The country’s most active environmental advocacy group has achieved many things since their founding in January 2009, such as collecting 16,299 kilograms of waste in 31 cleanup sessions as of November 2015.
However, the Beach Bunch is about more than just cleanups; the organisation has put in place and is delivering a number of other initiatives to help build a greener future for Brunei – through their 4 values:
- EDUCATION: with the objective of creating or enhancing both general and coastal environmental knowledge, which involves engaging with volunteers throutgh several activities.
- CONSERVATION: an effort that creates awareness on the coastal wildlife (including the sea turtles, migratory seabirds, sea snakes and crabs) as well as their existence with the beach.
- HEALTH & FITNESS: encouraging anyone interested in health & fitness to participate in the Beach Trail Challenge.
- LIFE SAVING: collaborating with Surf Life Saving Australia (SLSA) who are renowned for their lifesaving program. SLSA will be training our locals to be qualified and competent lifeguards and provide those services on the beach.
On the education side of things, the group has done presentations for schools, community groups and corporate events to shed light on the effects of rubbish on the coastal environment. They also managed to organise large scale volunteer cleanups including a river cleanup and more recently, an island cleanup.
By using a strategy that combines practical cleaning campaigns alongside an awareness programme, the organisation believes it will create a stronger sense of awareness on the littering problem and empower anyone to make a change locally that will have a positive effect globally.
If you want to be a part of their cause, you can find out more at beachbunch.net or
facebook.com/beach.bunch