Lance x Eco Marine back to school cleanup @ Tung Chung Bay

Our coastlines need all the help we can muster! Invite your friends and family! Your participation and helping hand will be much appreciated!

Lance, a 10-year-old student and young climate activist, has joined forces with Keilem, founder of Eco Marine to host a coastal cleanup on Saturday 28 September 2019 at Tung Chung Bay (Hau Wong Temple and Mangrove Area) in North Lantau. The Tung Chung River and Tung Chung Bay are of high ecological value. Although close to much development, the area still boasts great biodiversity and is the home to many species of wildlife including horseshoe crabs, mudskippers and egrets. At the same time, this coastal area faces huge challenges, being opposite the airport and reclamation project for the third runway as well as the recently opened HK-Macau-Zhuhai bridge. Come to learn about this precious habitat for Hong Kong wildlife and do your part to protect this valuable space.

Who can join: This will be a family-friendly event for both children and adults! The cleanup site is an easy flat 20 minute walk from the Tung Chung MTR station, participants will need to be able to walk this distance comfortably. All children under 16 should be accompanied by a responsible adult.

Date: 28 September 2019

Time: 3-6pm
3:00 pm: Meet at Tung Chung MTR Exit A. Walk from MTR will take about 20 minutes
3:30 to 4:15pm Cleanup Briefing and Mangrove Cleanup
4:15 to 4:30pm Ecological Tour of Mangrove Area
4:30 to 5:15pm Continue Cleanup
5:15 to 5:30pm Tidy up, Debriefing and Group Photos
5:30 to 6:00pm Departure/Walk back to Tung Chung MTR

What to wear: Closed-toe shoes you don’t mind getting a little muddy (no sandals or flip flops as the wetland may have sharp dangerous items including oyster shells, broken glass, medical waste), comfortable clothes, hat. Long pants are recommended if you are prone to insect bites.

What to bring: Water (minimum 1000ml in a reusable container – Bonaqua/Watsons bottles etc. don’t count as reusable). Snacks if you are the hungry type (try to minimize one use packaging). Sunscreen and insect repellent (highly recommended). Small umbrella for shade or light rain. Eco Marine will provide gloves and rubbish bags. If you have your own gloves and or other equipment, please feel free to bring. Some useful tools are tongs and gardening shears.

Not allowed: No flip flops or open sandals during cleanup. No one-time use plastic bottles or food containers/wrappers

Other information: Adverse Weather: If rainstorm warning / typhoon signal 3 or higher is posted / very heavy rain this event will be cancelled and a new meet up time advised later. Please check weather conditions and any notices posted in the morning before leaving home.

For more information about Eco Marine please see links below:
http://www.ecomarinehongkong.org
http://www.facebook.com/ecomarine.hongkong

Register: To sign up for this cleanup, please follow this link to their Facebook event page and click on GOING.

About Eco Marine: Eco Marine envisions a society where nature and modern urban life thrive.

Their mission is to inspire greater appreciation and guardianship of nature and to catalyse action for integrating this mindset into all aspects of contemporary urban life.

Our everyday choices and efforts matter.

Unlock your creativity to make a difference today.

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Tigershead Coastal Plog & Cleanup 7km – 24 Aug

Join Eco Marine ‘plogging‘ (a combination of jogging and picking up litter) on August 24th! Eco Marine Adventure Cleanup is collaborating with The Green Race and Exchange and Empower for a coastal trail cleanup ‘plog’ on the eastern shore of Silvermine Bay in Mui Wo from 2:00pm to around 5:00pm.

The event will share a start and finish in Silver Plaza, Mui Wo with the Tigershead GreenRace 16km route and ploggers and runners will be able to cheer each other on! Ploggers will jog/hike as a group or in a few groups whilst picking up rubbish on the trail/shoreline between the race start line, Silvermine Bay main beach to Man Kok. You will then turn around and head back to the start/finish area for a total distance of around 7km. Ploggers are expected to finish at around the same time as some of the 16km race participants and can share the finish area, drinks and snacks provided by The Green Race!

As an extra incentive, ploggers will receive 50% off a future race entry (discount worth ~HKD250) to one of the short course races hosted by The Green Race! The event will be raising funds for Exchange and Empower using the Bravera platform! Eco Marine strongly recommends that each participant raises a minimum of HKD200 with a goal to raise HKD8240 in total for the event. Please connect to Bravera via the link (to be provided later on their FB page) and ask your friends and family to support your plog and this fundraising effort!

Date: Saturday, 24 August 2020

Time: 1:45 – 5:30pm

Place: Silver Plaza,8 Chung Shing St, Mui Wo
https://goo.gl/maps/TWRK3HB6DZg6PKEE9

Transport: Ferry from Central Pier 6 or 3M bus from Tung Chung

What to Wear: Hiking/Sports clothes and shoes. Closed-toed shoes only. Sun hat and other sun protection like umbrella and sunscreen. Weather is expected to be hot.

What to Bring: A reusable container with at least 1 L of water and some snacks if you are the hungry type. Single-use plastic water and drink bottles like Bonaqua, Coke etc are prohibited. Try to minimize other single-use food wrapping/packaging as well. Also bring sunscreen, mosquito spray and possibly a change of clothes. Eco Marine will provide gloves and small-sized rubbish bags suitable for plogging. Feel free to bring your own gloves and tongs.

Signup: Please follow this link to their Facebook page, click GOING if you will join them. If you use Strava please also sign up at the link below (to be provided at a later date in comments on their FB page) to connect to Bravera to help raise funds for the event.

Disclaimer: By joining this event, all participants are deemed to have agreed to the terms and conditions contained in this disclaimer, and agreed to exonerate the event leaders, the organizers and any other participants in the event from any liabilities, claims, including but not limited to liabilities and claims as a result of any injuries or deaths or damages arising thereof. Volunteers joining the event are at their own choosing and at their own risk.

Full disclaimer can be found on Eco Marine’s Facebook page

About Eco Marine: Eco Marine envisions a society where nature and modern urban life thrive.
Their mission is to inspire greater appreciation and guardianship of nature and to catalyse action for integrating this mindset into all aspects of contemporary urban life.
Everyday choices and efforts matter.
Unlock your creativity to make a difference today.

Plastic Free Seas Volunteer Recruitment Days

Do you want to help save the ocean and the marine animals? Are you passionate about reducing our plastic consumption here in HK?

Plastic Free Seas is recruiting volunteers who want help lead beach cleanups and/or to get involved in their community outreach. English speaking and bilingual (English/Cantonese) volunteers are welcome. Plastic Free Seas will be conducting 2 one-day training sessions in August. The morning session will be held at their office in Sheung Wan, and after lunch you will head to a beach (location yet to be determined) for on-site training. Plastic Free Seas is looking for both adults and teenager volunteers. Minimum age is 15.

Rundown of the day:
10:30am – 12:30pm (in office training)
12:30pm – 1:00pm Lunch (Please bring your own lunch, no single-use plastic packaging please)
1:00pm – 3:30pm (Beach training)

Further information on what to wear and bring will be shared by email.

Be part of the local solution for this global problem!

Date:
Training session #1: Saturday, August 3, 2019
Training session #2: Saturday, August 10, 2019
(Both sessions will be conducted in English)

Time: 10:30am– 3:30pm

Place: 21/F Chun Wo Commercial Centre, 23-29 Wing Wo St., Sheung Wan (MTR Exit E2)

Space is limited and registration is required. To register, please contact Mimi.
Email: mimi@plasticfreeseas.org

About Plastic Free Seas: Plastic Free Seas is a Hong Kong charity dedicated to advocating change in the way we all view and use plastics in society today, through education and action campaigns.

Hoi Ha Wan Festival 13-14 Jul

Where can I find a coral reef in Hong Kong?

Hoi Ha Wan Marine Park is one of the first marine parks in Hong Kong, it has more than 60 coral and 120 fish species. On 13-14 July this year, come and explore Hong Kong’s marine life in WWF Hong Kong‘s glass-bottomed boat at the center. You can also enjoy a screening of A Plastic Ocean, a documentary about the perils of plastic in our oceans and talks from our WWF-Hong Kong experts. Come and enjoy a marine weekend with your family!

Date: 13 – 14 July,2019

Time: 10:00 am – 5:00 pm

Place: Hoi Ha Wan Marine Park, Jockey Club HSBC WWF Hong Kong Hoi Ha Marine Life Centre
For directions to get there, please follow this link

Price: $150-$180

To register please follow this link

For enquiries and for more information, please email community@wwf.org.hk or call their service hotline at 2161 9631.

About WWF: WWF is one of the world’s largest and most respected conservation organizations, with a network active in more than 100 countries. WWF is currently carrying out more than 1,300 conservation projects around the planet – from small-scale local conservation projects to large-scale species protection projects which span all continents.

Their goal is to build a future in which humans can live in harmony with nature.

Kai Tak Plog – 14 Jun

Plogging is a combination of jogging with picking up litter (Swedish: plocka upp). It started as an organised activity in Sweden around 2016 and spread to other countries in 2018, following increased concern about plastic pollution. As a workout, it provides variation in body movements by adding bending, squatting and stretching to the main action of running.

Hong Kong has a huge trash problem, that is no secret.

Whether you are traversing through a country park, relaxing at a beach or walking through the busy metropolis, it is impossible to avoid waste.

Unfortunately, a lot of rubbish gets neglected until it is too late.

Contrary to what many people may think, even waste in the city centre, through being washed into the gutter, can end up in the ocean.

Waste Free HK’s goal is to avoid this scenario as much as possible through urban cleanups, making sure to leave places spotless.

You will be plogging for approximately two hours. Meet at Kowloon Bay Sports Centre, running around 8km, followed by a short group discussion.

Reusable bags and gloves will be provided, however please feel free to bring your own.

HK Ploggers will adjust the route or the event venue according to the on-site situation and environment.

Disclaimer :
Participating in a plog, whether in the countryside or a busy urban area, could potentially lead to injury. HK Ploggers are not responsible for any injuries cause during runs, and individuals are responsible for themselves. If you have any underlying medical conditions, please make them known before the plog. You must have medical clearance from your doctor before you engage in any exercise program, and plogging is no different.

For the full disclaimer, please visit the post on EventBrite

Date: Friday, 14 June 2019

Time: 7-10pm

Place: Kowloon Bay Sports Centre

Price: Free, to register, please follow this link to EventBrite

About Waste Free HK: Waste Free HK is an organisation aiming to promote a sustainable lifestyle through education, events and campaigning.

Established in Early 2018, WFHK has begun organising various cleanup activities across Hong Kong, the first ‘Plastic Attack’ in the city with the aim of building a better relationship with major chains with the hope of stronger dialogue, as well as building a relationship with various government bodies with the goal of working together to reduce the waste issue blighting our beautiful city.

Sham Wan Underwater Survey/Cleanup 18 May

Sham Wan, Lamma Island is one of the few remaining nesting sites for Green Sea Turtles in Southern China and the only site in Hong Kong. The site is very important to the survival of this highly endangered species, hence it has been designated as a Restricted Area from June and October every year to minimize disturbance of this nesting site.

AquaMeridian is looking for experienced divers to join them for an underwater survey and possibly ghost net clean up in the area before it closes to the public.

Date: Saturday, 18 May 2019

Time: 10am-5pm

Place: Sham Wan, Lamma Island

Volunteers needed: Max. 12 divers – AquaMeridian will give priority to experienced divers who have DM license, conducted ghost net cleanups and/or underwater survey locally, photography/ videography etc. before.

Cost: The boat will be sponsored, but volunteers will need to bring their own gear and/or pay for the tank rental:
$340 – full gear + weight belt + tank
$120 – tank & weight belt only
$80 – tank only

Note : There are NO toilets/changing rooms on the boat. Please bring water, some snacks etc.

For more information, please contact Pandie (whatsapp +852 9525 9475)

About AquaMeridian: AquaMeridian Conservation and Education Foundation (AquaMeridian) is a registered Hong Kong-based non-profit organisation founded by celebrity and avid conservationist, Sharon Kwok in 2013. Sharon has worked in Hong Kong’s public broadcasting and cinematic field since 1987, and she is also a fine art major and makes use of this throughout the global Chinese Diaspora for advocacy.

AquaMeridian aims to educate and engage the public – particularly in Hong Kong – about conservation and sustainability issues through creative and cross-cultural programs.

Hong Kong, the “Fragrant Harbour”, is a city built on its relationship with the sea. Growing from a small fishing island to one of the busiest trading ports in the world, it has long been dependent on our local natural riches. But as our population and demand for resources grew, we neglected our roles as caretakers of the planet, with overfishing, ocean acidification, and pollution happening in our own waters.

Furthermore, Hong Kong acts as a hub for a thriving wildlife trade, with ivory and shark fin being bought and sold openly and legally. With Hong Kong long having been a multicultural bridge between the East and the West, as well as the gateway to China, increasing awareness of environmental issues within the city can have a far-reaching impact in the rest of Asia.

Oceans: Our Blue Challenge

Social entrepreneur STAN SHEA, wildlife warrior and Marine Director of BLOOM Association is giving an exclusive talk on his fight to protect ocean biodiversity. BLOOM fought and won major policy victories in the EU and Hong Kong. It is an example of how a small association can make a difference.

This will be a relaxed fireside chat; a 20 minutes interview followed by 40 minutes of Q&A with a small & engaged audience.

Topics that will be covered include:
• HK as a global crossroad of illegal wildlife trade
• Fighting Wildlife Crime: A first hand report
• How to change societal attitudes? Tangible steps & examples
• Insider tips on how to make real impact and be a driver of policy change

Years at the forefront of HK’s environmental movement have made Stan a renowned figure in the global fight for marine protection. An avid diver, Stan is notably an author of numerous researches on shark fin and seafood trade. He is also one of the editors of the Hong Kong Register of Marine Species.

Are you:
• A SOCIAL ENTREPRENEUR or aspiring to become one?
• CONCERNED about protecting marine ecosystems
• An ENTHUSIAST concerned about Hong Kong’s disastrous environmental record?
Then this is a talk you need to come to.

Hosted by Earth.Org at The Hive Sheung Wan.

Date: Wednesday, 22 May 2019

Time: 7:30-8:30pm

Place: The Hive Sheung Wan, 33-35 Hillier St, Sheung Wan

Price: $50, incl. one drink
To register please follow this link

About BLOOM: BLOOM is a non-profit organisation founded in 2005 that works to preserve the marine environment and species from unnecessary destruction and to increase social benefits in the fishing sector. BLOOM wages awareness and advocacy campaigns in order to accelerate the adoption of concrete solutions for the oceans, humans and the climate. BLOOM carries out scientific research projects, independent studies, and evaluations that highlight crucial and unaddressed issues such as the financing mechanisms of the fishing sector. BLOOM’s actions are meant for the general public as well as policy-makers and economic stakeholders.

About Earth.Org: Earth.Org is a global environmental non-profit raising awareness about biodiversity loss and the deteriorating conditions of natural ecosystems worldwide. It advocates for better stewardship of natural resources and campaigns for countries to adopt principles of natural capital accountancy into their economic policy decisions. Leveraging cutting-edge technology, AI, satellite images and cloud computing, Earth.Org presents accessible, synthesised and engaging content for educational, advocacy and policy purposes.