Coastal Clean-up in SK
The evening revelry of Mid-Autumn Festival creates an estimated 150 tons of additional rubbish each year.
Last year, while most Hongkongers were celebrating– an 8 week long campaign swung into action to clean up our beaches.
Organized by Civic Exchange, Hong Kong's participation in the 20th International Coastal Cleanup in 2005 included some 28 locations and 22 community groups. Of these, 10 locations were in the Sai Kung District.
September 17th, typhoon no.3 did not deter more than 115 kids and adults from venturing out to Sai Kung's islands and beaches to pick up every variety imaginable of debris and garbage.
One group of 20 people sponsored by Kayak and Hike Ltd. and supported by Asiatic Marine, Whitewater Limited, and Paul Murphy sped over to Sha Kui beach in 2 FPCs (former police cruisers) and then paddled over to Ma Tau Wan and Bluff Island by kayak. Each participant carried out an average of 20 bags of garbage – approximately 10kg each.
Other groups working on Sai Kung beaches that day included Outward Bound, HK Girl Guides, Green Watch and JPC – Sau Mau Ping. On the 20th of October, students from King George V School went to Lung Ha Wan and on the 22nd; Ecovision cleaned up Tai Long Wan.
Kids come out of the experience with much more than just a few bags of rubbish – they see first hand the results of careless behaviour and the fact that solutions are within the grasp of each and every one of us.
With just a total of 115 people cleaning up Sai Kung's beaches last year, and many of these not even from Sai Kung district – it shouldn't be hard to at least double our local participation in this year's 2006 International Coastal Cleanup.
Get your team together (family, friends and/or co-workers) and click onto the ICC page on the Civic Exchange Website. There's a datacard there which you need to record what you find (by type and quantity).
Email Thierry T.C. Chan to get more information and tell him when and where you plan to go.
Don't forget to take pictures and send them to Explore too!