“The extent of man’s imprudence,” Ian Tan (HS Red Cross Unit)

I have been blissfully unaware, or perhaps ignorant, as to the extent of man’s imprudence. Now, I am aware. And one short trip to the beach was al it took.

When I arrived at the beach, my first impression was ‘’It’s filthy with dead plants and crabs…’’ I soon learned, however, that the filth did not come merely from dead carcasses of beach animals and rotting logs. No, the problem lay far deeper than that. Upon closer inspection, me and my fellow cadets found traces of man’s ‘’work’’ lying all around us.

Our mission? To collate data of what kind of trash could be found on the beach, to see what materials made up most of the trash. Plastic, styrofoam, glass – all these had to be collected. Armed with gloves and trash bags, we set off, and my group sure found a lot of styrofoam!

When you aren’t looking for trash, you tend to ignore it. When you are looking for it, you suddenly realise how much of it there is. That was exactly what happened. I was left shell-shocked at the scene – discarded plastic bottles and bags, shredded styrofoam boxes covering the expanse of the beach and more. What shook me to the core was a tree. A mangrove tree.

Discarded fishing nets had found their way to the beach where the nets got entangled with the roots of the tree. Over time, as the tree grew, and more fishing lines washed up on the beach, the nets and ropes became embedded and tangled with the mangrove roots. As I lent a helping hand in extricating the nets which were choking the roots, my surprise doubled – there metres-long worth of nets and ropes with some embedded so deep into the plant, it was impossible to pull out! That was when I woke to the true implications of man’s destruction – it had been going on for so long, the results were devastating.

Five of us working together did so little to help the plant. An hour’s work didn’t even clear a quarter of what lay entangled within its roots. But yet, it made me feel so much better, that I had contributed in helping the tree breathe more easily and that the beach looked a lot cleaner than when we first started.

I feel that activities like this truly help to open our eyes to the harshness of reality. It brings us out of our comfort zone and shows us the bitter truth—that our world is dying, and it is dying fast. Not only does this kind of activities help with team bonding, it helps the environment, and this single activity may have given the beach a longer lifespan.

I feel very happy that I have been able to help the world, even if what I did is only a millionth of a fraction compared to what others do. I feel that we should do this more, as it has been said ‘’A little difference can set in motion a chain of events that can either destroy, or save this world’’.

I opt to have the difference do the latter. We can’t stop global warming, but we can slow it, for the sake of the next generation. They did nothing to deserve a life filled with misery and hardships physically. But all of this starts with that very small effort to help the world.

50 participants from Northland Primary School, Bioprocessing Technology Institute and Oil Spill Response arrived at Changi Beach Site 1, bright and early on Saturday, 19th September 2009. Rainclouds had started gathering but the gloomy sky did not dampen spirits as volunteers merrily chattered. And a short briefing got the merry crew ready for a “spring cleaning”!

As we began, a family of four at the beach observed us and decided to join in! They were kitted out with extra gloves from Oil Spill Response and a data card and that lowered the youngest age of our group to only three and a half years old!

Our youngest Captain Planet at work in saving the Earth! See how meticulous she is!

Andrew Tay, a veteran Site Buddy with the ICCS came once more to guide Northland Primary in their cleanup. As they worked on Changi beach, he filled them in on the status of marine trash in Singapore and how it affects the marine environment and marine life. The students were asking questions throughout and enjoyed Andrew’s stories!

"May I ask you a question??"

Even though everyone was enjoying themselves from the fulfilling work, it began drizzling an hour into the cleanup and most then headed for the shelter and totalling up of numbers began.

Although the cleanup stopped short of the usual 90 mins due to rain, a considerable amount of trash was collected. The weight came up to 68 kg of trash and the most common items were cigarette butts and styrofoam pieces. We found a few odd things too – a tattered and thin mattress, some golf balls and a few table tennis balls.

Many participants felt that this had been an eye-opening experience. They were taken aback about the amount of trash they had encountered on a seemingly clean beach!

The trash that lies out there is innumerable and it is an impossible task to eliminate it all with a single cleanup. This exercise was primarily a data-gathering exercise and the effort was an important one in understanding the source of the problem.

There was also that sense of satisfaction when leaving Changi Beach that their efforts had Changi Beach a better place for our marine creatures to live in.

Never did I think the water will come in so fast and so high. The wide stretch of beach that was there just  a few hours before the cleanup simply disappear under the water.

Water-crossing has to be done and here are some ways to do it:

1) The Boat

2) The sinking Bridge (Has it sunk?)

3) Plastic Bags turned Rubber Boots

4) The Flying Fox

5) The Mr. and Ms. Garang (Aka Down-to-earth)

Mr. Mud Lobster gave applause to the wonderful performance by the water-crossers.

Let’s Pick Up Rubbish!

On 19 September 2009, 7 teachers and 10 pupils from Northland Primary School did their part for the environment by collecting, categorising and disposing  litter at Changi Beach.

The amount of rubbish found on the beach and floating in the sea was astounding! We picked up items like styrofoam pieces, plastic bottles, cigarette butts, and even a plug and a slipper.

Picking up all this trash at the beach was pretty tedious but we left with smiles on our faces, hoping we had done our part to make it a cleaner place. It was a wonderful learning experience for all of us.

By Ho Kexin

See and download the full gallery on posterous
Posted via email from International Coastal Cleanup Singapore

Last week we blogged about a new Pasir Ris site that was to be cleaned this week – Pasir Ris Site 6. A hidden paradise, it is well away from the BBQ pits, pavilions and crowds of Pasir Ris Beach Park. Today, we finally could eagerly head back to clear the beach of trash! Three groups hit the site – Bedok View Sec Teachers, Cuon Scouts and a handful of independent sign-ups.

The morning started with the sky looking cloudy but the weather held up for us. We entered the site near BBQ Pit 64 and were welcomed by a mud lobster crawling across the beach, oblivious to the group of volunteers happily snapping photos of it!

Glancing over the site when we walked in, I felt that it actually looked quite clean and very serene. But as we ventured deeper in, the trash load increased to astonishing proportions! Odd objects peppered the shore – a tattered sofa, half a fridge, water barrel, rusty oil barrel, food containers (with decomposing food still inside!), straws and motorcycle helmets!

The worst part was at the end where a stream enters the sea. The entire stream was littered with trash – the majority of which were plastic bags.

This small area was enough to keep all of our independents fully occupied. Sand flies swarmed around our feet and this was supplemented by numerous mosquito bites! We ignored this all as we filed our hands soaked our legs as we filled bag after bag with trash.

The Cuon Scouts saw that we needed helped and sent a troop in to help out. Together, we hauled many bags of trash out, including a couple of big barrels too.

The tide came in too fast and too soon, making the shallow stream deeper and deeper. The sky began to release drops of rain, so our volunteers quickly hauled bags of trash out for weighing and disposal. Bedok View Secondary School teachers collected 81 kg of trash and the Independents + Cuon Scouts collected 186kg.

Well done, everyone!

Guess what? Our excitement did not end there. The NParks cart which came by to pick up our trash got stuck in the grass! Well, perhaps because we loaded it with 186kg of trash and two big barrels! Our gung-ho Independents guys got together and helped to lift the cart out; great group effort, guys!

That moring, we left feeling great after a good morning’s work, leaving the Hidden Paradise a little cleaner than it was before…

The sky looked rather gloomy when we left our homes for Tanah Merah this morning. Nevertheless, the SUVEC off-roaders were determined to complete their mission – Operation TM Cleanup – this is the third year running SUVEC has contributed to the International Coastal Cleanup Singapore

Driving our mean machines (four wheel drives) through the Changi Coastal Road in the wee hours of the morning, we were praying that the heavens would not open up too soon.  A cozy group of 12 (10 adults and 2 children) converged at the NSRCC Sea Sports Centre carpark at 0830 hrs.  Some had no breakfast, others were fasting and everybody was in a chirpy mood.  

After the briefing formalities (objectives, data collection and safety briefing), we headed towards the beach affectionately coded as Tanah Merah 3, Tanah Merah 4 and Tanah Merah 5 (about 500 m worth of coastline) respectively.

Despite the relatively small number of volunteers, we worked in pairs – one picking up the litter while the other recording the data.  The role was reversed after half an hour. The debris collected was predominantly from shoreline and recreational activities. Styrofoam pieces and cigarette butts were in abundance. One of the pairs managed to find a horseshoe crab entangled in a fishing line.  Alas, upon closer examination, we realized that the crab could not be saved!

Some of the more peculiar items found include a cone which was brought in by the tide, a big blue jerrycan (possibly from ocean/waterway activities) as well as a huge can of milk powder.

The initial plan was to transport all the debris collected to nearby Changi Village using our 4WDs. However, we met up with one of the coordinators, (ICCS Otters) Vu Tinh Ky who saved us all the trouble by telling us to leave the items collected at the rubbish point along the beach as prior arrangements had been made with NParks for the items to be disposed later.  

Then, it started to pour! The heavens opened up at around 10.20 hrs leaving us rather drenched. When there was no sign that the rain would stop and in the interest of safety, we called it a day.  So we drove up to Kallang MacDonald's for a debrief, fill up the empty stomach as well as to collate the data. Despite several attempts to upload the data submission spreadsheet via Wireless@SG, it never went through. Since the data is to be submitted urgently, arrangements were made for to have it delievered at a separate location [Thanks, SUVEC! - ed.].

Overall, we had fun although we wish we could do a longer cleanup.  Cannot wait for the next cleanup event!

Cheers
Iwan Kurniawan Ahmad
SUVEC

See and download the full gallery on posterous

Posted via email from International Coastal Cleanup Singapore

157 volunteers from ST Dynamics, Power Seraya, Singapore Polytechnic, Carlson Hotel, Victoria School, SATO International and Suvec sacrificed their sleep to gather at East Coast Park early in the morning for the International Coastal Cleanup.

Kudos to the students and teachers from Victoria School who were the early birds that started the cleanup at 7.30am.

Armed with gloves, tongs, trash bags and enthusiasm, the volunteers at each site separated into different teams to complete their mission. It is also a mini family outing for some parents who involved their cute children for this meaningful clean up activity. If kids can do it, so can you!

Cigarettes, styrofoam pieces were the most common debris found. Some of the volunteers found peculiar items like microphone, rubber mat, and a huge wooden plank that was the size of a car. In addition, a fishing net with a crab and corals entangled in it was discovered by the ST Dynamics’ volunteers.

Due to the heavy rain at 10.10am, all the volunteers have to stop their cleanup earlier and they proceeded to consolidate their data.

A big Thank You to all the volunteers who have helped out with the clean up at ECP!

By Cindy Wu,
ICCS Otters

Choppy sea. Gloomy sky.

This didn’t deter the 22 volunteers from Fo Guang Shan Buddhist Temple. They tackled Punggol Beach with zest and enthusiasm. The trash load was light; the source of the debris was mainly from shoreline and waterway activities.

Zeng Rong, the organiser, did a great job by briefing the volunteers on the objectives of the cleanup and the method of collecting data, before heading out to the beach. Thus, everyone knew what to do and the cleanup went smoothly.

Although the trash load was light, there were many small items such as fragmented debris like styrofoam bits , bottle caps and and fishing lines.

However, it showered on participants at about 10.15am, an hour after the cleanup had begun. So they ended a little earlier and began weighing the trash. ZengRong did a debrief , took group pictures and ended the cleanup .

The cheery spirit I witnessed was admirable. A great job by both the volunteers and the organiser, well done folks!

On 12 Sept 2009, 19 senior officers from the Singapore Police Force went from protecting the nation to protecting the environment as they traded their revolvers for trash bags and got down to clearing the Pandan Mangrove, all in the name of environmentalism.

Coordinated by the International Coastal Cleanup Singapore, the Pandan Mangrove Cleanup attracted participants from the Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS), Raffles Museum Toddycats, the Department of the Biological Sciences (NUS) and independent volunteers as well. The cleanup was part of an international effort to cleanup and to collate information regarding marine litter.

Our men in blue started their operation at 8.30am and got right into the thick of action. It was a first experience for many of the officers, but there was no hesitation as they trudged deep into the mangroves and deftly navigated the uneven terrain interjected by muddy mounts, exposed roots and an assortment of marine litter.

Working in groups of 3, the officers scoured the mangrove for all manner of refuse and promptly bagged any debris found. There were various non-biodegradable waste strewed all over the mangrove floor, with the most prevalent being plastic bottles, plastic bags, Styrofoam pieces and other industrial building materials like plastic sheets, pipes and rubber tires. In fact, the number of plastic bags collected amounted to almost 50% of all debris collected for that morning.

While deep in the mangrove, one officer even had a surprise encounter with a small water snake that was entangled in the tire he was attempting to clear. Without delay, our officers cautiously freed the snake which promptly slithered away deep into the mangrove.

By the end of the cleanup, the team from the Singapore Police Force had filled a total of 43 trash bags with debris from the mangrove weighing a hefty 233 kg. The team had collected a total of 2,620 items from just a 50 meter stretch. Collectively, participants from the cleanup amassed a total of 3,759 items weighing in at a total of 1,745 kg – see data.

In all it was an extremely enriching and educational experience for our officers as they were alerted to how marine debris can endanger the lives of many marine creatures like sea turtles, crabs and albatrosses. The waste that we carelessly discard might be accumulated in such mangroves, serving to proliferate the problem and escalate the level of threat to the precious myriad of marine life that inhabits these mangroves.

By P/INSP James Chng
Police Training Command
Home Team Academy
501 Old Choa Chu Kang Rd S698928

More photos on Flickr.

Posted via email from International Coastal Cleanup Singapore

The sun was up and the tide was low… just what we need to have a successful coastal cleanup!

On its 3^rd year in a row of participation with the ICCS, the members and friends of Alpha Phi Omega Alumni Association of Singapore were very much eager to outdo the results from previous coastal cleanups which were hampered by bad weather conditions. A few days ago, I was a bit worried seeing the weather forecast with thunderstorms on Saturday (September 12) but luckily the weather was very cooperative.

After a short briefing on things to be done, grouping in pairs, we immediately proceed to the beach line starting from the river mouth of Sungei Api-Api towards Sungei Tampines. Another group was formed to do a portion of Sungei Api-Api mangroves that adds up to a total of 32 participants.

At first I thought we could not find any trash as the beach looks very clean from afar. But taking a closer look and a thorough check at the shore line we started to find a whole lot of trash from small pieces of cigarette butts, plastic food wrappers and straws, broken glass, strapping bands, fish nets and lines, a buoy,  ropes, a  55 gal. drum, some clothing, a styro box and pieces, alkaline batteries, car parts, building materials and a lot more. We even found some condoms and syringes which are very much unlikely you will find in these areas.

Most of the trash collected was concentrated at the mangroves area near the river mouth of Sungei Tampines where we found fish nets and fishing lines got tangled up with the mangroves – a hazard to all marine animals that lives in these areas!

Much to our surprise, the total weight of trash we’ve collected summed up to 129 kilograms – almost doubled from last year’s results where we collected a total of 67kg of rubbish!

Picking up trash specially in the seashore area is fun but it’s no joke to laugh about! Comparing the results from previous years of coastal cleanups is very alarming. The amount and volume of trash collected doubled in just a short period of time!

A large percentage of these trash is being contributed by human activities which is very irresponsible and ignorant in nature. This kind of behavior is causing a great deal of destruction to our marine environment – and it would take years to rejuvenate a destroyed ecosystem. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!

I think it is high time to change the mindsets of the general public. We need to have more environmental awareness programs specially at schools to reach out to the younger generations. It is also the duty of the authorities to implement some strict measures on existing laws which are most of the times neglected and ignored.

In behalf of APO Alumni Association of Singapore, I would like to say thank you to the organizers of ICCS for giving us another chance to participate in this years' coastal cleanup and we hope to see you all again on next year’s ICCS and more years to come and hoping for a clean & green Singapore!!!

Daniel Edpan
APO Singapore

More photos on Picasa.

Posted via email from International Coastal Cleanup Singapore