A call for new recruits to join the Island of Ireland’s Largest Coastal Clean Up

Coca-Cola Clean Coasts Week 2016 runs from 2nd – 11th June and is calling on volunteers across the country to once again get involved in the numerous coastal clean-ups and events taking place throughout the week.

Coca-Cola Clean Coasts awareness week is run by the Environmental Education Unit of An Taisce in partnership with Coca-Cola and Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful. More than 20 events will take place across island of Ireland in celebration of the beautiful natural resource of the coastline and to raise awareness of the importance of keeping beaches clean from litter.

In Donegal, there will be 3 coastal celebration events happening during the week with over 17 cleanups happening all over the county. The coastal celebration events will be:

Marine Litter Talk and Beach Clean: Together with Downings Tidy Towns and Downings Beach Cleanup, there will be a talk by Clean Coasts Officer for Donegal on the impacts of marine litter and what we can do to tackle the issue followed by a beach clean. Meet at the car park to Downings beach at 10am on Friday 2nd June. Gloves, bags, etc provided.

Yoga on the Beach: To celebrate Mindfulness on the Beach Day, there will be a free yoga session followed by a short mindfulness meditation on Rossnowlagh beach, meeting at the lifeguard/surf club car park at 10:45am on Saturday 3rd of June. There will also be an opportunity to give back to the environment with a #2minutebeachclean. Places are limited so please RSVP here.

Marram Grass Planting Workshop:  Together with Donegal Co. Co. and Buncrana Tidy Towns, there will be a practical marram grass planting workshop which will give attendees the skills to tackle dune erosion at their local beach. Meet at the car park Lisfannon beach at 11am on Friday 9th June. Please bring a shovel and bucket as well as sensible footware and clothing for the weather

10 mile Wild Atlantic Way Costal Cleanup (World Oceans Day).

To celebrate our coast for World Oceans Day, Clean Coasts Officer for Donegal is teaming up with our group, Creevy Co-op for one of Ireland’s biggest Coca-Cola Clean Coasts Week beach cleans which will take place along the 10 mile Wild Atlantic Way Creevy Shore Walk. Time and meeting point to be confirmed.Gloves, bags and litter pickers will be provided. Please wear clothing suitable for the weather and sensible clothing. All welcome.

The United Nation Environmental Programme (UNEP) estimates that 8 million individual litter items enter the marine environment every day. Marine litter includes a range of materials which have been deliberately discarded, or accidentally lost on shore or at sea. It includes materials that are carried out to sea from land, rivers, drainage, sewerage systems and even by the wind.

Coca-Cola Clean Coasts Week will host a range of fun and informative events with the aim of raising awareness of the importance of protecting our coastline. Coastal celebrations will range from beach fitness activities that incorporate clean-ups, to a seal release in partnership Seal Rescue Ireland at Curracloe Strand in Wexford, and talks on the role of marram grass planting in halting coastal erosion. Other events include Extreme Clean Day, the launch of Love Your Coast photography competition, and Beat the Microbead Day.

To register your beach clean or for more information on the week please see cleancoasts.org

Coca-Cola Clean Coasts Week Cleanups in Donegal:

Please note more may be added and will be shown on the map here.

 Email Clean Coasts Officer for Donegal, Beckey-Finn for more details on any of the beach cleans listed below.

bfbriton@eeu.antaisce.org