Plastic Bags

June Casagrande In the hazy and humid late morning, Natalie and Nicole Kaylor toted a twisted hunk of wood and wire almost as big as them. The lesson is likely to be a lasting one: "No littering!" Natalie, 8, said. The El Morro sisters were among about 350 volunteers who pitched in two Crystal Cove cleanup sites as part of the statewide Coastal Cleanup Day, in association with the International Coastal Cleanup, organized by the Ocean Conservancy.

Quintin J. Reich It usually happens that I wake up early in the morning, sometimes before 6 a.m. The sound of the surf gently crashing on the shore drifts in through our open window, calling me to life. I sneak out of the house with my dog to say good morning to our little paradise by the sea, and to my surprise, I am never alone. Every morning, I see the same Japanese couple, ritually walking their multiple lengths of the beach. Sometimes they walk together, and sometimes they are many yards apart.

It's garbage I tell you. Garbage. I promised I'd let you know how things went when they took my big black can away. Today, I fulfill that promise. You may recall that in July of this very year, the Costa Mesa Sanitary District confiscated our black cans and gave us green cans in their stead. Sound trucks drove around the city for days and blared their message from giant speakers: "People of Costa Mesa, get your cans out here." No they didn't.

Danette Goulet NEWPORT BEACH -- Hunched over two long tables laden with plastic bags Tuesday, David Maddox found jewelry, watches and other items that he didn't even realize had been stolen from his home. "I can't believe it," Maddox exclaimed, holding up a bag. "He took my old, old watch. See how dirty this is?" The Fullerton man was one of more than a dozen burglary victims from Orange and Los Angeles counties who were called down to the city's police station Tuesday to sift through hundreds of stolen items recovered since the arrest of John Robert Hershowitz last week.

Andrew Glazer It's spring and Earth Day is coming -- the time of year when so-called "green" businesses spit out, like pollen, evidence of their enviro-friendliness. Even fast-food chains, chemical manufacturers and oil companies -- notoriously some of the worst environmental offenders -- make claims that they're getting cleaner. Meanwhile, each year, environmentalists wag skeptical fingers. "Everyone and his brother can claim they're environmentally safe," said Michael Carey, recycling coordinator at Orange Coast College.

Elise Gee NEWPORT BEACH -- Mike Marvin traded in his computer keyboard Friday in favor of an aerator and lawn reseeder at the Boy Scouts Sea Base. Marvin, a technical services manager at Tustin-based Steelcase, was one of hundreds of volunteers who stormed dozens of Orange County nonprofit organizations as part of the United Way's annual Day of Caring. "Hopefully the next time I drive by this lawn will be green," Marvin said surveying his morning's work.