On April 22, 2017, 150 school children from three primary schools in Les village, North Bali, came together to celebrate Earth Day by conducting a beach clean-up along a two km stretch of beach in front of their village. The dump truck provided by the Environmental office of Buleleng District loaded over 375 kg of rubbish, mostly plastic, collected in the morning by the children. Most of this waste appears to have been carried along the coast and onto the beaches of Les from other areas.
The day before the beach clean-up, Yayasan LINI organised some fun learning activities for the children, including painting designs on the rubbish bins, and a ‘recycled art’ competition. Over 40 villagers, including 16 children, gathered in the LINI Aquaculture and Training Centre (LATC), and had a very enjoyable day, creating, painting and talking about plastic waste and its impact on marine life.
These environmental activities during the two-day event raised awareness about the environment issues faced by the coastal communities in North Bali, such as the increasing amounts of plastic waste on the beaches, and how this can harm marine life. The children also learned what they can do to help reduce the rubbish problem around their homes, school, and in the community.
This is the first year that the LATC hosted Earth Day activities for school children in Les village to help spread awareness about marine and environmental conservation. Yayasan LINI believes that it is important to involve children in caring about their environment. Children are the future guardians of the oceans, and by nurturing their love and understanding about marine issues, this will hopefully inspire them to take action, and help to keep the oceans healthier for the future.