To celebrate Earth Day 2016 we took part in an island-wide clean-up both on land and underwater. The morning was spent clearing up the streets and beach of Chalok, before heading out in the afternoon to dive at Taa Cha in search of more trash. The dive yielded a total of 151kg worth of trash, the majority of which was plastic bottles and old nets and rope. Our team of 23 did a great job of working together to remove the trash and even had to bring trash up to the surface multiple times using whatever they could - rice bags, ropes and arms.

Following the dive we joined the rest of the participants from the underwater clean ups count weigh and seperate out the rubbish. The turn out was amazing, with 353 divers from dive centres all across the island participating in the clean-up. It was great to see the whole island community getting involved. The total trash collected by diving came to a whopping 1,254 kg! This just goes to show how much of an impact a whole community can have when we work together for a great cause.

To finish Earth Day the team took part in a fundraiser for the man behind so much of the conservation efforts around the island and the director of our program - Chad Scott. The team worked hard in creating games to raise money and they proved to be a great success as was the rest of the night. It is worth noting that no single-use plastic (cups, straws and plastic bags) were used throughout the night's activities, staying true to the spirit of Earth Day.

Even though the day was such a success, it's important to remember that the problem of plastic and other trash exists every day of the year. Clean-ups are extremely beneficial to the health of the environment, but preventing the problem in the first place is even better. Consider refusing single-use plastic such as straws and plastic bags, carry around metal cutlery and a container if you are going to order takeaway food, and use a re-fillable water bottle. Small changes made by many people can add up to huge differences to our oceans and our planet.

The whole island came together to raise awareness, complete an island-wide clean-up and raise money for a man who lives and breathes conservation. We hope that the spirit of the day will continue to be present throughout the year, as we strive every day to love this island and the surrounding reefs by keeping them clean and trash-free.