At the start of the month of August I was informed of this group called Atlantis. They focus on improving the situation in relation global warming by bettering the situation surrounding marine life. Many beaches and seas across the globe are in fact heavily polluted and this negatively impacts our global seas and marine life. Sri Lanka is in fact the 13th largest contributor to the existing plastic in the ocean. It really is devastating to see the state we have reached, as not only a nation but an international community. The rapid race amongst cooperations to reach the top has led to lifestyles that are heavily influenced by increased consumption. It is the basics of economics. Though our global economies might be flourishing and reaching new levels of economic growth, it has unfortunately contributed extensively to the desperate state of our planet, Mother Earth.
Earlier this week I was informed that this the non profit group, Atlantis, will be hosting their first beach clean up at one of the most polluted beaches in Colombo on Saturday, August 30th 2019 . Through the groups efforts they have started an online campaign called “be the solution to pollution.” This has reached over hundreds on social media and brought together a large crowd. It was amazing to see the turn up, as the meeting point was swarmed by keen adolescents ready to renew their beaches. The event took place on the Mt. Lavinia beach and commenced at this place called Shore by O! The enthusiasm and efforts from the teenagers really demonstrated their want to contribute towards saving our planet and our marine life.
The entire beach clean up took about 2 -3 hours. I was shocked by not only the amount of trash on the beach, but also by the amount of trash that was actually in the sea. With each wave the plastic bags, straws and bottles surfaced. I was a disconcerted by the state of our beautiful ocean. It disturbed me to know that although we were clearing the beach rapidly and leaving it spotless, by the time the tide got high, at night, all the trash from the ocean will re-pollute the beach. I was enraged by the thought of how carless cooperations and people are when it comes to waste management, as the decisions are clearly anything but ethical. These oceans do not belong to us, they are the homes to diverse range of marine life. It truly is encouraging to see people, children being proactive and attempting to slowly but surely combat this global issue.
I really enjoyed participating and encourage others to support groups like Atlantis who actively make an effort to bring people together in order to provide immediate solutions to global problems.