Angela Norval, Bundaberg Today
He may only be 9 years old, but Elijah Richardson wasn’t convinced by his commitment to cleaning up local beaches and waterways and protecting marine life.
Elijah and his family are proud to participate in the weekly beach cleanup, but encourage others to join the larger cleanup as well.
As a Tangaroa Blue Foundation volunteer, Elijah cleaned up the Barnet Heads Marina on Saturday, October 22nd.
The Tangaroa Blue Foundation is an Australian-wide non-profit organization dedicated to eliminating and preventing marine litter, one of the world’s major environmental problems.
Through the Reef Clean Project, which ran throughout October, the Foundation encouraged ocean lovers to participate in the Great Barrier Reef Cleanup and actively contribute to the overall health of one of the most biologically diverse environments on earth. I have called on you to get involved.
This is the fourth year that the Tangaroa Blue Foundation has coordinated Great Barrier Reef Cleanup Month and we have already seen ocean lovers throughout the GBR generously contribute 9,000 hours. Debris was cleared during the previous year’s event.
When asked if it was important for Elijah to do his part by protecting the environment and doing his own cleanup, he replied with a resounding yes.
“All wildlife depends on a clean environment,” he said.
“Marine debris and litter are dangerous for animals because they can get entangled in them, swallow them and die.
“We love our hometown because we live in a special part of the world, live near the beach and feel lucky to be able to enjoy so much time there.
“There are so many animals that live in the ocean and I love to see them when I go snorkeling or go to the beach. That is why marine life deserves to have a clean, safe and livable habitat. I understand exactly.”
Getting Elijah and his family involved in the Great Barrier Reef Cleanup at Barnet Heads Marina couldn’t be easier. Just drop off at 8am on Saturday.
“We will clear the area and collect the data into the Tangaroa Blue database.
“I am excited that some of my friends will come to this event again and we always have a lot of fun.
“We expect more people to join us in the cleanup. More people coming means more marine debris, enabling cleanups and safer marine life.” means that.”
ReefClean is funded by the Australian Government’s Reef Trust and delivered by the Tangaroa Blue Foundation in partnership with AUSMAP, Capricornia Catchments, Eco Barge Clean Seas, Reef Check Australia and South Cape York Catchments.
On November 3rd, the Tangaroa Blue Foundation will also host a beach cleanup activity for the public as part of the Mirbi Festival.
The team will lead a group to collect debris at Oaks Beach and then provide education/guidance on how to sort the debris and record the data collected in the Australian Marine Litter Initiative database.
