ACTION groups from all around the Irish Sea coastline will join together on Earth Day later this month in a display of unity which is being co-ordinated by Manx charity Beach Buddies.
Teams of volunteers are now preparing to hold beach cleaning events on Earth Day – on Saturday April 22nd – to highlight the problem of litter in the environment which has been described as a “massive problem” in the UK.
Numerous volunteer groups are already lined up the for special event on the Cumbrian coast and it’s planned to expand the idea to cover all of the Irish Sea coastline.
Beach Buddies has launched an appeal to encourage teams of volunteers – no matter how small – to get involved, even on a very small scale.
It doesn’t matter if it’s one person or 100 – it’s all about getting out there and doing something positive for the planet,” said Beach Buddies founder Bill Dale. “There’s next to no cost involved – just get a pair of gloves and a bin bag and go to your local beach for an hour.
“This idea came about when we were in Cumbria recently and it makes good sense. I hope it will sow the seeds of hope as it did in 2006 when Beach Buddies first started cleaning Manx beaches. There’s no reason at all why similar groups can’t subsequently get started all around the Irish Sea, and even beyond.”
The Earth Day 2023 theme is ‘Invest in Our Planet’ which is designed to persuade businesses, governments and citizens around the world of the need to invest in our planet to improve our environment and give our descendants a better and safer future.
The very first Earth Day was held in 1970 in the USA when tens of thousands of people took to the streets, parks and auditoriums to demonstrate against the impacts of 150 years of industrial development which had left a growing legacy of serious human health impacts.
Groups that had been fighting individually against oil spills, polluting factories and power plants, raw sewage, toxic dumps, pesticides, motorways, the loss of wilderness and the extinction of wildlife united on Earth Day around these shared common values.
Thousands of colleges and universities also organised protests against the deterioration of the environment and there were massive coast-to-coast rallies in cities, towns, and communities.
Since then, more than 190 countries have become involved in Earth Day activities, with more than 1 billion people now annually taking part in events and peaceful gatherings around the world.
In the Isle of Man, Beach Buddies intends to run as many events on different beaches as possible on Earth Day – to run at the same time as other volunteer events around the Irish Sea. The charity now wants to hear from anyone around the Irish Sea coastline who wants to get involved in this new initiative.
Communities which have already agreed to be involved with the idea include Silecroft, St Bees, Ravenglass and Aldingham (near Barrow). Anyone with connections elsewhere around the Irish Sea please get in touch.
• Beach Buddies is sponsored by FIM Capital and receives annual funding from DEFA.
www.beachbuddies.net and social media
www.earthday.org
