Beach Clean-up: Part 1
Today we had our first Beach Clean-up activity in conjunction with Stridy & Seastainable. It was a hot but glorious morning down at Castle Beach, East Coast Park, where we met to start our clean-up.
In small groups, we scoured the area for trash and gathered a surprising amount. There is something strangely meditative and relaxing about the simple act of litter collection. Although those on the beach in the direct sun collecting thousands of pieces of confetti may disagree… (kudos to that group!) With a good group of friends and supporters together, it didn’t feel like a chore and the time flew past. We can now all go about our weekends knowing that we have helped to allow a small piece of this country to breath more easily.
Special thanks to Marcel and the Stridy Team for providing all of the rubbish collecting equipment and organising us. They really are a lovely group of people doing a wonderful thing and are to be applauded loudly and often.
I’ve always thought of Singapore as such a clean country, and in many ways, it is to be praised for its dedication to cleanliness. But when you get amongst the weeds (literally), it is surprising how much waste can be found, tossed into our environment. In locations that are close to the coast, this litter often ends up in the sea, contributing to the massive global ocean pollution issues that we are faced with today.
Walking home after a well-earned coffee, I couldn’t help but notice more rubbish than I usually see on the streets of our neighbourhood. I think I’ll be grabbing my tongs and heading out again before too long!
Thank you to all who contributed this morning.
We are looking forward to another group clean-up operation on the 9th April. Please contact me if you are interested in joining us! Find more details on this post.
Thanks for your good work, Tsuyumi! I can identify with your comments about all the ‘unseen’ garbage and the meditative state you get into while cleaning up. We live on a country road with lots of grass, shrubs and trees. It looks nice if you are speeding by in a car, but when you walk it like I do you begin to see all the trash. One piece here, one piece there and it all adds up. I go out twice a year to do some clean up on our Community Day and come back with bags full of junk including baby seats, steering wheel covers, lots of beer bottles and MacDonald’s food containers. I get present, in the moment, and mindful of how beautiful my road really is.
Thanks Ray, if more people felt this way then maybe there wouldn’t be anything to clean up. That’s a wonderful thought!