Whale sculpture will collect recyclables and raise funds for children’s books

This August, a 6-foot by 13-foot long whale sculpture, made from recycled materials, will travel to various locations, cleanups, and events to collect cans, bottles, and other recyclable materials along the San Diego/Tijuana coastline.

The DesBorder: Together for a Cleaner Environment project by nonprofit organization Cans4Books “combines recycling, education, and art to tackle coastal waterways pollution and support the children of our communities,” said Cans4Books CEO and founder Trisha Goolsby.

The project will officially kick off with a cleanup event and launching of the whale sculpture at 8 a.m. on Aug. 3 at Sunset Cliffs Natural Park. It is additionally a 2024 World Design Capital-endorsed community initiative, according to the DesBorder website.

Goolsby explained that choosing the sculpture’s shape occurred organically. Alongside Point Loma sculptor Matt Nelson, the pair decided to “make the shape simple and fun but, it also needed to be practical and make it easy to remove the recycling, so we landed on a whale shape,” she said.

Students from San Diego State University then worked to design the whale after visiting a local scrap yard to gather inspiration from the reusable materials present.

“Our whale sculpture will be a traveling, visual reminder of what we are striving to protect,” Goolsby said.

The collected cans and plastic bottles will then be used to purchase and distribute free and accessible children’s books — the primary mission of Cans4Books. Since the organization’s inception in 2020, Cans4Books has recycled more than 10,000 pounds of aluminum cans and plastic bottles and donated over 8,000 children’s books to Little Free Libraries, local elementary schools, and community events, said Goolsby.

The Cans4Books team will also hold a contest to name the whale following the sculpture’s August launch.

Those interested in reserving the DesBorder whale for upcoming events and cleanups, donating to the project, or and learning more about it can visit https://desborder.org/whale-sculpture/.