Coastal Clean Up in Singapore and Beyond!

  

Trash bags from the event! 

On September 8, students from our school, SAS, as well as from the National University of Singapore teamed up to help save some coastal land. It was an interesting (if not absolutely enlightening) experience. I had no idea what we were in for. Honestly, I presumed that we would be cleaning up trash on a nice sandy beach, doing our work slowly and appreciating the beauty around us. Instead, we ended up at a wooded mangrove full of mosquitos, crabs, and trash. Lots and lots of trash, ranging from plastic bags (these were the most!) to clothing, oil barrels. Name one item and we guarantee it was under some branches, wrapped around some gnarled roots, and would eventually suffocate a poor, defenseless animal in the sea.

It was heartbreaking to see how much trash flooded the mangroves. At first, the task seemed impossible. In teams of three to four, we kept record of the items we threw into our trash bags and dug up bag after bag after bag, pulled fishing nets from the roots, and cut oil barrels free from the hardened mud.

With the aid of 150 people, we picked up a total of 2.3 tons of trash, within 4 hours. I thought that was an incredible feat. We had succeeded in making the ocean a cleaner, safer place, for that day. The very next day new debris would land on the coast, so the job is never complete. 

For pictures of the event see http://www.flickr.com/photos/86865218@N07/

An infographic by the Ocean Conservancy:
The Marine Life threatened by Coastal Debris

An event organized by the Ocean Conservancy, several countries worldwide participated. A week later, on September 16, 2012, California performed a similar coastal cleanup! With volunteers from over 850 locations, they managed to pick up over 290 tons of trash. Many volunteers claim to have found Japanese products that got washed away during the 2011 tsunami.

Just imagine, if every single country in the world had actively participated in the International Coastal Cleanup. I really do wish one day the world can come together to perform such an important task. Just imagine the number of lives we’re saving, doing this one simple act. It doesn’t take much.

Keep thinking and acting green! 

Visit http://www.oceanconservancy.org/our-work/marine-debris/2012-data-release.html for intriguing infographics on the items collected worldwide. 

WWF Animal, Sparrow Boxes, and more!

The past few years, sparrows have been dying because they don't have nesting places. These sparrow boxes are designed to help!

In 2008, when I first moved to Bangalore, I was surprised to find that not even the most basic recycling program existed at school. I noted down things in my mind; areas of improvement around the school where I, a single student of 7^th grade, could make the difference. I turned off running faucets in the bathrooms, took only one tissue to dry my hands (and believe me, the piles of tissues that used to end up on the floors of the bathrooms wasn’t funny), and turned off the lights and fans in empty classrooms.

So in 2010, with a friend, I mustered up the courage to create a green club – “The Green Idea”. We started off slowly, creating monthly newsletters focusing on a particular environmental issue such as waste management, water shortages and renewable energy. In 10^th grade, we started off with a bang! We hosted the first ever High School Green Conference in all of Bangalore. It was a great success! Schools all over Bangalore came to our school to discuss environmental issues and solutions that students themselves could contribute to.

Next on our list was one of the most basic tasks: recycling. Slowly, cardboard boxes cropped up around school and the first batch of boxes was filled to the brim! It was exciting to see “The Green Idea” make some money, selling the recycled paper!

The school’s biogas unit arrived soon after; it’s still one of the very first portable ones in all of India, so glitches are taking a while to get sorted out. Pictures are on their way! The gas generated from the food waste will be pumped to the cafeteria to cook, saving money, and helping the planet. Two in one – score!  

Just before winter break started, before and after the Christmas performance, we had a little snack fundraiser – goodies from America (you don’t get them cheap here, and the demand is crazy). I think it was brilliant; we decided within 24 hours that the sale was going to happen and we managed to pull it off. Soon after winter break, the school will vote on their first choice of WWF animal and the wooden Sparrow Boxes will be placed all around school. 

And the adventure continues. It’s getting more and more exciting!

Stay tuned!

Visit http://www.worldwildlife.org/gift-center/Default.aspx for more information of adopting a WWF animal!