#2minutebeachclean
We’re stoked to be working with #2minutebeachclean as our environmental partner for this year’s London Surf / Film Festival. The idea behind the initiative is simple and intuitive – take two minutes to pick up rubbish each time you visit the beach. There’s no pre-determined date and time so it’s always convenient, there’s opportunity to get involved each and every time you go for a surf and the commitment required to get make a difference – just 2 minutes – is so small that there’s no reason not to!
We caught up with founder Martin Dorey to talk about #2minutebeachclean
The big idea
The #2minutebeachclean is about doing your bit, each and every time you go to the beach. You pick up litter, take a picture of it and post it using the hashtag.
It’s about doing something rather than nothing – and inspiring others. It’s easy, there’s no paperwork and no excuse not to do a couple of minutes. It’s an idea to get people inspired enough to take a little time to think about their environment.
After the big storms of 2013 / 14 I went to the beach and picked up what I could but became utterly overwhelmed by the size of the problem. I also became frustrated that I couldn’t get to as many organised cleans as I could. I also saw lots of people walk on by, tutting and moaning about the state of the beach but not doing anything. I figured that if I could inspire a few people using twitter then it could double, treble, quadruple my own efforts and then we’d be winning.
So that’s the #2minutebeachclean. It’s an idea for everyone, for every beach, for every day.
Since it started we’ve had instagram posts from all over the world from people doing their bit. We had one pic from Antarctica! So really, everyone is involved, and can be.
Why is it important?
It is important because it is only through the actions of a lot of people that we will change the world. As surfers, dog walkers, sailors, hikers, ocean lovers we are guardians of our patch. We have to do something or we will be overcome by the plastic we have created and throw away like there’s no tomorrow. It’s not about supermarkets, governments, councils, people to blame. It’s about us, right here right now, making a difference. There is no place for cynicism in the face of the problem. We have to roll up our sleeves and say “yes we know it’s a massive problem but if we work together we can fix it”.
On a basic level though, plastic is pollution and there is a lot of it in the ocean. It kills fish, strangles seabirds and mammals and will eventually enter the food chain, either as toxins or micro plastics. At some point some of this plastic will wash up – so we are here to put it out of harm’s way where it cannot kill any more.
How can I get involved?
You can do a 2 minute beach clean next time you go to the beach and every time thereafter. Simple. You could even post a picture of it to twitter or instagram with the #2minutebeachclean hashtag and then go to beachclean.net to see it appear among all the other pictures.
And if you are a big corporation and want to do a bit of social responsibility you could consider sponsoring us and our campaign so we can do even more.
Surfers should be at the vanguard of this. If they can’t get to organised cleans then they should at least pick up a couple of bottles on the way back up the beach. We owe the ocean a lot for giving us good times. It’s the least we could do to give a little back.