Oath to the Ocean: A Commitment to Marine Conservation

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In Hualien County, at Yichang Elementary School, our commitment to ocean conservation began four years ago. Living by the beautiful Pacific Ocean, we deeply value the marine environment, recognizing both its beauty and its challenges. Our students have engaged in various ocean-related tasks over the years, focusing particularly on the issue of marine waste in recent years. With the support of over forty special education students, including gifted and physically challenged learners, we have successfully implemented numerous plastic reduction initiatives. Our hope is for more individuals to recognize and address marine issues, allowing our ocean mother to cease her tears, and for marine life to thrive once more.

The concept of reducing plastic waste is widely understood, yet few take tangible action. Thus, our approach requires sustained efforts and an expanded outreach. We have structured our initiatives into three distinct phases. The first phase focuses on “Feeling, Experiencing, and Sharing,” where we engage participants in identifying plastic waste on our beaches, conducting a 21-day plastic reduction challenge, and organizing a plastic-free market at our school to showcase the beauty of reducing plastic usage. The second phase emphasizes comprehensive outreach, expanding our efforts beyond the school to engage community members and tourists in understanding the hazards of plastic pollution. The third phase, currently underway, aims to consolidate our impact by extending our initiatives to surrounding communities and collaborating with local resources to implement effective plastic reduction measures.

Throughout these actions, our students are the primary planners and executors, establishing goals and determining methods for each phase. They lead beach cleanups, participate in plastic-free experiences, and organize awareness campaigns. Our classroom structure encourages mixed-age teamwork, allowing older students to mentor younger ones in their missions. Through these experiences, we aim to inspire a sense of responsibility and action among our students, ensuring they understand that their small efforts can lead to significant environmental changes. By promoting the idea that "seeing a problem means taking immediate action," we strive to nurture a generation that champions the protection of our oceans.