Environment Groups Conduct Earth Day Cleanup Drive

Armed with garden gloves and rice sacks, more than 70 volunteers from Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur teamed up to save the planet during the Earth Day cleanup drive on April 21 in the towns of Badoc in Ilocos Norte and Sinait in Ilocos Sur.

The Movement Against Plastic Pollution (MAPP) – Ilocos Norte, an environment organization in Ilocos Norte collaborated with civic groups and non-government movements for a one-day cleanup activity titled “We Love Ilocoast: An Earth Day Coastal and Underwater Cleanup, Where North Meets South”.

“We have the same passion for our environment, we thought of collaborating for bigger impact and influence. This collaboration has been planned since February,” Patrizia Dacanay, MAPP Founder shared.

Four major groups such as MAPP and Amianan Outdoor Recreational Group composed Team Ilocos Norte while Team Ilocos Sur is comprised of Ballog Adventures and Let’s Better Ilocos Sur.

During the cleanup, the environmental champions were able to collect 237.9 kilograms of non-biodegradable trashes and 4,538 pieces of cigarette butts along the coastal areas of the cleanup venues.

Aside from picking trashes scattered near the beaches, skilled divers from the participating groups also did the “strawkling” which is a term originated in Australia that means snorkeling while picking plastic trashes on the seabed.

“When you are given a skill, use it to make a difference,” Dacanay said.

Given the large number of collected trashes and cigarette butts which believed to have been used during picnics, the participating groups urge the public to dispose cigarette butts in the proper dumping area.

“Smoking is already bad for your health, don’t make it bad for the environment as well,” Dacanay appealed.

The organizers also gave a reminder to observe Earth Day in a regular basis.

“Earth Day is a celebration dedicated for the protection, love, and care for our planet and everything that lives — animals, plants, etc. This year’s theme is Protect Our Species. May we protect all our species, since there has been a rapid growth of species extinction for the past years. May we live everyday like it’s Earth Day,” the MAPP founder added.

Aside from the Earth Day cleanup, MAPP calls for participation of youth and people of all ages in their scheduled cleanup activities this year. (JNPD/MJTAB/PIA-1, Ilocos Norte)