"Do you know that in our Changi beach, there were 50 kilograms of plastic and waste lying around the beach? Look at this picture I had taken. Is it this place you want to go to enjoy? Think about it. Are you one of the causes of this litter?" I questioned in front of my entire school. Their eyes widened in shock and they froze, staring at the screen. Surely, the students were stupefied and speechless. There was pin-drop silence. I was here on the stage, sharing with them the eye-opening experience that I had had a few days back at the Changi Beach. What was planned as a leisure time activity became a learning experience for me.
The sea shimmered under the sun like a sheet of sparkling glass. Wind brushed past my cheeks, carrying a scent of salt and sea. I was at the Changi Beach, with my friends, to celebrate my birthday. What was planned to be a birthday celebration, turned into an eye-opening experience for many.
I was standing at the edge of the sea, enjoying the waves lap over my legs onto the shore. The three-year-old girl next to me was doing so too. Suddenly, a raw sound of fear and panic pierced through the air. It was the little girl, giving a blood-curdling shriek, "Mother, a plastic bag is strangling my legs," as she ran to her mother in the speed of lightning. To my utter surprise, right after that, a middle-aged woman threw a plastic bottle into the sea! My jaw hung agape as I stood there in awkward silence.
That was when I observed what was around me - plastic bottles, wrappers, covers floating in the water and crushed bottles lying around in the sand.
Not being able to accept that a beach had turned into a dustbin, I grabbed a large garage bag from my bag and fished out a pair of tongs. One-by-one, I picked up the bottles and wrappers lying around in the sand. I recalled that warm grains of sand would slip between my toes when I was little, but now, only plastic bits and wrappers were slipping between my toes. It was not only the sand, but it was also the sea with different types of food, plastic and dirt like a messy battlefield.
"Sammy! why are you cleaning those? It’s your birthday. There are more meaningful ways to spend it," my friends exclaimed. Refusing defiantly, I explained that the beach was a place to enjoy, and not one to look away with disgust. Seeing the determination burning in me to clean the beach up, people also started helping me. My friends understood what I had explained and agreed to help too! As I was cleaning up, I felt a sense of satisfaction and fulfilment as if I was giving back to the society. At the end of the clean-up, it was already 7pm! We all measured how much the dirt, plastic, other things weighed. Fifty kilograms! Looking at the number, I felt as if my eyes were playing a trick on me. Who knew that we, humans could cause so much damage? I was appalled.
A lump formed in my throat and embarrassment stained my cheeks red, seeing how bad humans were treating nature. I started recalling how many times my teachers emphasised keeping the beach and public places clean and felt guilty for rolling my eyes at them. Certainly, doing this clean-up was an eye-opening experience for me. I had never known that fifty kilograms of litter would be found at a beach.
A tap on my shoulder brought me back to reality. The bright lights momentarily blinded me, as I ended my presentation. "Thank you for listening. This is our country, so we need to care for it. Please do not litter any more. Most importantly, never take nature granted," I exclaimed. I would never forget what I had seen - bags and bags of litter! Definitely, this has made a profound impact on me, and it will stay etched in my heart forever. I made a vow to myself to never litter ever again too!
