~ 838 pounds of garbage collected!~
The St. Maarten Regatta Beach Clean-Up, which was combined with education and sports, was a great success, as more than 60 kids participated – helping the environment, making new friends and having fun together!
The annual event, organised by the St. Maarten Yacht Club Regatta Foundation, took place at Kim Sha beach on January 26.
The day started off with a short presentation about the impact garbage has on the environment and more specifically the ocean. Everyone seemed motivated by the presentation and, in groups, collected as much garbage as they possible could within the allotted time.
Some 838 pounds of garbage were collected during the clean-up – wow! That’s more than the weight of ten 10-year-old kids! The group did a great job!
Prizes were handed out to the teams who collected the most garbage, which were team “2” in the age category six to 12 years with (64 pounds of collected garbage), and team “Lifesavers” in the age category 13-18 (with over 200 pounds collected).
The Beach Clean-Up was followed by several exciting sports activities, organised by LAB Sports. Everyone was divided into groups and took turns playing games and completing an obstacle course, trying to set the fastest time.
Prizes were awarded to those who set the best time. “The Savages” took first place within age category 6-12 with two minutes and 42 seconds; Team 21 won the age category 13-18 in a time of three minutes and 55 seconds.
Winners, both of the Beach Clean-Up and the obstacle course, took home prizes donated by sponsors for which the foundation is very thankful. Everyone rounded off the fun day with some Domino’s Pizza
“It is amazing to see how motivated children are to contribute to the environment by participating in a beach clean-up. The St. Maarten Regatta Beach Clean-Up is an event that generates awareness and makes it fun for the kids to be a part of. Besides the fact that they help the island, the event is a way to make new friends,” said organiser Anouk van Loon.
If you missed out on the fun this time, you can always look forward to next year’s edition!
