"Allbeaches" is an environmental initiative that connects the world and can only be done in Japan
Hello, my name is Fumika Mabuchi.
This may be a bit sudden, but have you heard of "Allbeaches"?
This is a community that started last year to tackle the problem of marine plastic.
There are many organizations and events that undertake beach cleanups, but what makes All Beaches unique is that they form teams for each beach and not only clean the beach, but also hold fun study sessions to learn about global environmental issues together with their friends, encourage member interaction, and take the lead in activities.
I first learned about this community through Kana Sato, CEO of Bake a Cake, the company that runs it.
I met Kana in 2020 when I participated in a social media project for "sunny U," the towel brand that Kana produces.
Kana used to work for a toy manufacturer, but one day she saw a photo of an albatross that had died after eating one of the toys the manufacturer made. This made her realize that although she was working for the "dreams of children," in reality she was taking nature away from children's future. This led her to start participating in beach cleanups and picking up trash when she went to the beach.
The first All Beaches team was formed in Yuigahama in May 2021, and was scheduled to meet once a month. However, due to the state of emergency declaration and priority measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19, they were unable to meet and meet for several months after the team was formed.
During that time, whenever members stopped by the beach, they would individually clean up the beach.
Then, in November, when the COVID-19 situation had calmed down a bit, we decided to resume our activities and hold an upcycling workshop!
I'm ashamed to say that I didn't know the word "upcycling."
It's about "regenerating waste that would otherwise be thrown away by upgrading it into new products."
When I asked about their main activities, they told me that they start by cleaning the beach for an hour in the morning.
Afterwards, we moved to Webase Kamakura, located close to Yuigahama Beach, where we made accessories using the marine plastic waste and seashells we had collected, and the children combined them with paintings to create art on small canvases.
Colorful plastic trash picked up during the beach clean-up was transformed into Christmas tree decorations.
And finally, we will have a study session with guests.
This time the workshop was limited to members only, but in the future they would like to make it an event that everyone can participate in, depending on the situation.
All Beaches' current activities are held on the first Saturday of every month.
Usually, they clean up the beach together and then do yoga or hold study sessions on the beach, which has been restored to its original beauty.
It seems that the activities are mainly done in teams, but if you are interested you can also join in.
If you are interested in information about workshops that are held irregularly, please contact us via social media.
When I learned about the activities of "Allbeaches," an organization that allows people to learn about the global environment in a fun way together with their friends, I started thinking about what I could do, and I started picking up trash when I go for walks with my son.
Why not find something you can do close to home?
"Allbeaches"
note
https://note.com/allbeaches
