Have you ever imagined where improperly discarded trash ends up?
In fact, one of the destinations for trash is an island floating in the Seto Inland Sea.
On an island with no shops or vending machines, a large number of cans and plastic bottles washed ashore from our living areas can be found.
Okayama Remote Island Project is a program that actually takes participants to islands in the Seto Inland Sea to learn about the issue of marine debris through firsthand experience.
The street cleaning volunteer group NPO Green Bird and the cosmetics brand L'Occitane, which originated in southern France, are organizing this project.
On Saturday, October 21, 2023, the second Okayama Remote Island Project was held.
Due to L'Occitane's desire to continue their activities, we returned to Rokukuchi Island, where we visited during the previous activity, to collect marine debris.
We will introduce the environmental protection activities held on the island of Kurashiki by the street cleaning volunteers and the cosmetics brand from southern France.
What is the Okayama Remote Island Project?
In their usual activities, Green Bird focuses on trash picking in urban areas.
In the Okayama Remote Island Project, in collaboration with the sponsoring company L'Occitane, we venture out of the city to collect marine debris on islands floating in the Seto Inland Sea.
Overview of the Okayama Remote Island Project
The Okayama Remote Island Project aims to encourage people living in Okayama Prefecture to visit the islands of the Seto Inland Sea, experience the climate of the islands, and become aware of the issues facing the islands.
This project was organized by NPO Green Bird with the support of the cosmetics brand L'Occitane, which originated in southern France.
On Saturday, October 21, 2023, as the second installment of the Okayama Remote Island Project, we visited Rokukuchi Island, located offshore from Kojima in Kurashiki City, to collect marine debris that had washed ashore on the island's coast.
The goal is to actually visit an island in the Seto Inland Sea and learn about the reality of marine debris.
The first event was held on Saturday, May 20, 2023, during which we also visited Rokukuchi Island.
L'Occitane chose the same location for their activities due to their desire to continue their efforts.
L'Occitane and Nature Conservation Activities
L'Occitane is a cosmetics brand that originated in the Provence region located in the southeastern part of France.
Through natural cosmetics, it delivers the lifestyle of Provence to the world.
L'Occitane has stores across Japan, with two locations in Okayama Prefecture.
For L'Occitane, which develops a business that benefits from nature, the plants and soil that are the source of their products are essential.
From a desire to cherish nature, they planned an event to collect marine debris in collaboration with Green Bird.
Street Cleaning Volunteer NPO Green Bird
NPO Green Bird is a street cleaning volunteer group that was established in 2002, originating from Omotesando, Tokyo.
Together with 62 teams across Japan and 10 teams worldwide, they continue trash picking activities that anyone can easily participate in.
There are no special qualifications to participate; anyone can join by simply showing up at the meeting place at the designated time, empty-handed.
The Green Bird Okayama Team organized the Okayama Remote Island Project.
Established in 2013, the Green Bird Okayama Team has conducted approximately 500 trash picking activities in locations such as Okayama Station, around JR Kurashiki Station, the Bikan Historical Area, and Uno Port.
Participants in their usual activities come from various age groups, nationalities, and professions, creating not only opportunities for trash picking but also a space for diverse people to interact.
Revisiting Rokukuchi Island
What changes can be observed when visiting the same island after a few months?
Here, we will introduce the activities of the second Okayama Remote Island Project held on Rokukuchi Island on October 21, 2023.
Battling Rough Waves to Rokukuchi Island
We gathered at Kojima Tourist Port to take a boat to Rokukuchi Island.
Since there is no regular ferry to Rokukuchi Island, we chartered a boat to head there.
On this day, the wind was blowing from offshore, causing the waves to be rougher than usual.
After departing, the boat began to sway up and down dramatically, like a roller coaster.
While some people enjoyed the wild movement of the boat, others seemed to feel unwell.
▼We landed on Rokukuchi Island by walking across a unstable board laid from the bow.
Self-Introductions Before Activities
After arriving at Rokukuchi Island, Keisuke Fukuda, the representative director of Green Bird, explained the purpose of the activities.
Okayama Prefecture has 19 inhabited islands, and due to the effects of depopulation, the landscape and traditions are gradually being lost.
Despite being a place that should have few people, trash from our living areas washes up on the island.
▼He conveyed to the participants that the purpose of the activity is to understand the reality of marine debris on-site.
The second Okayama Remote Island Project had participants ranging from elementary school students, middle school students, high school students, university students, and working adults in their 20s to 50s.
Some participants regularly join activities with the Green Bird Okayama Team, while others were participating in volunteer activities for the first time.
Since there were many people meeting for the first time, everyone shared their reasons for participating along with their self-introductions.
Many expressed positive reasons for participating, such as "I was interested in the marine debris issue" and "It sounded fun to go to the island."
There was also a more reluctant reason: "I was forced to come by my girlfriend..."
It's nice to be chosen for a date to pick up trash on an island.
▼Everyone smiled at the unexpected reason for participation.
The Reality of Marine Debris on Rokukuchi Island
How much marine debris is there on Rokukuchi Island?
On an island with no shops or vending machines, many things that shouldn't be there were found.
Starting the Beach Clean
We began picking up trash near the dock where the boat arrived.
The area near the dock on the north side of the island had a lot of trash during the first activity as well.
As we started the activity, we quickly noticed that the amount of trash had increased significantly compared to the last time.
▼Although there was a lot of trash, we are enjoying picking it up as usual.
There was a lot of garbage in the bushes a little away from the beach.
In particular, a lot of plastic bottles and Styrofoam were found.
The characteristic of plastic, which is difficult to decompose, is useful in our daily lives, but it becomes a troublesome presence when it turns into garbage.
▼While turning our backs to the beautiful sea, we picked up garbage in the bushes.
The most surprising piece of garbage found during this activity was a doll head.
It is probably the head of a mannequin used by barbers for haircut practice.
While it is unfortunate that garbage is lying around, finding unexpected trash is one of the joys of picking up garbage.
▼The doll, which had not seen the sunlight for several years or even decades, might have been happy to be found.
How much garbage was collected?
The time spent working around the pier was about an hour.
Although it was a short time, the amount of garbage collected exceeded 30 bags.
▼I feel a sense of accomplishment from collecting a large amount of marine debris.
When I counted the number of plastic bottles collected, there were 222 bottles.
Among the plastic bottles, there were some with nostalgic labels that I had seen decades ago.
While plastic bottles are convenient for our daily lives, they are an inconvenient presence for nature.
Moreover, despite the absence of shops and vending machines on the island, a large number of plastic bottles were found.
I was made painfully aware that a large amount of garbage is flowing out to the sea from our living areas.
While feeling the seriousness of the marine debris problem, all participants were happily engaged in picking up garbage.
Moving my body on the beach with a view of the sea naturally lifted my spirits.
▼After picking up garbage, all participants were smiling.
Lunch and Study Session at Minpaku "Zouiwatei"
We finished collecting marine debris at 12 o'clock, just in time for lunch.
We moved to Minpaku "Zouiwatei" on Rokukuchi Island and had lunch.
After eating, we will study the marine debris problem.
Enjoying the Bounty of Setouchi at Minpaku "Zouiwatei"
At Zouiwatei, they prepared seafood caught around Rokukuchi Island.
▼Sashimi of sea bream, amberjack, and squid.
The sea bream and amberjack had a refreshing taste and a soft texture that conveyed their freshness.
Additionally, we enjoyed pickled wakame and vegetable tempura harvested from Rokukuchi Island.
All of these are ingredients nurtured by the blessings of nature on Rokukuchi Island.
▼We all gathered around the table to enjoy the bounty of Setouchi.
Learning about the Marine Debris Problem in the Classroom
The first event after lunch was a study session on the marine debris problem.
By not only picking up marine debris but also learning about the realities of marine debris, we deepen our understanding of the issue.
About the Marine Debris Problem
The representative of green bird, who has been conducting beach cleanups all over the country, spoke about the current state of marine debris.
A multiple-choice quiz about marine debris was presented, and participants competed for the number of correct answers.
▼Participants shared their answers to the quiz and their opinions on the answers, and the study session progressed as everyone thought together.
A prize was prepared for the person with the most correct answers in the quiz.
It was a coaster made from plastic waste collected by green bird.
The quiz prepared by the representative of green bird alone did not determine the winner, and the four participants with the most correct answers remained.
▼The quiz created by elementary school students was used to compete for the winner.
By the way, the quiz created by elementary school students was about whether Momotaro, a character from a story told in Okayama Prefecture, was a person from Okayama or someone who came from outside Okayama.
All participants were scratching their heads over the answer to the quiz.
L'Occitane's Nature Conservation Activities
The cosmetics brand L'Occitane, which supports the Okayama Island Project, explained the background of the planning.
In addition to nature conservation activities, L'Occitane is engaged in six social contribution projects.
In June 2022, an online survey was conducted to choose the most agreeable project among the six.
As a result of the survey, out of about 20,000 responses, the most votes, 5,850, were for the activities of green bird.
In order to meet the expectations of those who supported us, we decided to hold the Okayama Island Project as one of our activities to protect nature.
L'Occitane gave all participants hand cream as a gift to show appreciation for their efforts in picking up garbage.
As the season changes to autumn, winter will soon arrive.
▼In the dry season, natural hand cream will surely come in handy.
After using my head for studying, I picked up trash
After getting tired from studying marine debris, I did some trash picking again.
This time, I will pick up trash on the sandy beach around the Elephant Rock Pavilion.
Resuming the beach clean
From a distance, the beach looks beautiful, but when you look closely at your feet, you can find small pieces of Styrofoam.
And among the lush vegetation surrounding the beach, there were empty cans and plastic bottles.
Although this was a place where we focused on trash picking during our activities in May, it seems that trash has washed up all over the island.
▼ By the way, the rock visible in the background of the photo is the nationally designated natural monument "Elephant Rock".
The granite has been eroded by the waves, resulting in a shape that looks like an elephant turning its back, which is why it is called Elephant Rock.
The beach where Elephant Rock is visible is usually a quiet place where only the gentle sound of the waves can be heard.
On this day, perhaps due to the wind, the surface of the water offshore was violently undulating, and the waves were crashing onto the beach with a loud sound.
The sunlight reflecting off the swaying waves sparkled, creating a beauty different from usual.
The changing beauty depending on the weather is one of the charms of nature.
▼ The group photo taken after finishing the trash picking was filled with smiles from a sense of accomplishment.
Bringing back learning and memories
After finishing the enjoyable experience on Rokukuchi Island, we boarded the boat to return to Kojima Tourist Port.
We boarded the boat by crossing the floating pier in the sea.
▼ Feeling tense on the unstable footing, we boarded the boat.
The boat leaving Rokukuchi Island for Kojima Tourist Port moved over calm waves, unlike the trip there.
Inside the gently swaying boat, many people were seen comfortably sleeping.
Perhaps the extraordinary experience on the island had used up more energy than usual.
▼ After stopping at Kojima Tourist Port, we took the last group photo.
In the second activity, we picked up more trash than in the first.
Despite having supposedly collected trash from the area once, it is clear that a lot of debris is floating in the sea.
Having conducted two activities, I have come to understand the seriousness of the marine debris problem.
The enjoyable memories from the extraordinary place of the island, knowledge about marine debris, and the trash we brought back marked the end of this Okayama Island Project.
Reflections on revisiting Rokukuchi Island
Through the second activity, I realized that a large amount of trash is drifting in the sea.
Some participants had joined both the first and second activities, and they were visibly surprised to see areas that had supposedly been cleaned months ago overflowing with trash.
It is said that the amount of trash flowing out from countries around the world each year exceeds the amount that can be collected by human hands.
Perhaps the significance of beach cleaning lies not in picking up trash, but in understanding the seriousness of the marine debris problem.
Changing the societal mechanisms that allow trash to flow out is the fundamental solution, and to create solutions, there needs to be a large number of people in society who are aware of the marine debris issue.
Through trash picking on the island, I hope that more people will feel a sense of crisis regarding the marine debris problem, leading to changes in the behavior of many people living in society.
And for that, continued activities are important.
I realized that companies like L'Occitane, which continue to engage in environmental protection activities, are important for society.
Okayama Island Project Data
| Name | Okayama Island Project |
|---|---|
| Date | Second event held on October 21, 2023. Held irregularly. |
| Location | 2670 Shimotsui, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture |
| Participation Fee (tax included) | 2,500 yen |
| Website | green bird |
