Watamu Marine Association, Kenya: Managing Kenya's premier beach resort.
WATAMU NEWS
Here we'll bring you regular news and events from Watamu, keeping you informed of life on the beach!
Here we'll bring you regular news and events from Watamu, keeping you informed of life on the beach!
The International Coastal Beach Clean Up 2016 is hot news in Kenya. Turn the Tide on Trash. Join us on the beaches! See here for all information on where you need to be and when!
The International Coastal Clean up is the world's largest global volunteer effort for our ocean and waterways. Nearly 800,000 volunteers collected more than 18 million pounds (8 million Kgs) of plastic waste during the 2015 International Coastal Clean Up! Given that over 8 billion tons of plastic is dumped in the oceans every year, the international beach clean up is a small but giant step forward in reducing this growing problem.
Marine and river debris is 90% plastic, and plastic when thrown away, does not go away!! It breaks down into smaller and smaller particles, and is mistaken for food by birds, fish, turtles, whales and more. This is now entering our food chain through fish, soil and water. Its chemicals are also leached out into the water and other environments. This has adverse effects on human health. Since the mid 1950s when plastic was industrially produced, David Attenborough (World renowned nature documentary presenter) has called this the ?Plastic Era?. He, like the global volunteers, believe this has to stop and every little effort helps.
So come and participate or donate to the International beach clean up day in Kenya. Since 2013, Kenyans have been engaged annually in this global effort. Last year, 2015, over 8500 kgs of plastic waste was collected by 2,500 Kenyan volunteers, in 2-3 hours along about 35 kms of beach area. Being the 4th consecutive year, the aim in 2016 is two-fold ? a) to garner over 5,000 individuals including 50 local community groups, schools, conservation groups, private sector and government to get involved in the clean up from Kiunga in the North to Wasini in the South; and b) to engage with those that do not live on the coast, and connect them through waste, to this global growing ?trash? issue
1. Lamu, Peponi Beach, Lamu District Contact: carol@peponi-lamu.com
2. Malindi, Marine Park KWS HQ Contact: willysosore@yahoo.com
3. Watamu, Blue Bay at KWS, Kilifi District Contact: ericko.kws68@yahoo.com / stevetrott@watamu.biz
4. Kilifi, Bofa Beach Contact: b.fulanda@pu.ac.ke
5. Kuruwitu, Kinuni at Bahati Beach, Kilifi District Contact: saeedbalala@live.com
6. Wasini, Mkwiro Village, Wasini Island, Kwale District Contact, nancy@ocean-sole.com
7. Msambweni, Kwale District Contact: nancy@ocean-sole.com
8. Mombasa, Mombasa District Contact: onyango.ezra@gmail.com
For those that cannot participate, but eager to help, please send your donations via Mpesa to - Ocean Sole Foundation: Mpesa Pay Bill Number 657076. Donations go towards refreshments and lunch for volunteer?s, transportation of waste collected, finding tradable solutions to the beach waste, school transport, gloves, bags for waste collection, T-shirts and rewards.
We would like to thank you for your contributions, and please keep following us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @OceanSole @WatamuMarine
By 2050 there will be more waste in our oceans than fish. Every little bit helps get this information out there, join us in cleaning our beaches and making a difference!
Thanks to all our sponsors Base Titanium, Fly540, AirKenya, SafariLink. Diamond Trust Bank, Kenya Commercial Bank, Sustainable Travel and Tourism Agency,and Posta Bank
Also see: http://www.watamu.biz