What does 6.30 a.m. on a Saturday morning look like? Most of you will say it's cosy, as you would be curled up in bed! But one recent Saturday, was different. Over 3000 students gathered near the Marina beach all set with bags to clean the beach. September 25 is World Coastal Cleanup Day and all the volunteers of Roots to Shoots (A Jane Goodall Foundation) along with school and college students took active part in making this initiative a grand success.
Groups of children from various schools spread themselves along the coast and picked waste that would pollute the seas. A float which was decorated with models of dolphins and turtles went around the city to create awareness. The float had cans, plastic bottles, remnants of fishing nets, nylon ropes, balloons, and other things stuck all around it as these need to be filtered before they get washed back into the sea threatening the lives of many sea animals.
“This drive is not just a clean up it's also an exercise to create awareness among the public, it's a social cause,” says Swaminathan, Std VIII, MCTM.
Sharan, Mohan, Shubha and Ashwin, Std XII students from PS Senior Secondary School, Mylapore said, “Collecting plastic, and other pollutants from the beach will go a long way in creating awareness. At least all the passers by will surely be feeling guilty and will therefore refrain from littering the beaches.”
Kaushik, Siddharth, Sushanth, Srecharan and Pranav, Std IX students from Bala Vidya Mandir feel that setting an example is important. “Morning walkers, fisher folk are already helping us clean the beach. We already seem to be growing as a group. And the others can surely spread the word.”
Each and every one must feel responsible for the garbage we generate, together we can make a difference…is the thought which will remain with you.
