Pick Up 8! Micro Plastics Campaign
The Pick up 8! Micro Plastics Campaign is kindly funded by Sea-changers.org, the Marine Conservation Charity, and was selected as part of their Innovations Fund 2022.
The campaign is designed to raise awareness of microplastics in the oceans, and to provide a solution and encouragement to aid the mass removal of microplastics from beaches and watercourses across the globe by harnessing People Power to Help the Sea Heal.
HOW?
Microplastics are any type of plastic smaller than your hand, including tiny pellets of plastics called nurdles and biobeads, which can be ingested by Sea Beings as it fragments. There is no mechanical mechanism to remove microplastics from the oceans. BUT as people, we tend to spot things and are quite good, generally, at tidying up!
So if you happen to spot any microplastics on the way back from your beach, Pick Up 8! Micro Plastics and Pop It In The Bin! If you don’t live near a beach then Pick Up 8! at ANY type of water environment, as all water ends up in the sea, so stopping microplastics entering the sea in the first place is direct action that you can take part in instantly.
WHY ONLY 8, WHY NOT 10, 50, 100?
Beach Clean Groups clear up the larger debris really effectively, but the microplastics are proving harder to spot and remove. Unfortunately there is currently so much microplastic, that not one person, or organisation or even an entire country can remove it all…you would be there for a life time.
So the limit is 8 pieces, no bigger than your hand, EVERY time you return from your waterside visit. This is a lifelong commitment but it is time limited and means you can regularly and instantly remove microplastics to help stop it entering the ocean. Due to this limit, means that you and your companions or family can still enjoy your trip to your local water side. Together, Individual Action creates People Power creates Change
8 is a Sea Number: 8 legs on the Octopus and Crab
Children love octopus and crab, so the sea number appeals to their sense of fun, and is easy to remember. Equally, why not 10, 50, 100…where do you stop?
The Rules of Pick Up 8 are:
A Maximum of 8 Microplastics can be picked up EACH,
EVERY time you go to the beach
BUT ONLY on the way BACK from your beach day or walk!
Parents are reporting that whilst children are very keen to ‘pick up plastic’, sometimes it’s the only thing they want to do whilst at the beach, due to the amount they spot. People have mentioned that they have become overwhelmed with the enormity of the problem and feel powerless to make a difference; their enjoyment of the sea has been affected as a result.
So, with Pick Up 8! every member of the group can take part, for a short dedicated period of time, leaving you to enjoy your time at the beach. Whilst 8 pieces of microplastic may not seem much, together we will sort this problem, and help rid the seas of microplastics.
For example: a family of 4 instantly removes 32 pieces from the beach, just as they leave the beach, river, canal, stream or any type of water course.
Remember the maximum is 8 and every time you pop to the beach. If you only happen to spot 2 pieces, just pick up 2 and pop it in the bin. The idea is to make it part of your everyday routine, but not to go out of your way, as there is so much microplastic that it would be impossible to clear on your own.
However, Together We Can!
If you are a Beach Clean Community and would like to use the Pick Up 8! messageadd your logo to the Pick Up 8! T-shirt, just send your logo and request first (do not order via website) via email to blueseasprotection@gmail.com so that we can arrange this for you direct. Standard cost per T-shirt applies plus p+p, as detailed on the website: https://blue-seas-protection.teemill.com/collection/pick-up-8/
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