JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – You can feel the passion Anne Marie Moquin brings to Beaches Go Green.

The organization she founded is on a mission to show that protecting the planet is about more than just picking up litter — it’s about protecting our health.

“I just wanted to educate people on how plastic pollution was not only impacting the environment, but it’s also impacting our personal health,” Moquin explains.

She was inspired to act after watching the documentary “A Plastic Ocean.” What started as a spark became a full-fledged nonprofit — and seven years later, Earth Day feels like Moquin’s Super Bowl.

Awareness is everything

Beaches Go Green’s biggest impact? Awareness.

“People come out here to do a cleanup because maybe their friends are coming, or their company’s coming,” says Moquin. “But I think they’re really blown away by the amount of trash, particularly cigarette butts.”

The organization hosts cleanups year-round and has grown to include a strong focus on environmental education, especially among students.

Student-led change

Beaches Go Green now supports 15 student-led clubs across Duval and St. Johns counties.

These young leaders are spreading the word in powerful, creative ways — like the St. Paul’s Trash Fashion Show, where recycled materials become runway-ready looks.

Another hit? The Eco-Egg Hunt, where kids search for prizes wrapped in recycled paper — proving celebrations can be sustainable, too.

Earth Day by the numbers

The impact speaks for itself. At the 2025 Beaches Go Green Earth Day cleanups, volunteers collected 23,000+ cigarette butts and 13,000 pounds of trash across four local beaches.

It’s a massive effort, but Moquin believes real change starts small, and it starts with all of us.

“Our focus is on environmental education,” she says. “Pollution is everyone’s problem, but the solution can start with each of us.”

From beach cleanups to classroom presentations, Beaches Go Green empowers people to take action — and make eco-friendly choices every day.

That’s why they’re our Positively JAX spotlight for April. Because when it comes to protecting our planet and our health, awareness is just the beginning.