2024.07.01

“Beach Cleanup × Learning” event held with Student SDGs Promoters

On Saturday, June 8, a “Beach Cleanup x Learning” event was held at Gomoto Beach in Nagaoka City as part of our activities to promote and raise awareness of the SDGs among the general public.

This was the fourth cleanup event held by our university in cooperation with Teradomari Youth Group ~Hane~. The idea behind the event was to learn about the ocean, science, and engineering while cleaning the beach. In addition to participants from the University, mainly student SDGs Promoters, the event was attended by people from the National Institute of Technology, Nagaoka College and local residents. Participation was high, with about 40 people in attendance.

On the day of the event, following an explanation of the work to be done provided by Mr. Kimura, a representative of Hane, the participants picked up trash on the beach, separating it according to local trash disposal rules. In addition to plastic bottles and other plastic products, the participants also collected microplastics (pieces of plastic under 5mm in size that have broken down as a result of exposure to ultraviolet rays and waves).

After the beach cleanup, the participants learned about the ocean, science, engineering, and manufacturing through hands-on activities, such as an experiment demonstrating how to make iron from iron sand and an activity that involved creating accessories using microplastics. Creating accessories using microplastics is one of our university’s initiatives to raise awareness of the importance of reducing and eliminating waste, and to provide participants with the opportunity to experience upcycling (i.e., converting waste into something more valuable than the original product). The participants looked on with great interest as iron was being produced and enjoyed learning about the SDGs while skillfully arranging microplastics of various colors and shapes to create accessories.

Going forward, we will continue to plan SDGs-related events and seminars and conduct activities to promote and raise awareness of the SDGs in cooperation with various organizations and local residents. We appreciate your continued understanding and support of our university’s SDGs activities.