Actions speak louder than words for coast cleanup kids

Teenagers rarely opt to do the cleaning over the weekend but last Saturday saw dozens of students grab gloves, bags and gardening forks as part of International Coastal Cleanup Day.

The students, who came from local secondary schools and the English Schools Foundation (ESF), collected more than 20 bags of garbage in just under two hours on the beach at Waterfall Bay near Aberdeen.

The rubbish included soft drink cans, bottles, cigarette butts, polystyrene, and, more worryingly, a syringe.

'We warn everyone not to touch any sharp objects or chemicals,' said Graham Young, an ESF project manager who runs activities for local and ESF children.

The Leisure and Cultural Services Department helped organise last week's operation by sending trained staff with safety equipment for the volunteers, he said.

Part of the activity asked students to record what they had found for the Ocean Conservancy Database, an international group that monitors beach waste globally.

Mr Young said it was the students' decision to take part in the global coast clean-up. 'They thought it was better to do something like this than sit around talking,' he said.

The ESF organises several activities a year that bring together local and international students to speak in English and swap school stories. 'They find out how much they have in common,' Mr Young said.

The clean-up coincided with a call for creative ideas to help promote responsible living in Hong Kong.

Christine Fang Meng-sang, a member of the Council for Sustainable Development and chair of the council's education and publicity sub-committee, said up to $10 million was now available to schools, students and community groups for sustainable development projects.

'We hope to encourage young people to submit creative ideas on how to promote the concepts of sustainable development and put them into practice,' Ms Fang said.

'Beach cleanups are a very good idea. Students can also think of projects that reduce the use of energy, water or creation of waste in the school environment.'

Examples included recycling computers, growing organic vegetables, and developing waste-recycling projects such as collecting newspapers, old books and school uniforms, she said.

'Students can come together to organise debates, conduct poverty visits, studies and exhibitions to arouse public concerns and creative solutions to the issues,' Ms Fang added.

Groups and individuals have until December 1 to submit proposals for the first round of applications. There will be two application periods every 12 months and a maximum of $10 million set aside each year. For more information about beach cleanups, contact Graham Young on [email protected] or call 2711 2837.

To find out more about the Sustainable Development Fund, visit www.susdev.gov.hk. For more on the Ocean Conservancy Database visit www.oceanconservancy.org