Where the sky touches the sea,
Next to coconut trees,
Let’s keep the romance going,
Saving nature’s masterpiece…
The 3rd Saturday of September every year is the International Coastal Cleanup Day. Established by the Ocean Conservancy in the United States on the west coast of Washington State in 1986, the day is dedicated to raise awareness about the growing pollution of various beaches around the world while helping to protect the oceans and its beaches. Sri Lanka is home to a number of pristine beaches some of which is calling out for a strong shield against unthoughtful human activity.
Beaches play a significant role in the tourism industry of Sri Lanka and in view of committing to a cleaner Sri Lanka on this International Ocean Cleanup Day, Walkers Tours was proud to step forward as the first Destination Management Company to volunteer in Sri Lanka’s first-ever corporate sustainability initiative that was based on the concept of adopting a beach for a long time ensuring it would be cleaned daily. Led by Coca Cola Sri Lanka in partnership with implementing partner, Clean Ocean Force (COF), the project had close to 300 volunteers representing the US Embassy in Sri Lanka, American Chamber of Commerce Sri Lanka (AmCham), many private sector volunteers and several government organisations such as the Ministry of Local Government and Environment, Sri Lanka Environmental Police and the Municipal Council of Colombo. The Cleanup took place at the Crow Island Beach Park which is one of the most polluted beaches on the island. The occasion was graced by the presence of the US Ambassador to Sri Lanka, H. E. Julie J. Chung.
