Sep 15, 2023 by Triton Staff
Captains and crew around the world can volunteer some time on Saturday to help clean their office – that’s the world’s oceans – on International Coastal Cleanup Day.
International Coastal Cleanup Day, the annual day of oceanfront direct action, traditionally happens on the third Saturday of September. Many individuals and organizations around the world take part, but the day exists largely because of global nonprofit the Ocean Conservancy. The organization has also created the Clean Swell app, an app that lets volunteers input every piece of trash they pick up. That information can then be used by scientists and policymakers studying the problem of ocean pollution. An interactive map allows volunteers to find International Coastal Cleanup Day events near them.
An estimated 16 million volunteers in 150 countries will take part in the day. In the run-up to this year’s day, the Ocean Conservancy released a report on the harm caused by plastic foam foodwear, often referred to by the brand name Styrofoam. In the report’s introduction Nicholas Mallos, the conservancy’s vice president of conservation, ocean plastics, noted that “in 2022, plastic foam takeout containers were the seventh most common item collected globally, the highest it has ranked since we started tracking it as a stand-alone category ten years ago. Plastic foam is also not recyclable, meaning anytime it is mistakenly placed in a recycling bin … that stream of materials becomes contaminated.
“To all of us at Ocean Conservancy, this adds up to just one question: What The Foam?!”
Mallos encouraged volunteers to track and note the trash they collect on International Coastal Cleanup Day – and any other day they see trash on the beach or in the water.
“So ahead of this year’s International Coastal Cleanup, we invite you to be a part of the movement to get this plastic foam off our beaches for good,” he wrote. “As you’re collecting ocean trash and data in the coming months, take note of the plastic foam that you’re finding – chances are, it’ll add up, and you’ll want to say WTF, too.”
Beach and ocean cleanups aren’t the only way yachting industry workers can help create a greener world. Green issues and technologies are becoming increasingly important in all sorts of industries, and yachting is no exception.
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Tagged International Coastal Cleanup Day, Ocean Conservancy
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