Volunteers needed to clean PH coastline

Manila — Filipino eco-warriors are invited to take part in the International Coastal Cleanup in the Philippines on Oct. 6, according to the international environment organization Ocean Conservancy.

“We need more volunteers than ever,” David Pittenger, director of Ocean Conservancy’s Trash-Free Seas program, said in a statement coursed through the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

Nearly 600,000 people around the world picked up more than 4 million kilograms of trash along more than 30,000 kilometers of coastlines in 2011, according to the US-based Ocean Conservancy.

The volunteers also found “enough clothing (266,997 items) to outfit every audience member of the London 2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony,” and “enough light bulbs (24,384) to replace every light on the Eiffel Tower.”

In the statement, the group, along with ICC Philippines and the Philippine Coast Guard Auxiliary (PCGA), announced that the 27th annual International Coastal Cleanup will be held on Oct. 6, instead of Sept. 15, as previously scheduled.

Ocean Conservancy and ICC Philippines signed on Aug. 16 a memorandum of agreement with the PCGA as co-coordinator and organization responsible for the management of the International Coastal Cleanup in the Philippines.

The national coordinators urged volunteers around the world to pledge to “Take on the Trash” — this year’s theme.

“Those who pledge will help build the collective movement for Trash-Free Seas – both by reducing their own trash impact and helping clean up what’s already out there,” the group said.

“Trash jeopardizes the health of our oceans, our economy and people. That’s why it’s important to tackle what’s preventable,” Pittenger said.

The cleanup is part of a growing movement to tackle ocean trash at every point in the life cycle, he said. /INQUIRER