Armed with gloves, boots and data analysis sheets, Earthlink NTU s Main committee and Subcommittee members spent their Saturday morning at Sungei Pandan Mangroves with a mission to remove and collect data on the debris from the mangroves along Jalan Buroh near Pandan Road.
Organized on the 21st of September 2013, the annual event is held in over 70 nations around the world, and is conducted in coordination with the US-based non-profit organization, The Ocean Conservancy. In Singapore, the ICCS, is primarily backed by Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research at NUS, and is one of the most prominent environmental conservation campaigns held across the country.
Over the past few years, the number of venues for the cleanup has increased; ranging from East Coast Park and Changi Beach to Lim Chu Kang and Chek Jawa..The event which was scheduled to be held from 7am to 11am, promptly began, with the participants gathering in front of the Chinese Heritage Centre, in NTU.
Once at Sungei Mangrove, the cleanup picked up momentum as Earthlinkers, grouped in trios, began their search for debris and trash that may have been polluting the landscape. An hour and a half later, participants emerged with some of the quirkiest findings a tyre and even an abandoned shoe!
Yap Yun Ben, Honorary Treasurer of the 21st Management Committee of EarthLink, who participated in the cleanup was caught saying, Although the turnout rate for this year’s event was lower than that of last year, the participants were more active compared to last year’s participants and they were highly enthusiastic and put in lots of effort during the cleanup.
Inspired by the primary objective of making the shorelines, waterways and beaches of the world s lakes, rivers and oceans debris-free, Earthlink NTU s members were exposed to a unique opportunity to highlight the effectiveness of 3Rs to reduce unwanted plastic from flowing into aquatic environments.
When asked to share his experience after the event, Ben introspected, As for my experience, this is the first year I participated as well as hosted the ICCS, so I had no idea about how a cleanup in the Mangroves actually feels, but it turned out to be a very memorable one, as I don’t think I will ever do such thing during my daily routine.
After the event, the amount of debris collected was weighed for statistical purposes and future analysis of the data & participants were provided with light refreshments, courtesy of Jurong Bird Park. With the accumulation of marine trash and litter along coastlines around the world, this form of environmental pollution has become an issue of global concern that requires action at every level.
Functioning on a mere 4 hours of sleep, I d spent my entire Saturday morning cleaning up Mangroves! Ironically however, the fact that we were able to make a difference, irrespective of how small it was, pumped me with enough positivity and encouragement to participate in all the varied events organized by Earthlink that are yet to come!