COUNTYWIDE : Lido Ocean Fete Extols Clean Beach

It was a bit of a spin on Earth Day.

Environmentalists gave speeches and passed out literature as part of the Stop Toxic Ocean Pollution festival Sunday at Lido Marina Village.

But the main focus was on fun in the sun, including bands, a fashion show, lots of seafood, a chowder cook-off and a sing-along, all to celebrate Orange County’s clean beaches, as well as warn of environmental hazards.

The event was a benefit for the Santa Monica-based American Oceans Campaign, but was organized by Newport Beach residents.

Debbie LaPlant of Newport Beach, who came up with the idea for the celebration, was inspired by the successful cleanup of the American Trader oil spill off Huntington Beach.

“We had to celebrate the clean beaches and turn it into a positive situation,” the 34-year-old LaPlant said. “I got all my friends and said, ‘Come on, we’re going to have a show.’ ”

Speakers from groups including the Audubon Society and Save the Whales, along with “Cheers” star John Ratzenberger and Miss Universe Mona Grundt, addressed the crowd.

Lido restaurants, serving everything from shark to ice cream, donated 30% of their proceeds from the event to the American Oceans Campaign.

The Newport Beach Rusty Pelican won the chowder cook-off for a New England clam chowder. “I really think we have the best chowder in Newport Beach,” said Chuck Cummings, general manager of the restaurant. “If it sounds cocky, it is.”

Others used the occasion to display “environmentally conscious” wares.

Among them was the “Cricket,” an electronic system installed on the inside of a boat to prevent barnacles and other marine fauna and flora from attaching to the hull. With the device, boaters don’t have to use toxic paint to ward off sea life, according to the manufacturer.

“No matter what paint it is, they all work on the basis of being toxic,” said Stephen Rabbette, a representative of the manufacturing company. “You don’t use the toxics at all--you don’t need them.”

Bill Hamilton, owner of the Cannery Restaurant, demonstrated the Hamilton Oil Remover, which he said can be used to mop up oil spills of up to 10,000 gallons. The device has a rotating drum that sticks to oil, but not water. As the drum turns, oil is collected in a pan and vacuumed up into buckets. It can collects 450 gallons of oil per hour, Hamilton said.

Hamilton said he hopes to develop the oil remover so it can be used in larger spills, such as that of the American Trader.

“It’s obvious that the need is there,” Hamilton said. “It was a big one, but it wasn’t anything like Valdez or Texas, and we still couldn’t control it.”