Teams of Coastal Community Credit Union volunteers and Georgia Strait Alliance will comb the shores of eight local beaches across Vancouver Island for litter and debris in order to help keep local landscapes litter-free.
Coastal Community Employees, Matthew Beckett, Rachael Robinson, Ken Watson, and Ashley Nichols spearheaded this initiative through an employee program called ENRICH.
The program was developed in celebration of the company attaining of one of Canada’s Top 50 Employer status’ for the first time in 2011, and was launched as a onetime initiative to empower employees and community groups to work together in order to make a meaningful and visible difference in our communities.
“These beach cleanups are important in so many ways,” says Matthew Beckett, Financial Consultant at Coastal Community Credit Union, and project lead. “Not only are we cleaning up garbage left on our shores, but all of the litter collected is recorded, and the data is sent to the Vancouver Aquarium to become part of a database about the British Columbia coastline.”
Information collected about the litter and debris, and is included in an annual report about the Great Canadian Beach Cleanup. This information is also included in international research as part of the International Coastal Cleanup –the planet’s largest volunteer marine environment protection effort.
“We are grateful for organizations, like Coastal Community, that support community investment on Vancouver Island,” says Ruby Berry of Georgia Strait Alliance, “It is clear that their employees are passionate about their communities, and their efforts are making a difference to our local environment.”
This initiative is scheduled for April 22 in Campbell River at Adam’s Park.
For more information on how you can become involved in this shoreline cleanup, contact Matthew Beckett at 250-703-4165.