Clean Beach Challenge

The Clean Beach Challenge is a fun, hands-on interactive environmental competition, which aims to enhance beach side communities by promoting personal initiative, civic pride and environmental awareness. Through competition and awards, the program provides recognition to people who care for their community and coastal environment.

It's that environmental awareness being encouraged that would seem to link very much to the topic of global warming.

As one of the judges in this competition, since 2002, I have been shown so many examples, when visiting the beaches and speaking to the nominators of those beaches of how particularly volunteers but also councils and surf life saving clubs and many other organisations have been 'out there' on the beaches but particularly in their environments, rectifying damage done; trying to prevent as much as possible any further damage, while giving people the opportunity to enjoy (and understand better) the beach, the ocean and the surrounding areas.

If not putting on a t-shirt to go to the shops makes a difference then the evidence that I have seen these last five years of how native flora and fauna have been restored or at least protected. How far more energ-effective ways have been found to manage the beaches. How the community and particularly the businesses and other services associated with the beaches have been made more and more conscious of their effect on the environment. Then, I am convinced that a difference HAS been made since this 'fun' competition came to Australia and was added to the other established competitions: i.e., Tidy Towns, Sustainable Cities and Waste Watchers.

Just the number of times I have been shown evidence of how youngsters, via schools and surf life saving organisations have been involved, gives me hope for a better understanding of what is happening to the environment that they wish to enjoy and keep.

Jo Mulholland

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