We all need water to survive. If it is polluted, then every second diminishes our healthy water source and hurts us and our ecosystems.
Shoreline cleanups are extremely important to our earth and all living beings.
By organizing beach cleanups, it allows us to clean up waste and encourage people to have a better awareness in everyday situations by understanding the impact those items we produce, buy or consume have on us and the water.
Plastic, styrofoam trays, dental floss, cotton swabs, tires, plastic bags are all found on the beach. By being part of a beach clean up, people see the real impact pollution has on our water. Minimizing plastic consumption and ensuring proper disposal of all trash is so important.
Shoreline cleanups can be the stepping stones to engage people and educate communities who live close to the ocean. Hopefully it will awaken others around the world that we must be more proactive in keeping our water clean, otherwise the effects of our negligence will have tragic consequences.
Since 2016, GEBIS has hosted or partnered with local community groups to organize beach clean-ups on eastern PEI.
In 2017, GEBIS conducted five beach clean-ups across PEI involving 600 volunteers. There were 2,550 kilograms or 5,511 pounds of trash collected. That’s 4.5 kilograms or almost 10 pounds of trash per person was removed from island shorelines last year.