After travelling 7 895 km along the East Coast and back to the West, environmentalist group Save a Fishie has ended its epic Coast to Coast campaign – and cleaned an elephant’s weight in litter!
The campaign is spearheaded by founder Zoë Prinsloo, a 21-year-old environmental activist from Edgemead, who has been cleaning beaches since the age of 10 and has to date cleaned more than 120 beaches and collected more than 10 tons of litter in the process.
They cleaned a total of 101 beaches along the South African coastline from May to July and worked with community schools and organisations to raise awareness of the effects of plastic pollution on our ocean and personal health.
- In total, 7 895 km were travelled;
- Over three tons of rubbish were collected and
- 111 beaches were cleaned.
“We just want to take a moment to extend our deepest gratitude to all the amazing volunteers and generous sponsors who made today’s beach clean-up event an incredible success,” Prinsloo said excitedly on Saturday.
“To be able to end off our Coast 2 Coast campaign on such a high note was a dream come true. Your dedication and support truly made a difference and we couldn’t have done it without you. We picked up an astonishing 654 kg of litter today.
“This has officially pushed us way past the three-ton mark for our campaign. In fact, our total kilogrammes collected is now 3 616.”
Hard work pays off
She thanked the volunteers for showing up with enthusiasm, energy and passion for preserving the beauty of beaches.
“Your hard work and commitment to making a positive impact is truly inspiring and appreciated. Each and every one of you played a significant role in keeping our beach clean and safe for everyone to enjoy. And to our generous sponsors: we are tremendously grateful for your support, as your contributions and assistance have made this campaign and today’s clean-up possible.
Your belief in our cause and your commitment to environmental stewardship have fuelled our efforts to make a real difference in the preservation of our beaches,” she said.
Prinsloo added that the success of the campaign had truly been a team effort.
“We are extremely proud of what we’ve accomplished together. We’ve not only removed tons of trash from our shores (3,6 tons to be exact), but we’ve also raised awareness about the importance of keeping our beaches clean and minimising our impact on the environment. Together, we are making a lasting impact on our community and our planet.”
