On Earth Day 2023, 173 Tzu Chi volunteers and members of the public gather at Pasir Ris Beach to participate in a beach clean-up.
Earth Day falls on 22 April every year. On this year’s Earth Day, 173 Tzu Chi volunteers and members of the public gathered at Pasir Ris Beach on a Saturday to participate in a beach clean-up activity.
At around 8am, the participants were seen readily dressed and equipped with the tools needed for litter picking at the carpark in front of Singapore Jing Si Hall. The event coordinator, Tzu Chi volunteer Kang Cheok Sai reminded the participants at the start of the activity.
“It will take approximately twenty minutes to walk to Pasir Ris Beach, everyone please stay safe!”
At the lead of their group leaders, the crowd makes their way joyously to the destination in an orderly manner for the beach clean-up.
At the lead of their group leaders, everyone crossed the road and made their way through a small forest joyously in an orderly manner for the beach clean-up. Upon reaching the destination, everyone immediately sprang into action and started picking up the litter strewn on the beach.
There were people camping by the beach on that day. When they saw Tzu Chi volunteer Lim Chwee Lian picking up the plastic and Styrofoam on the beach, they went up to her curiously to observe what she was doing. Lim Chwee Lian seized the opportunity to explain to them, “Despite the small physical sizes of these plastic litters, they cannot be decomposed. Once these plastic wastes drift into the ocean, they will be ingested by fish. In return, when humans consume these fishes, humans end up consuming microplastics too, ultimately affecting our health.”
After hearing Lim Chwee Lian’s explanation, the people who were camping nodded in agreement and joined her in picking up the litter.
Plastic litter cannot be decomposed no matter how small their size is, making them threatening to the marine ecosystem. Therefore, the volunteers are doing their best to pick up any such waste.
Gordon Tan, who joined his family in this beach clean-up, found small remnants of Styrofoam and plastic waste hidden among the grass patch. Despite being more challenging to pick up, Gordon Tan took great care to remove the plastic waste meticulously. He explained, “I want to reduce plastic waste too. I feel very happy after picking up these litters.”
Lee Mei Shan also brought her children to engage in this eco-friendly activity. By demonstrating a good example to her children, she hoped to be able to inspire her children to love the earth and be mindful of the importance of conserving the environment. Her two daughters corresponded, “Recycling helps to protect our environment.”
Lee Mei Shan (second from the right) and her husband brought their son Gordon Tan and her two daughters to participate in the beach clean-up. They hope to inspire their children to be environment conservationists by setting a good example for their children.
As the beach had just been recently cleaned-up, there was not much visible trash lying around. Despite so, everyone continued to comb the entire beach for litter, even in less visible areas like the space between the Geobags, to ensure that there were no more litters left.
This was the first time Chung Soon Ann, a resident, participated in the beach clean-up. He firmly believed that humans are closely connected with nature; hence it is vital to protect the environment. Chung Soon Ann had known Tzu Chi Foundation for years and has been very supportive of Tzu Chi’s effort to protect the environment and promote vegetarianism. After retiring, he makes use of his spare time to take part in activities organised by Tzu Chi to make his life more meaningful.
Chung Soon Ann picking up the litter intently. It is his first time participating in a beach clean-up.
Everyone continues to comb the entire beach for litter, even in less visible areas such as the space in between the Geobags, to ensure that there is not a single waste that is missed out.
Close to two hundred people registered to participate in this beach clean-up. Event coordinator Kang Cheok Sai was very touched by the good response to this activity. He verbalized that since COVID-19, they had not organized any large gatherings for the past three years. Surprisingly, many people turned up to support this beach clean-up activity. Their enthusiasm and determination to do their part in conserving the environment touched him deeply.
During the beach clean-up, Kang Cheok Sai met a migrant worker from India. The migrant worker was curious and asked him about what they were doing. Kang Cheok Sai then explained and shared with him about Tzu Chi Foundation and the concept of environmental protection. After hearing the sharing by Kang Cheok Sai, the migrant worker was very touched and expressed his interest in becoming a volunteer. After which, he even left his contact number so that he could be notified regarding Tzu Chi Environmental Sustainability Day activities in the future.
This further affirmed Kang Cheok Sai’s belief that volunteers should actively reach out to the public to promote environmental protection and vegetarianism. He believed that putting one’s learning into action is the greatest expression of one’s faith.
Close to two hundred people have registered for this beach clean-up, and volunteer Kang Cheok Sai (right) is very touched by the good response to this activity.
At the end of the beach clean-up activity, participants gathered beneath the massive trees to play some simple games. Strings of laughter could be heard from the participants while they were engaged in the games. These games had bonded the participants closer too. When everyone starts to actively get into the act of conserving the environment, we can create a cleaner and greener environment together.
At the end of the beach clean-up session, participants gather beneath the massive trees to play some simple games.
A group photo of the 173 volunteers and members of the public who participated in the Pasir Ris Beach clean-up activity.
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