From Sunrise to Sunset – The SEA LIFE Trust first 24-Hour Global Beach Clean is three days away!
Hundreds of volunteers will join together this Saturday (8th June) at SEA LIFE Trust, Merlin Entertainments and SEA LIFE locations across the world as part of a global event to support World Oceans Day in a sponsorship deal brokered by Reg & Co Sponsorship Agency.
Over 33 different locations across the world will be hosting clean-up events at numerous global waterways. #24HourGlobalBeachClean
This World Oceans Day (8th June 2019), the global marine conservation charity, the SEA LIFE Trust will launch its biggest clean-up mission yet. A 24-Hour Global Beach Clean, which starts at sunrise in New Zealand and ends at sunset in California. The 24-hour event will be hosted across more than 33 different SEA LIFE attractions taking place from Sydney, Scheveningen through to Scarborough.
Sites taking part range from the SEA LIFE TRUST Cornish Seal Sanctuary in Cornwall, Warwick Castle in the UK, Kelly Tarlton’s in New Zealand and Italian theme park Gardaland. Some of the beaches, rivers and even castle moats being cleaned include the Swami’s Surf Beach in the south end of Encinitas in California, the UK beaches of Southend, Weymouth and Scarborough, the banks of the Mississippi in the US, the Yarra River in Melbourne, Philip Island, and the Rhine River in Germany.
It is estimated that 8 million tons of plastic waste enter the world’s oceans each year and that by 2050, the oceans could have more plastic than fish.
Andy Bool, the Head of SEA LIFE Trust is concerned about the environmental impacts: “Most of the littered plastic waste worldwide ultimately ends up at sea. The litter washing up on our local shores is not just unpleasant to look at; it also harms and kills our precious wildlife. Hundreds of species of marine wildlife including seals, seabirds, turtles and whales have mistaken marine litter for food resulting in starvation, poisoning and fatal stomach blockages.
“It’s not just animals which are at risk of ingesting plastics!” adds Bool. “Microplastics act as magnets for dangerous chemicals from the water before being eaten by plankton and filter-feeding animals. Once they have been eaten they quickly move up the food chain as predators eat their prey and build up in high concentrations in larger species, such as tuna. These can eventually find their way on to our own dinner plates!”
The 24-Hour Global Beach Clean will be captured in photos with camera partner Olympus and we are asking volunteers to take pictures and post their best ‘clean-up’ pictures on social media using hashtag #24HourGlobalBeachClean. These pictures will be used as a great reference point for what waste is found where and with the added benefit that each post using the hashtag will be entered into a competition to win the latest Olympus Tough camera, ideal for underwater photography and capturing images in all environments.
Georgina Pavelin, Marketing Manager for Olympus, is keen to ensure Olympus offers as much support as possible: “Olympus is proud to be the imaging sponsor of the SEA LIFE Trust; our imaging division is working closely to document some exciting projects including some of the beach clean events. Photography helps to support awareness and share stories of inspiring changes to support both animal welfare and environmental matters with the aim to evoke change. Our UK office is supporting the beach clean by driving awareness and encouraging staff to participate to make a difference. The beach clean can encourage all ages and abilities to get involved in a group clean up and we are looking forward to the results.”
“The SEA LIFE Trust 24-Hour Global Beach Clean provides a simple and effective way in which everybody can help to turn the tide on litter, starting with their own local riverbanks, park or beach – all litter ends up in our oceans. This year we want to focus on World Oceans Day and work with our corporate partner, the global SEA LIFE aquarium chain, to really come together and focus our attention on what we see as a global crisis,” added Clare Eynon, Fundraising and Campaigns Manager for the SEA LIFE Trust.
Eynon concludes: “It’s vital that everybody plays a role in reducing plastic waste from entering the seas to help protect our marine habitats and wildlife.”
The SEA LIFE Trust is still appealing for volunteers to lend a hand before Saturday. Look up your local SEA LIFE attraction to find more information about how you and your family can become part of the 24-Hour Global Beach Clean 8th June activities. If you can’t make this Saturday then an additional 10 other waterways clean-ups will be held to further support the event in the coming weeks.
The SEA LIFE Trust champions the need for seas which are properly protected, free from plastic pollution, and full of diverse life. This year, as well as focusing on plastic pollution and the 24-Hour Global Beach Clean, the charity will make ground-breaking steps for previously captive cetaceans by opening the world-first SEA LIFE TRUST Beluga Whale Sanctuary in Iceland.
