Palau Youth Work To Remove Single-Use Plastic From Their Island

On a recent Baum supported research expedition with Mission Blue to the island country of Palau, located in the western Pacific Ocean, where Plastic Pollution Coalition co-hosted a collaboration with Oceanic Society, Drifters Project, and Heirs to Our Oceans,  youth held a Plastic Pollution Forum, hosted by Heirs to Our Oceans on November 8th, 2018.  representatives from three local high schools co-hosted the forum with visiting Heirs from the U.S. – business leaders, educators, and elected officials – to brainstorm solutions to remove single use plastic from their island. Mission Blue’s Dr. Sylvia Earle, was a special guest speaker at the Youth Forum acknowledging the great beauty of Palau while honoring the significant commitments of their youth and Palau’s President Tommy Remengesau to protect large areas of the marine environment of the island country.

Palau has a long history of advocating for the environment. The Rock Islands are a UNESCO World Heritage Site and Marine Protected Area, and the country banned single-use plastic bags last year. Over the summer, Palau’s President Tommy Remengesau signed an executive order banning single-use plastics from all government offices and agencies. In early November, Palau became the first country to ban harmful sunscreens that are toxic to coral reefs.

Pamela Longobardi of Drifters Project and a PPC Support Artist Ally said “Palau was surprisingly clear of plastic in the water—nothing like the amounts we saw and removed in Indonesia in 2016, … several reasons could account for this: it’s a much smaller island chain, and Palau has made immense conservation steps in creating the vast marine sanctuary around it, which in turn has perhaps made the population more environmentally conscious.”

Pam led a “forensic beach cleaning” training with the group, which was followed by plastic retrieval of material from hundred-meter ropes and nets down to micro-scale plastic, then sorting, counting, removing colored material for the creation of the art piece, and finally loading the bags onto the boats for transport.

“One of the most meaningful parts of the trip for me was working with the Palauan Heirs and citizens on a new version of the State of Koror flag made out of ocean plastic collected in a mass beach cleaning on a remote island this week,” said Pam.   “We worked in Palau’s Public Works woodshop where dozens of youth from local high schools, park rangers, public works employees, local artists, and expedition guests all stopped by to contribute to its construction. The completed work was presented at the Plastic Pollution forum in the State House of Koror, where it will be permanently displayed. For me, it signified Palau’s commitment to becoming a Plastic-Free Island. The flag was also shown to the President of Palau and the UN Ambassador of Palau, who were both very excited by the work.”

Wayne Sentman of Oceanic Society was similarly encouraged by the community and Palauan Heirs to Our Oceans members. “Over our time there it became obvious to us all that many of the young woman and men we worked with and got to know over the last decade are destined to become leaders in their community. As a group, they were already organizing successful efforts to reduce single-use plastics in local stores and schools, and in general promoting awareness about the importance of protecting their marine environment.”

From Baum research expeditions experiences dating back to 2003 in the region, Baum President Glenn Bucksbaum joined Dr. Sylvia Earle in recognizing the achievements of the Palau government and commending the local Ocean Heirs, and business and community leaders for their impactful work and commitment to protecting Palau’s marine and terrestrial environment.   Glenn Bucksbaum noted that, “In addition to being inspired by Palau’s youth leadership who are making a difference now, we also appreciated the opportunity to speak with President Tommy Remengesau and his ministers about their commitment to reducing plastic pollution in their homeland.  We’re looking forward to sharing more of their success stories built from the years of work underway by Heirs to our Ocean youth as the country prepares to host Our Ocean Conference 2020.”

← Cuba’s Maria la Gorda Holds Hotspot of Biodiversity in Caribbean

“A Tree For Nuñez” Initiative Takes Place Around the World →

View All Highlights