Marine debris refers to persistent, human-made or processed solid waste in the ocean and coastal environment. They include intentionally discarded used objects on the ocean and beach, objects carried directly into the ocean by rivers, sewage, storms, or strong winds, and fishing gear, cargo, and other objects accidentally lost under adverse weather conditions.

Tianheng Island is located in Hengmen Bay, east of Jimo, Qingdao, China. It has a total area of 0.56 square miles and a coastline of 4.97 miles. With a history of more than 2000 years, Tianheng Island not only has a unique natural ecological environment, but it is also famous for its unique historical culture and humanistic spirit, which is how it got its name.

After nearly 90 minutes of beach cleaning, volunteers picked up a total of 0.77 tons of marine debris on Tianheng Island, filling bag after bag with trash. As participants and witnesses of this island conservation activity, BROCA Deputy Secretary-General Mr. Chu Tengfei and the person-in-charge of the Sanlian Group Tianheng Island Resort presented the volunteers with certificates of volunteer service. These certificates not only serve as a commemoration of their participation in this event, but also inspire everyone to continue their journey in marine conservation.

Learning Ocean Facts

During the beach cleanup event, volunteers not only cleaned up the island's garbage but also further understood the importance of marine conservation through Ocean Fact Quizzes. Questions include, “Which gases are greenhouse gases?” ”What are the three major coastal blue carbon ecosystems?”, “What is the largest animal in the ocean?” and so on. The young volunteers were eager to answer the quizzes about blue carbon sinks, plastic reduction, climate change, and biodiversity conservation knowledge. This event helped everyone deeply understand the importance of ocean protection and the necessity of practicing ocean protection.

Island Message

Previously, in order to call for public attention toward the islands and to protect them, the "Protecting the Azure Ocean" public welfare project also launched the "Island Message" event, with more than 300 volunteers actively participating.

"Protect Tianheng's azure coast and care for marine life."

"Keep the ocean free of plastic."

"Let's agree to strive for an azure ocean."

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These simple words express the participants' deep affection for the ocean. They not only speak of everyone's love for the vast ocean and beautiful islands, but also represent a firm belief in protecting the ocean and islands. Currently, these excellent slogans have been selected and displayed as "marine conservation landmarks" on the beach of Tianheng Island.