※ This script is provided by Yoshiko Ohkura who presented the same titled topic on behalf of JEAN in the 'NOWPAP marine litter workshop and ICC campaign in Hirado, Japan, March 26-28, 2010'.
20 Years of Carrying out International Coastal Cleanup in Japan
Introduction
Although most of the Northwestern Pacific Action Plan (NOWPAP) country participants already know about what is International Coastal Cleanup (ICC), there is a need to briefly explain it because it is a quite new activity for people in Hirado City, as there are no individuals or groups have participated in it by this time. By knowing the objectives and method of ICC, a clean-up activity that also involves survey on marine litter, JEAN anticipates that any individual and group in this city will join the action from this year.
What is ICC?
International Coastal Cleanup is originally started at a beach in Texas in 1986, when one of the member of Ocean Conservancy concerned about the situation of trash on the beach. In 1989 the neighboring countries, namely Canada and Mexico joined and it became the “International Coastal Cleanup”. In Japan in 1990, JEAN participated as one of five countries and became the “National Coordinator” of ICC in Japan. In that year, total 800 volunteers participated in the 80 cleanup sites. The site numbers have grown to around 200 with around 20,000 participants in the recent few years.
Aims and the Goal of ICC
The essential aim of the ICC activity is to build awareness in the society and make people understand the seriousness of the marine litter problem by having citizen volunteers participating in the cleanup and the trash survey. By being involved in the survey, especially, people first-handedly see the state of the problem and understand the marine litter is not just the products of beach-gores or fishing industry, but very closely related to our every day life activities. Therefore, the experience of ICC makes them think about why such and so many trash items of common use in our living are on beaches, then to actively involve in the action to reduce them.
All the materials found in the marine litter, plastic is especially problematic. It has been used because of its characteristics – light, durable and stable. On the other hand, the characteristics themselves are the cause of the problem; for its lightness, plastic trash can be blown away by wind and carried away by water easily; although plastic is durable compared to easily breakable glass, they will break down in a short period by strong sunlight and become small pieces, which makes us hard to collect; and even it broke down into pieces, it stays as plastic for a long time for its physical stability. Plastic is also known as the harmful chemical carrier. It is necessary to reduce marine litter, especially plastic trash.
Control and prevention are the important measures which ICC is appealing. By only carrying out the cleanup activity every now and then cannot solve the marine litter problem fundamentally. The trash continues to flow out to the ocean unless we rigidly control the production of trash in our society.
Prevention and control of marine litter also lead to conserve and maintain clean and healthy marine environment. Our Earth environment is not just for human beings but we share the environment with other creatures. ICC enables people to understand that controlling marine pollution leads to prevent threats to wildlife.
ICC is not just cleanup and enjoy the clean beach for the time being as a quick fix
International Coastal Cleanup not only cleans up coastal, water shores or underwater, but also carries out a survey on marine litter during the months of September and October. Many ICC events around the world are held on the third Saturday of September as Ocean Conservancy decided the day in the Coastal Week in the US.
ICC is a global and simultaneous campaign and the survey data gathered is therefore compatible to get the international results of the trash survey.
Characteristics of ICC
International Coastal Cleanup is held around the world, thus international; is simultaneously held on the third Saturday in September (can choose any day during the months of September and October); and investigating on the same trash items globally. As the data are compatible, we can compare the results of different countries. So far, over 100 countries and areas have participated.
ICC events are conducted mainly at water shores and underwater as well. It examines trash composition in order to know what are there and their quantity.
Figure 1. Countries and regions participated in 2008 ICC (Ocean Conservancy, 2009)
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ICC helps raising people’s awareness and concern as a part of environmental education. It is easy and first-hand action even small children can participate. The participation in the campaign means the immediate action for environmental conservation and the public can learn the state of marine litter and its cause from the survey. It is a tool for solving the problem of marine litter because it gives participants a chance to think about solution for the problem, and it can be a basis to propose solution measures to relevant bodies by indicating the compiled and stored data.
How to, why and in what way to Conduct the Trash Survey
The ICC trash survey by Japan Environmental Action Network (JEAN) is conducted in the following manner:
■ Collect trash on the beach, count and record number of the items on “Data Card”
■ JEAN adds trash items which constitutes characteristic features of Japanese marine debris
▷ Looking into materials by counting small pieces
▷ In order to make participants understand the trash travels over the sea and reaches to other
countries’ shores away from Japan, we counts foreign trash which might be drifted from
overseas countries
■ Decide the method of the survey according to topography, amount of trash, expected
participants number and duration planned
Figure 2. Data Card used in the ICC in Japan by JEAN (upper) and Original Data Card by Ocean Conservancy (lower)
Standardized Data Card
JEAN adds some original trash item particular to Japan to investigate in the data card used, but will be converted to ICC Data Card at the time of report to Ocean Conservancy.
Role of JEAN as the ICC coordinator in Japan
JEAN carries out ICC in Japan as the national coordinator since 1990 and has been taking a role of coordinating and networking local site captains who operate ICC in their local areas, compiling data gathered, publishing the results and distributing the annual report on campaigns in each year, and report Japan’s results to Ocean Conservancy. Primary roles of JEAN regarding ICC are as follows:
■ Carrying out the International Coastal Cleanup Campaign
▷ ICC Campaign notice
▷ Providing necessary materials (“Captain Manual”, Data Card, Poster, etc.)
▷ Listing Cleanup Sites by paper and on the homepage
▷ Data collection of marine debris and storing the data
▷ Reporting Japanese ICC results to Ocean Conservancy
▷ Disclosure of information and reporting annual activities (“Cleanup Campaign Report” and
JEAN Home Page)
■ Providing Know-how and support in various ways to “Site Captains (cleanup site organizers)”
■ Providing information, building up networks among various social sectors and approaching
relevant government offices and business/industrial sectors to solve the problem of marine litter
■ Carry out educational activities and corresponding to various inquiries
As well as those local cleanup site captains through out Japan, JEAN actively exchanges information and is working together with other ICC coordinators by means of having collaborating researches, introducing their activities to Japanese volunteers through our newsletter and the annual report, participating forums and workshops, etc. We also provide know-how of ICC to international organizations like NOWPAP as in this case.
Since JEAN consider cooperative partnerships with ICC coordinators in the neighboring countries are important and vital, we have been corresponding closely with ICC coordinators in Asia (Republic of Korea and Thailand) and the North Pacific rim (Philippines and Hawaii).
Addressing the problem of Marine Litter for 20 years – the Outcome
Surely the expansion and growth of ICC in Japan shows large development in these 20 years. Outcomes of the development have been, we believe, the increased awareness of seriousness of the issue in our society; changes of the government offices in some policies and actions--for example, model surveys of marine litter for national reduction policy, priority coasts cleanup program for measures for marine litter and the enactment of the “Law for the Promotion of Marine Litter Disposal”; and the growing tendency of international cooperation, including the rise in the level of recognition for the ICC activity and knowledge and information that JEAN possesses.
Principals for Solving Marine Litter Problem
From our experience through ICC activity, reduction and prevention of marine litter, which are the aims and objectives of ICC, can be realized by getting attention, concern and action from a large number of people, with analysis and accumulation of data collected through ICC trash survey. Then, with a greater number of people who got to know the state of present marine litter problem supported by the survey results, the trend in our society can be altered for its ways in dealing with plastics. In order to reduce marine litter dramatically, so that it will not give negative effect to marine environment, we need a careful planning on producing plastic commodity. When the public preferred to chose natural or biodegradable materials over petroleum made plastic commodity, it will be the first and important step toward marine litter free society. Once such a preference is made, people will purchase and use less plastic items and be careful when they dispose of such commodity.
Alter Our Society
To solve environmental problems, such as the marine litter problem, most of us know it is important and try aiming at such concepts: “Think globally and act locally”, “International cooperation” and “Cooperation and partnership among citizens, business sectors and governmental bodies". It seems, however, we are still struggling to reach the solution, even though it seems that we have successfully reached those levels of concepts. Despite of our effort to consider global matters by acting locally, developing international cooperation or building cooperative partnership amongst diverse social sectors, the fact is that we have not yet changed our preference and behavior to reduce the use of plastics.
'Alter our society and our behavior' truly means:
- To plan and make things that do not affect natural environment, i.e. not threaten wildlife and human life
- To try using such things longer and with care
- To avoid disposable goods
- Ultimately, not to use plastic or any other substances that last too long or damage the Earth environment
Prescription for such a society
For the marine litter free environment and the society that cares for environment, the following prescription should be subscribed and put into practice:
■ Citizens
▷ make effort not to use goods made of materials that harm natural environment, including our
life
▷ acquire knowledge and power to convey the message (results from ICC)
■ Governmental bodies
▷ make policy that decides not to use plastics
▷ information gathering, disclosure and a practical application of it
◆ Partnership with NPOs/NGOs and use of their know-how (with a consideration for the
cost value)
■ Business and industrial sectors
▷ production of goods with consideration with circulation of resources
◆ Strive for a shift from plastic to reusable and bio-gradable materials
▷ change in packaging and its material
▷ from recycle to reuse
The problem of marine litter, especially trash of commodity made of plastics, is as serious and important as issues of “global climate change” and “bio-diversity”. If we hoped to pass on trash free beaches and clean, healthy and affluent marine environment for future generation, we seriously consider the above prescription putting into practice.
ⓒ Yoshiko Ohkura/JEAN
International Liaison and Information Manager
Japan Environmental Action Network (JEAN)
HP URL <http://www.jean.jp/>
Email cleanup@jean.jp
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