On one Saturday in September 2014
People around Taiwan went to the beach
To bend over and pick up trash
They wanted to make the ocean blue like a gem.
Making coastal cleanup the best family event
On the third Saturday of September, O’right staff members and their families together with volunteers of The Society of Wilderness went to the beach around Taiwan to join the coastal cleanup event. It was reported that a strong typhoon might strike the island; nevertheless, it did not stop the passionate participants from carrying out this ecofriendly action. All of O’right staff members from northern, central and southern Taiwan took part in the activity and they collected a hill full of trash in just an hour.
“Mommy, why is there so much garbage here? Is there a dump site nearby?"
“Give me a pair of gloves. I want to pick the trash too!"
“Look! I found a lot of lighters."
“Daddy! Help me with this big box. It’s too heavy for me!"
Questions and exclamations from kids here and there force people to think seriously about how marine debris is injuring the environment. Picking up trash together not only creates more interactions between family members but also allows kids to learn to protect the environment with their own hands – a great way to bring the awareness that we have only one earth.
Picking up trash is just a beginning
Checking the list of the debris being picked up around the coastline, we found that plastic and Styrofoam debris still make the top of the list, including all kinds of PET bottles, plastic bags and cups, and a variety of disposable food containers and eating utensils. According to a survey conducted by Taiwan Ocean Cleanup Alliance, a person in Taiwan averagely consumes 728 plastic bags annually, which translates into 2.7 bags per person every day. The number is 3.9
times higher than that in the EU region! Therefore, reducing unnecessary consumption is probably more important than picking up trash. Stop and think twice about the following 5R principle before making a purchase – reduce, reuse, recycle, replace and refuse. Consume wisely to keep the environment clean and save the sea from floating debris.
Love the ocean, love the earth
This is the fourth year for O’right to take part in the Coastal Cleanup. Over a hundred of O’right employees join together every year to pick up nearly a thousand kilograms of ocean debris. They really hope to see the ocean water without debris floating on it.
In addition to Coastal Cleanup, O’right also takes part in various environmental initiatives like Earth Hour and tree planting activities. Since the establishment of O’right Green Headquarters in 2012, O’right has successfully reduced over 380,000 kg of carbon emissions, equal to the yearly carbon absorption capacity of the Da’an Park, a 26-hectare park in Taiwan. With these actions, O’right hopes to motivate more ecofriendly actions.
Internat ional Coastal Cleanup (ICC)
The Internat ional Coastal Cleanup, which usually takes place on the third Saturday in September, was initiated by The Ocean Conservancy (TOC) in 1986. Environmental organizat ions around the world join the event on that day and people are invited to clean the beach. The amount and kinds of trash is recorded around the world to learn the composition of ocean debris.
