Odfjell'ers joined the 7,000-strong International Coastal Cleanup volunteers in collecting and documenting trash littering along the bay area near the Mall of Asia complex on Saturday morning, September 22nd.
Armed with dust mask, gloves, tongs and sacks, twenty Odfjell volunteers picked, one by one, every piece of garbage they set their eyes on.
That the water smelled awful and the boulders seemed intimidating did not hinder them from collecting even the biggest (a 20-liter water bottle), hardest-to-get (slippers and styrofoam tucked between the boulders), and heaviest (logs and stalks of bamboo) pieces of litter.
The activity ended with Odfjell'ers collecting 1,821 pieces of trash in total.
The annual International Coastal Cleanup traces its roots to the efforts of Linda Maraniss and Kathy O’Hara, colleagues at Ocean Conservancy in Texas. Maraniss and O’Hara spearheaded the first cleanup that recorded each piece of trash collected, in order to identify ways of eliminating ocean trash.
"It's not my first time to be part of that kind of activity. And I can say that the feeling is always the same. I mean, it always feels great. And it feels great because through simple acts like this, we are able to give back to nature. We depend on nature for a lot of things in order for us to live, yet we do things that harm and destroy it. I believe that all of us are responsible in taking care of the environment.”
Mark Alexis Dingcol, PMS - Data and Parts Administrator
For Training Coordinator Saeza Mateo, the cleanup had been a great experience. She shared feeling really happy "being able to help in her own little way, while bonding with [her] Odfjell family."
Of the 7,000 cleanup participants comprised of students, private citizens and employees from non-profit organizations and private companies, the volunteers in blue were the best equipped, particularly in terms of personal protective equipment. There were also constant reminders from HR on how to prepare for the activity in the days leading to the event. Safety is undoubtedly the number one guiding priciple, wherever we go and whatever we do!
