Activity Background
In commemorating world environmental day, Environmental conservation community of Tanzania (ECCT-Team) managed to prepare and organize a green hangout event on 03 June 2023.
Relevant, to the theme of world environmental day. Green hangout event aimed to mobilize individuals to contribute their time, financial resources and material support. by fostering collaboration with local communities, organizations, and individuals, it seeks to create a ripple effect of positive change and inspire action at the grassroots levels. The engagement initiative specifically targets the pressing issue of plastic wastes and its harmful impact on the environment and marine life. Plastic pollution poses a significant threat to our oceans, affecting both the water and the organism within it. Studies have also highlighted the risk of human ingesting micro plastic through seafood consumption, further emphasizing the urgency to address this problem. Hence ECCT found a possible way to engage and educate is through green hangout event, with various activities such as, beach cleanup, art exhibition, recycling drive, sustainable product fair, and green talk.
OPENING REMARK: The arrival began at 06:30 am to 07:00am as participants were arriving the process of registration and kits distribution was taking place. After all the process we had to sit down for an opening remark on what are we supposed to do and explaining to the participants why beach clean-up. Our program lead had a chance for opening up by welcoming all participants and sharing the timetable of the day. And later on, the clean-up began.
Activity report
Overall participation was fairly, due to equal attendance of both male and female. out of 50 participants we had 25 male and 25 female.
Beach cleans up
After a clear brief on why are we conducting beach clean-up, what should be removed from the beach we managed to conduct a beach clean with an area of (550m length *30m width) buffer zone from the ocean 30meters.
The clean-up was finalized and a total of 103 bags were collected. by WABA (Waste Audit & Brand Audit) activity.
Average weight: 9.7kg
Total weight: 996.2kg
Sample taken: 10bags
Participants: 07
MOST TRASH ITEMS APPEARED:
Plastic bottles 349
- Foam pieces 80
- Glass bottles 57
- Food wrappers 38
MOST BRAND OBSERVED
Most brand observed were Mo extra, U fresh, Konyagi and Mo pride
Green talk
After beach clean-up and introduction of all the stakeholders which joined us, we had a chance for short panel discussion. The talk was inclusive we had four participants, William from CLIMATEHUB, Simon from ECOHUB, Pearly from GLOBAL ECOLOGY RESTORATION FOUNDATION (GERF) and Rahma from DOORS OF HOPE FOUNDATION as our panelists and we had all other participants actively participating in the discussion and our program lead from ECCT miss Neema Jarden was the discussion moderator. The green talk topic was “THE ROLE OF YOUTH IN PROMOTING SUSTAINABLE ENVIRONMENT AND ENDING PLASTIC POLUTTION”.
Arts & exhibition
This was the most entertaining part of the green hangout event, we had a surprise visit from BEN POL an artist and environmental ambassador, and he was our guest of honor upon his word the exhibition and entertainment were opened. We had exhibitors from ECO HUB with multiple products such as shorts, bonnets and office bags that have been sewed from the cloth pieces left after use. Also bottle top covered with clothes and made into table mats, and others. From CLIMATE HUB we had bamboo toothbrush. from REVIVAL RECYCLING we had tables and chairs made from plastic bottles.
Lastly, we had traditional dances (ngoma) from Makirikiri Tanzania group and Msimamo ngoma group. All these made the event attractive.
CLOSING REMARKS:
On closing remark we had group photography of all participants together with BEN POL and our Executive director (Ms.Lucky Michael) and there after MS.LUCKY MICHAEL had a word of thanks giving to all the participants that joined us, the organizations that joined us (ECO HUB, CLIMATE HUB, HUDEFO, AFRICRAFT, GERF, DOORS OF HOPE FOUNDATION, CHAMA CHA MAPINDUZI, APRICUS SAFARI TOURS & BENPOL FOUNDATION). After all these we had our refreshments and celebrations extended.
