23 Apr “Say No to Plastic in Lembongan!”

On April 22, 80 motivated elementary and high school students celebrated Earth Day with the Coral Triangle Center (CTC), the Bali Hai Group, Bye Bye Plastic Bags, and Bottle for Botol in Mushroom Bay, Nusa Lembongan.

The fun learning activities taught the students about how to care for and protect our precious environment. Students got involved in a beach clean up, and learnt about marine ecosystems and how plastic debris can impact these ecosystems, along with a community’s quality of life.

There were also presentations on how to minimize plastic debris, a trash art competition,
and a theatrical performance on destructive fishing practices to instill the messages.

“Today’s Earth Day activities are very important because plastic debris is the biggest issue Nusa Lembongan faces”, said Kepala Desa Lembongan (local leader) I Ketut Gede Arjaya who attended the festivities.

As part of the Earth Day activities, a “Dive Against Debris” was also organized by Bali Hai Diving Adventures. Local divers and operators, along with CTC and Bye Bye Plastic staff, collected 40kgs of plastic debris from surrounding coral reefs.The Bali Hai group provided 2000 re-usable bags to be distributed to all Nusa Lembongan students and locals for everyday use. T-shirts conveying the message, “Say no to Plastic in Lembongan,” were also given to all children and school representatives.