September 2018

STUDENTS HELP WITH MEGA BEACH CLEAN
By Ms Lucy
Dozens of students and members of staff from GIS took part
in a huge beach clean operation at Phala on September 14.
This was part of the International Coastal Cleanup Day,
which was on September 15. All over the world, people did
their bit to ensure our seas are trash-free.
Well done to all the students and staff who went down to
help fill so many bags of rubbish.
Many local community organisations joined together in the
'Fight for Trash Free Seas', which was organised through
the Ocean Conservancy Project with the help of the Phala
Community Organisation.
The rubbish around the pier area is particularly bad as the
construction of the pier does not allow the water to circulate
and pull the waste back to the ocean. This gives us an opportunity
to remove the trash before it re-enters the ocean. It
was a horrifying sight, and one that had quite an impact on
students, who were heard to say "I'm never using a plastic
straw again!"
Last year members of our school community helped to clean
the area 3 times and this year we are aiming to go every
couple of months.
If you would like to become involved with Phala Community
and to help out with the clean ups, please contact Ms Lucy
(l.howett@gardenrayong.com) for more information.
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