International Cleanup Day - Underwater

From Project Aware:

Each September, Project AWARE Foundation coordinates the underwater portion of International Cleanup Day in partnership with the Ocean Conservancy, which organizes land cleanups. Together, these nonprofit entities are attempting to curtail debris and conserve aquatic environments worldwide.

“Aquatic debris is a real problem. Two million plastic beverage bottles are used every five minutes and approximately 60,000 plastic bags are used every five seconds in the United States alone,” states Jenny Miller Garmendia, Director, Project AWARE Foundation. “These and other items make their way to our beaches, shorelines and underwater dive sites - contaminating environments and threatening aquatic species.”

But the great news is divers and volunteers are making a difference. “Humans are both the cause of and solution to marine debris issues,” says Garmendia. “It’s so inspiring to see the level of diver involvement on International Cleanup Day – the single largest one-day cleanup event in the world and I’m proud to be amongst the dedicated volunteers.”

Get more information on the Project Aware Web page.

Photo: (c) Wolcott Henry 2005/Marine Photobank