Last September 15, over a hundred students from Ateneo de Davao University volunteered to clean up the coastline of Sitio Bucana in Lasang, Davao City.

The clean-up was in line with the International Coastal Cleanup Day organized by Ocean Conservancy. Ocean Conservancy mobilized volunteers to clean coastal beaches and inland waterways in 97 countries and locations around the world.

Last year, the Philippines ranked 2nd in the top participating countries.

The group of volunteers were mobilized by the Ecotenista Advocacy, an ecological advocacy program of the SAMAHAN Central Board Environment Unit of the Ateneo de Davao University.

The group provided volunteers with food and transportation to the area. Along with the coastal cleanup, organizers also initiated a mangrove-planting activity to restore the lost biodiversity in the coastline.

Around 30 bags of garbage were collected from the coastline consisting mostly of plastics, glass, and rubber. The collected materials were segregated and either disposed properly or recycled.