Around 2,300 tonnes of waste has been collected during the Maldives for the Oceans telethon jointly organised by the Ministry of Education, Parley Maldives, and the Maldives Association of Tourism Industry (MATI) and covered by Public service media (PSM).
During the event, participants collected waste in 275 islands and 76 resorts on July 17 to mark World Oceans Day. Students from 205 schools joined the event to clean 129 beaches and 52 underwater areas.
The event also included signing the Ocean Pledge to work at the individual level to protect the environment and the ocean. Parley Maldives has revealed that 16,333 individuals signed the pledge including President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih and cabinet ministers. Vice President Faisal Naseem inaugurated the event in the Greater Male’ Region after signing the Ocean Pledge and speaking about the importance of taking personal responsibility to keep the environment clean during the live coverage.
The purpose of the national cleanup campaign was to empower individuals to avoid the use of plastics wherever possible, to intercept plastics from going to the oceans, to redesign their mindset and actions away from plastics, and to always advocate for the protection of the environment.