International Coastal Cleanup | 2015 | St. Martin’s Island

Coca-Cola and 400 volunteers help clean up St Martin’s seashore

As part of a global partnership, Coca-Cola goes in partnership with Ocean Conservancy to work towards the issue of cleaning up the ocean and its waterways, which are facing huge pollution problems caused by trash. This partnership is an effort to not only work towards sustainable cleanliness of waterways, but also to drive action and foster innovation to understand the causes of marine debris and working to eliminate ocean trash.

Cleanup volunteers and organizers had lunch together with local school children.
Photo © Mustafiz Mamun

To pursue the efforts of cleaner waterways and oceans in Bangladesh, Coca-Cola has teamed up with Kewkradong Bangladesh, which is the country coordinator for International Coastal Cleanup and Ocean Conservancy USA. Together, both organisations have dedicated a day of cleaning and caring during the 29th annual International Coastal Cleanup®. This is the 5th year of collaboration and the volunteers drawn from both organisations have worked in November at St Martin Island, Bangaldesh’s only coral island, to help clean up the environment.

International Coastal Cleanup is the world’s largest volunteer effort, attracting hundreds of thousands of participants to collect millions of pounds of trash and debris from beaches, lakes and waterways. In the last four years in Bangladesh, 2000 volunteers through the Coca-Coca Bangladesh and Kewradong Bangladesh partnership collected nearly 4000 kilograms of marine debris.

This year Coca-Cola Bangladesh and Kewradong Bangladesh aimed for a person-to-person advocacy

Volunteers at the beach on the cleanup day.
Photo © Mustafiz Mamun

strategy with an attempt to reach 6000 tourists and locals. The volunteers included not only travelling volunteers but also local inhabitants along with personnel from local government, members of union parishad including Abdur Rab, Abdur Rahman, Abdul Huq, Hafeza Khatun, Halima Khatun and 286 students from three local schools- BN Islamic School, Jinjira Shorkari Prathomik Biddaloy, Creed Prathomik Biddaloy. Among the volunteers, there were also 105 students and professionals from various reputed universities and organisations. Since the land-based debris is the prime reason for polluting water and marine environment, this program aimed to advocate for the behavioral change of the dwellers, school students and tourists of St Martins. Volunteers who have joined this cleanup initiative at St Martin are expected to play a key role in spreading the message of how to reduce pollution among peers and other networks.

This year the ICC at St. Martin Campaign launched a pilot program to find sustainable solutions for the collected debris. 150 trash bins were distributed among local shop owners and hotels engaging the local government body of St. Martin.
Photo © Mustafiz Mamun

Coca-Cola has also launched a pilot program this year to find sustainable solutions for the collected debris. As a part of this initiative, more than 150 trash bins have been placed by local government which were provided by Coca-Cola Bangladesh and the collected debris were dumped in special dumping locations.

While focusing on the commitment of Coca-Cola for a cleaner environment and the significance of choosing St Martin Island for the activity, Shadab Khan, managing director of Coca-Cola Bangladesh said, “St Martin is a unique coral beauty of the country and as such, attracts a huge number of local and foreign tourists which makes it difficult to keep the ecological balance intact. This year, we are back with the coastal cleanup initiative, and we have banded together tourists, locals and school students in a drive to educate the tourists and locals alike. By participating in the cleanup action, along with the partner Kewkradong Bangladesh, Coca-Cola Bangladesh is reaffirming its commitment to a greener, cleaner and sustainable environment.”

https://www.dhakatribune.com/uncategorized/2015/11/17/coca-cola-and-400-volunteers-help-clean-up-st-martins-seashore
Published at 11:34 am November 17th, 2015