Living Oceans
April 2010
Banner photo: Orange Anthias and Coral, Egypt [© David Doubilet]
If You Go Down to the Beach Today
In 1992, Edo Heinrich-Sanchez cleaned up a beach in Okinawa, Japan, teaming up with fellow volunteers on the island. They used the Okinawan word for community participation, "Yuimaru," as a starting point to launch the Okinawa International Clean Beach Club (OICBC) that same year, organizing volunteer cleanups through their I Love Okinawa Campaign® and coordination of the Ryukyu ICC (International Coastal Cleanup Day) and other activities. In the first year, 70 volunteers hauled away truckloads of trash. Currently there are thousands of active volunteers in Okinawa alone, and a variety of ways to get involved in beach cleanups. In 1995, OICBC members established Okinawa O.C.E.A.N. (Ocean Culture & Environment Action Network), an NPO that runs a range of activities and awareness campaigns to address marine environmental problems. This year marks 25 years since the launch of the International Coastal Cleanup by the Ocean Conservancy, which is partnered with UNEP (the United Nations Environment Programme).
SGI Quarterly: How did O.C.E.A.N. start?
Edo Heinrich-Sanchez: When I moved to Okinawa in 1990, I used to go to a small beach in Cape Maeda close to where I was working. One day I went there to have my lunch, but someone had been there first and left their garbage on my spot. I became angry when I noticed this and, of course, I took the garbage with me. I decided to clean up a little bit more after that, and I kept noticing more and more.
I went to that beach every day for three months, and eventually I realized that I needed to partner with somebody. I met a local hamlet shop staff who said her nephew spoke English and was also trying to clean up. I immediately went to meet him. After a few meetings, and many beers, we decided to call people up. So the Okinawa International Clean Beach Club was started. We were hoping to do that just a couple of times so we would have the beach cleaned. That was almost 20 years ago.
We started discovering different layers of things that needed to be worked on--such as local awareness and coastal management. It all comes down to awareness, motivation and budget. The person who plants seeds of awareness will really affect what is happening on our islands.
We get a lot of garbage from other countries. Our trash ends up in Hawai'i! It is the whole problem of our "throwaway" society. When it comes to garbage disposal, things are still pretty prehistoric. The thinking is: "Let's dig a big hole, dump it here, and cover it up," like a cat, or "Let's just burn it." There is a huge gap between what we can do and what we are willing to do. When things are out of sight, people think it's OK, but the Pacific, for instance, has become a plastic soup, which is affecting us. How garbage and toxins are entering the food chain is just starting to become apparent.
SGIQ: Which projects that you have started have most raised awareness about the oceans?
EH-S: When we started Okinawa O.C.E.A.N., we needed to partner with government and the international community, because of the location of Okinawa. We partnered with UNESCO in 1998 during the International Year of the Ocean initiatives, creating an original Okinawa version of the "My Ocean Charter." We supported a Model United Nations pre-event with high school students cruising aboard the tall ship Kaisei (Ocean Planet), now a litter research vessel, and signed a charter with a promise to protect the oceans, which was acknowledged by Mr. and Mrs. Kofi Annan.
In 2002, we cofounded the Okinawa Clean Coast Network with the 11th Division HQ of the Japan Coast Guard and cohosted the Pacific Islands Youth Summit at Cape Maeda in 2006.
We have been tracking down the students and kids who have participated in our programs to see what impact we had. There is a pool of people who we hope will be the ones to provide the leadership to move to the next level. Our struggle continues to create a local Marine Protected Area.
SGIQ: How do people help with volunteering?
EH-S: During the year there are many opportunities to volunteer; there's Earth Day, and International Ocean Day on June 8 and the ICC from September. It has become fashionable, and people want to go out and clean. There has been a huge budget provided for Okinawa Prefecture in Japan's Green New Deal to clean up the garbage and process it. I am happy to say our organization is now serving as one of the advisers for the project.
Cape Maeda [© Cape Maeda Visitors Center]
Awareness of how we are connected by the ocean is needed. We hope to bring attention to the important aspects of biodiversity in Okinawa and the Kuroshio Current. This current brings warm tropical water into collision with the Oyashio Current, which runs north to south, and the combination of the nutrients and plankton where they meet creates a major fishing ground that is a huge protein source for Japan. Okinawa and the Ryukyu Islands are also the location of one of the most diverse coral reef systems in the world, and Okinawa is a major diving area.
SGIQ: What can ordinary people do to help keep the oceans clean?
EH-S: As a Christian and a student of martial arts, I grew up with the belief that even with a small dedicated group of people you can make a big impact. First of all, put your arms out and turn in a circle and think, "This is where I am on this planet. Let's at least try to keep the area I am living in clean." The ocean is just down the street. Even if someone is living in the middle of an island or the middle of a continent, everything is going to go into the water. If you drink water, you are connected to the ocean. We need to think about the choices we make. Take action, adopt a beach. People protect what they love. Sail, snorkel, swim!
Plastics in the ocean will break down but not decompose. Plastic is everywhere; it is useful and easy. We need to make sure our garbage is taken care of. There is the worldwide challenge of getting our oceans cleaned, and this is the duty of all of us. We need to get out there and pitch in.
Second, "geographic awareness," get to know your planet, use Google Earth. Third, support and endorse the Earth Charter (www.earthcharterinaction.org), it speaks to all of us, whatever our personal beliefs may be, it's universal.
The International Coastal Cleanup is coming up to 25 years old. People are now taking part all over the world. We need to be able to guarantee that children can grow up with clean beaches and healthy oceans. Life's a "clean" beach! And then you sail on . . .
For further information, see www.okinawaocean.org
