Almost two-thirds of plastic pollution in marine space comes directly from the land. For example, litter is left on the beach or washed down rivers from towns and cities. Between 5 million and 13 million tons of plastic enter the world’s oceans every year. Tragically, some of this plastic is ingested by various forms of marine life, from sea birds to whales. This has created a devastating impact on the world’s oceans and marine life.
While people of all ages are aware of this environmental crisis, they often feel powerless when it comes to taking action. By providing an action-based outlet like beach cleaning, this organization can help educate you and decrease your sense of anxiety while contributing to the clean-up of your local communities.
In this experience, you will be joining this organization’s team for a beach clean-up! It will begin with an educational talk, followed by the clean-up, weighing the collected waste, and finally, a “Flanksy” (Banksy-inspired art) marine pollution art competition.
There are three levels of beach cleaning that you can choose from:
Zen Beach Clean
This is beach cleaning at a relaxed pace, allowing your team to find a bit of zen, listen to the ocean, and pick up trash as you stroll along the beach.
Microplastics Beach Clean
Comb through the seaweed and observe the beach in detail for tiny bits of plastic and broken-down fragments of items that would otherwise be eaten by marine life.
In and On the Rocks
Not for the faint-hearted! This rock clean-up will ensure that your team gets plenty of exercise grappling with beach rocks to pull out some of the terrible waste that the tides bring in.
The beach clean-up can take place on the following beaches:
- Sandymount, Dublin (tidal)
- Seapoint, Co. Dublin (tidal)
- East Pier, Dún Laoghaire (rock beach)
- Killiney, Co. Dublin (non-tidal)
Agenda:
- Visit.org Welcome: Making an Impact Together (5 minutes)
- Presentation on the Organization's MIssion and Main Projects (10 minutes)
- Educational Talk (20 minutes)
- Beach Clean Up and Weighing Trash Collected (1 hour)
- Marine Pollution Art Competition (30 minutes)
- Celebrating the Impact (5 minutes)