When
you think of beaches, you think of endless, pristine, white, sandy beaches and
never-ending fun.
But,
the reality is that most of our beaches are in a dire state and strewn with
marine litter.
So,
in order to counteract this, a day specifically for cleaning up beaches has
been set out. Today, on the 16th of September, a significant
environmental day takes place: It is International Coastal Clean-up Day and is
the world's largest volunteer effort for our ocean and waterways and the health
thereof. More than 12 million volunteers have collected over 220 million pounds
of trash. This is an annual environmental awareness event and it is a driving
force to encourage individuals, environmentalists, businesses, governments, organisations,
schools, and individuals from around the world to celebrated the day and to go
to the nearby beaches and to do their part in helping to limit the
aforementioned problem by cleaning up marine debris that was either washed up
on shore or left by visitors. More than 700,000 volunteers take a stand against
ocean trash by joining the ICC. You can still have fun doing it and is a very
productive way to spend time on a beach.
It
also has a scientific component to it: Participative people from around the
world remove trash from the shores and document what they find. The data is
compiled and published in an annual global report on marine debris by the Ocean
Conservancy.
Why do we celebrate
this day?
The
shocking fact remains that every year thousands of tons of garbage ends up in
the oceans, composing of 60% plastic material. The problem with plastic is
that, because of its durability, it lasts a very long time in the ocean. A worrying
fact is that it is in such abundance that there are 46,000 individual pieces of
plastic litter for every square mile of ocean. Sadly, plastics are extremely
hazardous to marine life. It kills more than a million birds, and over
100,000 seals, turtles, and whales, and a large number of fish in our ocean,
too. Marine litter impacts the world negatively on many levels, including
harming wildlife, humans, and impacting the livelihood of those who work on the
ocean. Economic-wise, it causes economic damage by affecting tourism and
recreation as well as the money they bring into those communities that are the
ocean shore. Policymakers use the ICC data to raise awareness about marine
debris and to ensure that the problem is reduced at the source.
History of International Coastal Clean-up Day
International
Coastal Clean-up Day commenced as a result of the work done by Ocean
Conservancy, an organisation that primarily works to help protect the oceans
from the various challenges it face every year. The Ocean Conservancy is an
environmental vehicle, serving as a voice for the ocean, speaking of the issues
that aren’t frequently represented through social networking, publicized
updates, and challenges. They are trying, as part of their efforts, to work
towards a litter free ocean and to empower people to take an active role in the
preservation and cleaning up of the ocean, which forms the basis of the
conservation of the ocean. They are also well aware of the fact that solving
these ocean issues requires bold initiatives and eliminating the sources of the
trash that damages the ocean. They also aid in giving out tips and techniques
to reduce litter.
How to
celebrate the day
There
are a myriad of options how you can celebrate this important day. One way, is to participate in a local clean-up event at a nearby beach. You can even
just, when you go to the beach, take bags with you to pick up the litter. ICC
doesn’t only need to be celebrated one day a year; every time you go to the
beach, you can clean it up. In this way you will regularly contribute to help
and reduce the amount of garbage that ends up in the ocean. The Ocean
Conservancy is an informative and useful resource for tips on how to be more
conscientious about your lifestyle and the effect it has on the ocean.
Conclusion
The
International Coastal Cleanup has become a beacon of hope, leading and
inspiring action in support of our ocean. The fact remains, it is YOUR chance
to make an invaluable difference, and inspire other people to do the same! Through
education and awareness of such issues will bring forth long term solutions and
changes in behaviour. So, join other volunteers who love the
ocean and want to protect it. By participating in the ICC, you will,
undoubtedly, make a difference.
References
