1,600 volunteers clear trash at East Coast Park to mark World Environment Day

Channel NewsAsia 5 Jun 17;

SINGAPORE: To mark World Environment Day on Monday (Jun 5), more than 1,600 students and staff members from Temasek Polytechnic, together with Mediacorp staff volunteers, teamed up to clean 6km of the East Coast Park beach on May 24.

This was the largest beach cleanup organised by Mediacorp. Cigarette butts, food wrappers, plastic bottles and Styrofoam containers were some of the marine litter collected.

The effort is part of Mediacorp’s Saving Gaia green initiative, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. The media company first launched its month-long green campaign across its television, news, radio and print platforms in 2007 to spread its message on the importance of protecting the environment.

Mediacorp undertook its first beach cleanup in 2013. Through staff volunteerism and partnership with institutions such as Temasek Polytechnic, more organisations, institutions and the public have since stepped forward to do their part for the environment.

“Besides making the beaches dirty, litter such as plastics, metal or glass that travels to the seas can suffocate marine life. I urge more families to pick up their own litter after family outings or picnics at the beaches,” said Mr Anandh Gadhadharan, a first-year student at Temasek Polytechnic who took part in this year’s cleanup.

Logos of Mediacorp’s key platforms including television channels, websites and social media sites will adopt a green hue – symbolising the environment – for 24 hours on Monday in celebration of World Environment Day.
Source: CNA/cy