On 12th October 2019, we led our Youth March in celebration of National Marine Week! 500 learners and educators from schools all over Nelson Mandela Bay marched from Kings Beach to Happy Valley to raise awareness towards achieving Zero Plastics to the Seas of Africa and the harmful impacts of plastic pollution on our environment and oceans.
“We have less than 30 years left to make positive changes if we are to reverse the life-threatening trend of Africa becoming the most polluted continent in the world by 2050. This youth march was all about getting the youth to take charge of our future and lead the way to cleaner, plastic-pollution-free seas,” said Sharne’ Woods, Communications Manager of Sustainable Seas Trust.
The march was followed by an interactive youth-led educational session filled with detailed how-to tips; the launch of 8-year-old Jemima Reilly and 12-year-old Gabriel Reilly’s innovative pet project called Munch, and a beach clean-up to reinforce the message of taking a stand, understanding what we can do and then taking action to be part of the solution.
“We need everyone to understand how dependant we are on a healthy ocean. We need everyone to understand that we are all part of the solution to stopping plastic waste from entering the seas. We need to stop plastic waste and other waste from entering our environment- this is how we’ll work towards achieving zero plastics to the seas,” Woods said.
