbad Cleanup Crew (C3) was started last year by Nathan Lu, whose passion for the environment greatly influenced the Carlsbad community. The C3 club encourages the students of Carlsbad and the community to advocate against pollution.

Through Lu’s dedication, he was able to create a club full of students with the same passion, the environment. He was also able to inspire others to find their love for the environment.

“He [Nathan Lu] had a huge passion for the environment, he started it off, all just by himself, then he realized that he needed to start a social network, he needed to start delegating, he needed to start reaching out to people and inviting them to the cleanup to have a bigger impact.” senior Zoe Goldstein said. “It was really just one man’s idea.”

Goldstein is the current president of the C3 club. She works alongside senior Kenneth Pilco, the vice president, and sophomore Sierra Lambert, the junior president. They each play specific roles and work together which allows the club to function smoothly.

“As vice president I aid Zoe and Sierra, in accomplishing their tasks.” Pilco said. “So it’s a cooperation between the three of us in making the whole club work.”

The presidents and the club work hand in hand to make Carlsbad cleaner. They have planned many events to protect the environment including beach cleanups.

“Cigarettes are our biggest problem, when we go out on an hour-long cleanup, we find like 200 cigarettes per [every] four-person group that just go out for an hour.” Pilco said. “With that being our biggest problem, we’ve teamed up with Surf Rider, a non-profit organization and I Love a Clean San Diego and the Aqua Hidalgo Olympian foundation to help us.”

Through teaming up with local organizations, C3 club is able to expand their impact on the community by keeping Carlsbad and its beaches clean. Even the little things create a substantial influence.

“We have one [ashtray] right now at one of the trail heads next to the Aqua Hedionda lagoon, across from Tamarack Beach,” Goldstein said.

These students were able to make a change in the world through hard work and a passion for the environment. They encourage other people to join the club for new experiences, to find something they may be excited about.

“I’ve learned about so many other jobs that I didn’t even know existed, and it’s a lot easier once you join the club and you have an outlet.” Lambert said.

C3 also encourages students to stay informed, get involved and to advocate as much as possible. Over the past year, their club has developed into an essential part of the Carlsbad Community and will continue to make a lasting impact.

“Joining our club is a great first start, we open your eyes to the issues in our community that are prevalent.” Goldstein said. “So once you start coming to the cleanups, you’re looking for all this trash, and then, once you go out after the cleanup, you start seeing how much trash is on the road, it really opens your eyes.”