Sullivan’s Island, South Carolina The Friends of Charleston National Parks partnered with South Carolina Sea Grant and the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources for the 36th Annual Beach Sweep on Sullivan’s Island near Fort Moultrie to remove trash off the beaches.
Families and community members from over the Lowcountry came out to clean and protect the beaches on Sullivan’s Island, collecting anything from plastics to cans.
“The mission for today is really just to get everybody out and about connected with nature, connected with the beach, and really participate in cleaning up the areas that we all love and to help keep a beautiful future for our beaches and for our public lands,” Amy Meola of the Friends of Charleston National Parks said.
Since 1988, South Carolinians have gathered every third Saturday in September to clean up trash from our beaches and rivers, just like the 36th Annual Beach Sweep.
“Everyone’s laughing, smiling, and having a great time. “We just need more of that in the world,” said Will Jones, a United States Coast Guard Seaman and volunteer.
Volunteers were given a garbage bag, gloves, and a trash picker to assist with the cleanup.
“If we continue to dump it on the ground and transport it to the beach. “We don’t want all of the wildlife to get sick,” stated volunteer Sebastain Killian.
Many youngsters helped with the beach cleanup, demonstrating that anybody can make a difference.
“Sea turtles have found a lot of plastic bags that they think are jellyfish and are eating them, and it gets caught in their throat,” said Girl Scout volunteer Katelyn Rising.
“We’re all part of the same community, and if we all work together, we can put an end to this nonsense,” volunteer Penelope Killian said.
“At a young age, it is beneficial to encourage children about learning and community involvement. So they’ll know better as they get older,” said Hannah Mayhew, a Girl Scout volunteer.
Volunteers removed a whole truckload of rubbish and debris from the beach.
“It’s not difficult to pick up trash, dispose of it, recycle, and do other nice things. Jones remarked, “Man, take care of the environment, and then take care of us.”
“You don’t need to be an expert. You don’t need to know anything about pollution or the ocean. It’s as simple as going for a walk and picking up some rubbish; it makes a bigger effect than you might believe.” Meola said.
“Coming together as a community, doing what we can to preserve the lands and preserve the history that they hold so that they stay intact for future generations,” Hanna Goble, a volunteer, told me.
