November is the start of the nesting season for marine turtles when species, such as the endangered Loggerhead turtle and vulnerable green turtle, come ashore to lay their eggs on Sunshine Coast beaches.
To help get our local beaches ready for their arrival, Sunshine Coast teachers are encouraged to book their classes now so they can join the Schools Beach Clean Up Super Series from October 17 to November 4, 2022.
At the half-day program, students will participate in cleaning-up of their local beach, learning about coastal processes and generating ideas to reduce waste at the source.
Environment and Liveability Portfolio Councillor Peter Cox encouraged schools to sign up for a rewarding and enriching end-of-year experience, at a beautiful beach location to make a positive contribution to our Sunshine Coast environment.
“Each year, hundreds of Sunshine Coast students step up to clean-up the sand and dunes for the nesting turtles,” Cr Cox said.
“Last year, over six weeks 686 students, parents and teachers from 10 schools removed almost 100 kgs of rubbish from 14 beaches across the Sunshine Coast.
“We are very grateful for their help and feedback from teachers is that it’s an impactful way to learn about ways we can all change our behaviour to create a more sustainable future.”
The super series runs from 9am – 12.30pm and includes:
- Stage 1: Beach clean-up from 9–10.30am at a local beach
- One beach clean-up team member will meet the registered school at the beach site to lead the event.
- Council will provide all safety equipment, all sorting and data collection equipment and all COVID-19 safety requirements.
- The beach clean-up will take 1.5 hours and will include information about the issue of marine debris, a safety talk and beach clean-up.
- Then it’s back to the school for morning tea and Stage 2 of the super series.