Project Description:

Team Project268 focuses on addressing pollution along the North-East coastline of Antigua, which threatens local wildlife both on land and in the sea. The accumulation of debris not only mars the beautiful white sandy beaches but also damages coral reefs and disrupts marine ecosystems.

Our project began by presenting to various classes in our school highlighting our project goal, explaining regional and global impacts on coastline pollution, and actionable steps to prevent these issues. Additionally, informative posters were posted on social media, and around our school and the country to further amplify our message.

Our project continued when we organized a field trip for Island Academy’s Grade 9 class to Fort James Beach. This trip included an impressive and massive haul of 21 trash bags filled with plastic and other harmful materials that were very damaging to the environment. We were able to make a forceful start in combating coastline pollution in Antigua and Barbuda, through an extremely successful beach cleanup, and the donation of trash bins on Fort James Beach – one of the most polluted areas by both tourists and locals. Furthermore, our awareness campaigning was successful to not only our school community but to the rest of the country too.

We plan to continue spreading awareness and potential solutions to this ongoing issue. In the future, we hope to extend our education campaign into other schools in Antigua and Barbuda and work with local authorities to help manage beach and coastline health.