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British Columbia: 500 Students Clean Up Beach, Pose For Aerial Photo To Launch “Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup” |
| June 9, 2004 |
Source: Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre
By Andy Torr
AquaNews Staff Writer
 | | "Clean Up Canada" was the message delivered by 500 students on a Vancouver beach, reflecting the spirit of co-operation and conservation that drives the annual Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup. Photo: Vancouver Aquarium |
More than 500 school children gathered at a Vancouver beach on Friday to officially launch the Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup (GCSC), an annual Canada-wide conservation effort presented by the TD Friends of the Environment Foundation.
To kick off registration for the 2004 GCSC, the kids collected 38 kilograms of garbage over a period of one hour. Following the cleanup, the kids gathered on the beach to make a conservation-oriented aerial art formation, which was photographed from above by helicopter.
"This aerial photo event is a great example of how easy and fun it can be to join together make a positive and impactful message regarding aquatic environments across the country," said Gavin Thompson, Director of National Operations, TD Friends of the Environment Foundation.
Thompson encouraged family members from across Canada and of all ages to get involved in cleanup events within their communities, to help make this September’s GCSC the most successful to date.
Each year, the Vancouver Aquarium organizes the Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup (GCSC) as part of a worldwide conservation effort called the International Coastal Cleanup. This year’s GCSC will see more than 25,000 volunteers clean up debris from rivers, streams, lakes, oceans and wetlands across Canada from September 11-19.
“Aquatic garbage is a serious environmental concern,” said Tara Taylor, Director of Conservation Programs at the Aquarium. “Debris compromises water quality, and threatens thousands of aquatic animals that become injured or killed each year due to ingestion, or entanglement.”
The Aquarium’s goal is that the Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup will help to change attitudes and behaviors about garbage; to make Canadians think twice before throwing a wrapper out of their car window or 'butting out' on the street.
Last year, over 20,000 volunteers cleaned up nearly 50,000 kilograms of garbage from 970 kilometers of shoreline across Canada. Cleanups took place in communities from British Columbia to Newfoundland, and as far north as the Yukon.
The Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup is a free participation event. For more information on how to get involved in the 2004 cleanup, click here.
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