Trash Free Oceans: Needs More Work

by Glemir Sordilla
Bacolod City

We have already learned about the importance and the impact of our oceans back in our science classes over and over again.  From the air we breathe, one of our main sources of food, and being the home of countless diverse organisms, our oceans are our lungs and heart that enables us to survive. It envelops us, may it be in everything we do or the simple fact that it is covering the Earth’s surface by 70.9%. With our oceans pulsating with life, unfortunately, it is also a target for human greed and exploitation.

International Coastal Clean-up Day was established by the Ocean Conservancy, an organization that focuses on helping and protecting the oceans from the challenges it faces every year. This worldwide movement began more than 30 years ago when two committed individuals from the volunteers of this organization, Linda Maraniss and Kathy O’Hara.  The fire from their passionate hearts spread globally where volunteers from more than 100 countries come together each year to participate in a Cleanup event held near their area.

Humanist Alliance International, HAPI, is all about defending safe and healthy living and aiming for cleaner oceans for the people and the environment is one of them. It has already been a year or two since HAPI Jr, a branch HAPI that promotes youth leadership, started one of their known event deemed “One Baybay at a Time” where they encourage the community near the coastlines together with zealous volunteers to attend to an educational talk and clean the ocean shore after.

Looking back in these events while I stare at this mountain of trash that is constantly flowing in the river behind my house is a reminder that I am not doing enough, or that we are not doing enough. Back in my childhood years, the water is clear with tremendous amounts of fishes and tadpoles swimming passing by thin stems of plants growing but now it looks dull and dead.

Our oceans are still full of our rubbish and it is about to get worse so the International Clean-up Day is not a celebration every September 19 but instead, a reminder that we are harming our environment to the point that it is deteriorating. Ocean Conservancy highlighted that this event has become the beacon of hope, leading, and inspiring action in support of our ocean.