Aegina Clean Beach Initiative
Group Members: Jesse Allard, Kevin Daroga, Ryan Fitzgerald, Jeremy Keel, Lucas Phillips
Instructor: Dr. Sean Terry
Instructor: Dr. Sean Terry
Introduction:
Within the Saronic Gulf is the beautiful island of Aegina located near Athens, Greece. The island itself is known for its beaches and its rich history. In addition to tourism, fishing is a large industry of Aegina. A survey of tourists and fishermen today indicates that both groups are concerned about plastic waste on beaches and in the water. The community has a strong connection to the local ecology, specifically the surrounding waters. As litter and debris become more prevalent on beaches around the world, it can cause potential issues. Clean Beach Initiatives are constructed with the hope of eliminating these problems. By looking at other successful programs and the unique needs of Aegina, it is hoped that a Clean Beach Initiative can be designed to benefit this vibrant community.
Need:
A survey done in Wales, UK is consistent with the common idea that littered beaches are viewed negatively by the public. It is pretty easy to understand, actually: tourists do not want to lie on a beach surrounded by garbage. For most beach communities, tourism is a main source of income. As cited by Tudor and Williams, researchers from Wales, "Because tourism is closely tied to the quality of beaches, if follows that beach quality is important to a local tourist economy" (Tudor and William 2014). With chat rooms and sites like Trip Advisor, travelers know the most desirable spots before even stepping foot in the town. Some scientists assert that the strongest impact from visible beach pollution is not on organisms but on the economic tourist industry (Tudor and Williams 2014).
Also, the rubbish on the beach may wash into the ocean and affect the local ecology of the ocean. If people are leaving plastic bottles and bags on the beach, the wind has the potential pick them up and deposit them into the water. One impact is entanglement where fish and turtles my get caught in the plastic causing serious injury or death (Brander, et al. 2011). Another important concern for trash in the water is the chemicals released during the breakdown of the plastics, chemicals that alter the hormone levels of the surrounding marine life. They cause male fish to develop ovaries, and some chemicals are known to be carcinogens (Brander, et al. 2011). Furthermore, if there is trash left on the beach, local animals may wander in and ingest some of the smaller pieces. According to the Humane Society, some 14,000 animals are treated annually for litter-related injuries (Johnson 2009). These non-food items pose a serious health risk for the animals.
With potential damages both to the economy through tourism and the environment through waste, it appears that there is an important need for cleaner beaches. Tourists will not appreciate or visit a beach that is littered with trash and debris. In turn, this can cause a decrease in tourist activity in that area. Furthermore, the litter can cause a variety of health risks for the local animals. The plastic materials will eventually break down in the water and affect the animals on a chemical level. Similarly, the animals may ingest the litter or become entangled within it. For these reasons, it is imperative to help keep beaches clean.
Examples Of Success:
Clean beach programs provide a multitude of positive effects for the environment; however, these effects are not possible if the program is not successful. The success of a program like this depends on several things, first is the establishment of awareness within the community. If the people are not aware of the importance of clean beaches or do not have the motivation to participate, nothing can be done; therefore, a comprehensive plan must be in place in order to ensure that the community has the knowledge that clean beaches are important for them. This leads to the second thing that the program needs, which is volunteers. One person cannot do the cleaning alone. The third is that an organization will need supplies and sponsors in order to ensure that they have the proper materials to do the clean up.
These factors were used to establish multiple Clean Beach Initiatives. An example of a successful program would be the California Coastal Cleanup Day that is organized through the Ocean Conservancy as part of International Coastal Cleanup. According to their data, in 2012 they had over 65,000 volunteers, which included many individuals as well as organizations, which cleaned up almost 800,000 pounds of waste from California coastal waters (California Coastal Commission, 2013). Another event done as part of the International Coastal Cleanup that shows a large amount of success is Beachwatch in the United Kingdom. An event held in 2011 known as Beachwatch Big Weekend consisted of over 4,000 volunteers removing almost 250,000 litter items for UK beaches (Marine Conservation Society, 2012). In general, through clean beach programs like this one, litter levels along the beaches in the United Kingdom have dropped 25% since 2008.
The success of a clean beach or a Clean Beaches Initiative can only be possible through community awareness that every beach affects the local population both personally as well as economically through tourism. Along with this awareness, success comes from several other factors: volunteers, knowledge, supplies, and sponsors. Once all of this is established, one can successfully take on the important role of cleaning.
Goals of the Aegina Clean Beaches Initiative:
· Reduce accumulation of trash on the beaches
o Pick up trash along the coast on a regular basis
· Promote environmental education in schools
o Invest knowledge in the youth so they can see the impacts at a young age
· Increase community awareness of the needs for clean beaches
o Teach the community so that they understand the importance
· Improve the tourist impression of Aegina
o Provide a better experience for visiting tourists
· Protect the local environment and wildlife
o Keep the native area and species safe through cleaning
Benefits:
· Protecting coastal ecology
o Without debris in the water, it helps prevent animals from consuming plastics or waste
· Attracting more tourists
o With a less littered beach, many tourists will have a better experience which may cause them to come back again
· Benefiting the local economy
o Through increased tourism due to clean beaches, it can cause an increase in money entering the town.
Long term Sustainability:
The long-term sustainability for the Clean Beach Initiative will be determined by the support that it can receive from the citizens and businesses on Aegina. From a business standpoint, the image that will come from sponsoring a project like this is positive. It is not only a great promotional tool but can be an easy way for the financial support of the project to last year after year with the sponsorship of businesses and with grant income. The idea of the Clean Beach Initiative has received support from the local community members. They seem to not only like the idea but also believe that it is necessary for Aegina to remain as phenomenal of a community and location as it already is. With this support, it will be possible to ensure that the work continues to be done into the future.
The second major target for this will be the schools on Aegina. The idea behind getting the schools involved is for them to implement the initiative into their curriculum and make it into a learning experience as well as a way to benefit the community that they live in. The students will be able to participate in something that they will not only get to see the physical benefits from, but also experience the pride that comes from knowing they are doing something meaningful. Dimitris Valomenos, the principal of a local middle school, believes this program would fit into the curriculum in the areas of physics and science.
The idea being promoted is that each local business or community organization can choose a beach and sponsor a beach cleanup at a specific time increment each year. They will be able to financially sponsor the events with the supplies, fliers, and support as well as be able to advertise that they sponsor an area beach. This same idea is beneficial for the schools to be involved, having the Initiative built into the curriculum allows the teachers to better motivate students and keep the beach clean year after year. Another benefit of the schools’ involvement is that they have the funding to provide the necessary supplies for their own beaches, according to Valomenos. The students may desire to stay involved after they see the positive results of these activities. The prospects of long-term sustainability with the Clean Beach Initiative seem to be possible through the desire of the community to make a difference. With such a drive to ensure that their community becomes healthier, the local residents seem to be the biggest help in the creation of long-term sustainability.
Conclusion:
The benefits and need for a Clean Beach Initiative can be easily seen on Aegina. The community has a reason to focus on the waters surrounding the island and an initiative such as this would have positive feedback. The successes of similar initiatives around the world provide evidence that this program can succeed. Once goals are established and implemented, a Clean Beach Initiative has the potential to produce visible benefits. These benefits will be seen within the local economy, surrounding ecology, and tourist industry. With a community like that of Aegina, long-term sustainability is not an option, it is an imminent need. The Clean Beach Initiative can help to fulfill this need.
Works Cited:
“Beach Cleanups & Campaigns.” UNEP. ENUP, n.d. Web. 08 June 2014.
Brander, Susanne M., Fontana, Rachel E., Mata, Tawny M., Gravem, Sarah A., Annaliese Hettinger, Bean, Jessica R., Szoboszlai, Amber I., Keiper, Carol A., and Marrero, Meghan E. “The Ecotoxicology of Plastic Marine Debris.” The American Biology Teacher 73.8 (2011): 474-78. Web. 08 June 2014.
“California Coastal Commission, Public Education Program.” California Coastal Commission, Public Education Program. State of California, 2013. Web. 08 June 2014.
Fanshawe, Sam. “Annual Review 2012.” Marine Conservation Society (2012): n. pag. Web. 08 June 2014.
Johnson, Ruthanne. “The Deadly Truth About Trash.” All Animals magazine. The Humane Society of the United States, July 2009. Web. 05 June 2014.
Khairunnisa, A. K., Fauziah, S. H., and Agamuthu, P. “Marine Debris Composition and Abundance: A Case Study of Selected Beaches in Port Dickinson, Malaysia.” Taylor & Francis (2012): 279-86. Web. 08 June 2014.
“Marine Conservation Society.” What We Do. Marine Conservation Society, n.d. Web. 08 June 2014.
Tudor, D. T., and Williams, A. T. “A Rationale for Beach Selection by the Public on the Coast of Wales, UK.” Area 38.2 (2006): 153-64. Web. 06 June 2014.
Within the Saronic Gulf is the beautiful island of Aegina located near Athens, Greece. The island itself is known for its beaches and its rich history. In addition to tourism, fishing is a large industry of Aegina. A survey of tourists and fishermen today indicates that both groups are concerned about plastic waste on beaches and in the water. The community has a strong connection to the local ecology, specifically the surrounding waters. As litter and debris become more prevalent on beaches around the world, it can cause potential issues. Clean Beach Initiatives are constructed with the hope of eliminating these problems. By looking at other successful programs and the unique needs of Aegina, it is hoped that a Clean Beach Initiative can be designed to benefit this vibrant community.
Need:
A survey done in Wales, UK is consistent with the common idea that littered beaches are viewed negatively by the public. It is pretty easy to understand, actually: tourists do not want to lie on a beach surrounded by garbage. For most beach communities, tourism is a main source of income. As cited by Tudor and Williams, researchers from Wales, "Because tourism is closely tied to the quality of beaches, if follows that beach quality is important to a local tourist economy" (Tudor and William 2014). With chat rooms and sites like Trip Advisor, travelers know the most desirable spots before even stepping foot in the town. Some scientists assert that the strongest impact from visible beach pollution is not on organisms but on the economic tourist industry (Tudor and Williams 2014).
Also, the rubbish on the beach may wash into the ocean and affect the local ecology of the ocean. If people are leaving plastic bottles and bags on the beach, the wind has the potential pick them up and deposit them into the water. One impact is entanglement where fish and turtles my get caught in the plastic causing serious injury or death (Brander, et al. 2011). Another important concern for trash in the water is the chemicals released during the breakdown of the plastics, chemicals that alter the hormone levels of the surrounding marine life. They cause male fish to develop ovaries, and some chemicals are known to be carcinogens (Brander, et al. 2011). Furthermore, if there is trash left on the beach, local animals may wander in and ingest some of the smaller pieces. According to the Humane Society, some 14,000 animals are treated annually for litter-related injuries (Johnson 2009). These non-food items pose a serious health risk for the animals.
With potential damages both to the economy through tourism and the environment through waste, it appears that there is an important need for cleaner beaches. Tourists will not appreciate or visit a beach that is littered with trash and debris. In turn, this can cause a decrease in tourist activity in that area. Furthermore, the litter can cause a variety of health risks for the local animals. The plastic materials will eventually break down in the water and affect the animals on a chemical level. Similarly, the animals may ingest the litter or become entangled within it. For these reasons, it is imperative to help keep beaches clean.
Examples Of Success:
Clean beach programs provide a multitude of positive effects for the environment; however, these effects are not possible if the program is not successful. The success of a program like this depends on several things, first is the establishment of awareness within the community. If the people are not aware of the importance of clean beaches or do not have the motivation to participate, nothing can be done; therefore, a comprehensive plan must be in place in order to ensure that the community has the knowledge that clean beaches are important for them. This leads to the second thing that the program needs, which is volunteers. One person cannot do the cleaning alone. The third is that an organization will need supplies and sponsors in order to ensure that they have the proper materials to do the clean up.
These factors were used to establish multiple Clean Beach Initiatives. An example of a successful program would be the California Coastal Cleanup Day that is organized through the Ocean Conservancy as part of International Coastal Cleanup. According to their data, in 2012 they had over 65,000 volunteers, which included many individuals as well as organizations, which cleaned up almost 800,000 pounds of waste from California coastal waters (California Coastal Commission, 2013). Another event done as part of the International Coastal Cleanup that shows a large amount of success is Beachwatch in the United Kingdom. An event held in 2011 known as Beachwatch Big Weekend consisted of over 4,000 volunteers removing almost 250,000 litter items for UK beaches (Marine Conservation Society, 2012). In general, through clean beach programs like this one, litter levels along the beaches in the United Kingdom have dropped 25% since 2008.
The success of a clean beach or a Clean Beaches Initiative can only be possible through community awareness that every beach affects the local population both personally as well as economically through tourism. Along with this awareness, success comes from several other factors: volunteers, knowledge, supplies, and sponsors. Once all of this is established, one can successfully take on the important role of cleaning.
Goals of the Aegina Clean Beaches Initiative:
· Reduce accumulation of trash on the beaches
o Pick up trash along the coast on a regular basis
· Promote environmental education in schools
o Invest knowledge in the youth so they can see the impacts at a young age
· Increase community awareness of the needs for clean beaches
o Teach the community so that they understand the importance
· Improve the tourist impression of Aegina
o Provide a better experience for visiting tourists
· Protect the local environment and wildlife
o Keep the native area and species safe through cleaning
Benefits:
· Protecting coastal ecology
o Without debris in the water, it helps prevent animals from consuming plastics or waste
· Attracting more tourists
o With a less littered beach, many tourists will have a better experience which may cause them to come back again
· Benefiting the local economy
o Through increased tourism due to clean beaches, it can cause an increase in money entering the town.
Long term Sustainability:
The long-term sustainability for the Clean Beach Initiative will be determined by the support that it can receive from the citizens and businesses on Aegina. From a business standpoint, the image that will come from sponsoring a project like this is positive. It is not only a great promotional tool but can be an easy way for the financial support of the project to last year after year with the sponsorship of businesses and with grant income. The idea of the Clean Beach Initiative has received support from the local community members. They seem to not only like the idea but also believe that it is necessary for Aegina to remain as phenomenal of a community and location as it already is. With this support, it will be possible to ensure that the work continues to be done into the future.
The second major target for this will be the schools on Aegina. The idea behind getting the schools involved is for them to implement the initiative into their curriculum and make it into a learning experience as well as a way to benefit the community that they live in. The students will be able to participate in something that they will not only get to see the physical benefits from, but also experience the pride that comes from knowing they are doing something meaningful. Dimitris Valomenos, the principal of a local middle school, believes this program would fit into the curriculum in the areas of physics and science.
The idea being promoted is that each local business or community organization can choose a beach and sponsor a beach cleanup at a specific time increment each year. They will be able to financially sponsor the events with the supplies, fliers, and support as well as be able to advertise that they sponsor an area beach. This same idea is beneficial for the schools to be involved, having the Initiative built into the curriculum allows the teachers to better motivate students and keep the beach clean year after year. Another benefit of the schools’ involvement is that they have the funding to provide the necessary supplies for their own beaches, according to Valomenos. The students may desire to stay involved after they see the positive results of these activities. The prospects of long-term sustainability with the Clean Beach Initiative seem to be possible through the desire of the community to make a difference. With such a drive to ensure that their community becomes healthier, the local residents seem to be the biggest help in the creation of long-term sustainability.
Conclusion:
The benefits and need for a Clean Beach Initiative can be easily seen on Aegina. The community has a reason to focus on the waters surrounding the island and an initiative such as this would have positive feedback. The successes of similar initiatives around the world provide evidence that this program can succeed. Once goals are established and implemented, a Clean Beach Initiative has the potential to produce visible benefits. These benefits will be seen within the local economy, surrounding ecology, and tourist industry. With a community like that of Aegina, long-term sustainability is not an option, it is an imminent need. The Clean Beach Initiative can help to fulfill this need.
Works Cited:
“Beach Cleanups & Campaigns.” UNEP. ENUP, n.d. Web. 08 June 2014.
Brander, Susanne M., Fontana, Rachel E., Mata, Tawny M., Gravem, Sarah A., Annaliese Hettinger, Bean, Jessica R., Szoboszlai, Amber I., Keiper, Carol A., and Marrero, Meghan E. “The Ecotoxicology of Plastic Marine Debris.” The American Biology Teacher 73.8 (2011): 474-78. Web. 08 June 2014.
“California Coastal Commission, Public Education Program.” California Coastal Commission, Public Education Program. State of California, 2013. Web. 08 June 2014.
Fanshawe, Sam. “Annual Review 2012.” Marine Conservation Society (2012): n. pag. Web. 08 June 2014.
Johnson, Ruthanne. “The Deadly Truth About Trash.” All Animals magazine. The Humane Society of the United States, July 2009. Web. 05 June 2014.
Khairunnisa, A. K., Fauziah, S. H., and Agamuthu, P. “Marine Debris Composition and Abundance: A Case Study of Selected Beaches in Port Dickinson, Malaysia.” Taylor & Francis (2012): 279-86. Web. 08 June 2014.
“Marine Conservation Society.” What We Do. Marine Conservation Society, n.d. Web. 08 June 2014.
Tudor, D. T., and Williams, A. T. “A Rationale for Beach Selection by the Public on the Coast of Wales, UK.” Area 38.2 (2006): 153-64. Web. 06 June 2014.