In partnership with the GoGC members from the Ministry of Women Communities and Social Development (MWCSD) and Samoa Tourism Authority (STA), three (3) city, river and community clean-up activities were organized, marketed and carried out before the start of the Pacific Games. As facilitators of the Government’s National Beautification Program (NBP), the MWCSD and STA assisted in leveraging the NBP with the clean-up events in order to increase capacity and sustainability to align with the governments’ mandate for a clean and beautiful Samoa in time for the Games to begin. The clean-ups events resulted in over 1,500 citizen volunteers taking part clean-up activities including post event sausage sizzle, ‘green’ games and an environmental messaging / awareness tent. Articles and Interviews across TV, radio, and print helped increase attendance and awareness.
1st Clean-Up, 25 May 2019
(Apia, Samoa, May 27) Demonstrating “One in Spirit”, over 1,000 volunteers came together to clean-up the rivers of Apia on 25 May before the Samoa Independence Celebrations.
The initiative saw 18,624 kilos of rubbish removed from the Fuluasou, Gasegase, Loimata o Apaula River (Mulivai), and Vaisigano Rivers. This included an estimated 3,713 sanitary items such as tissues and nappies, an estimated 7,738 plastic bottles, and eventually a wrecked car.
“These clean-ups, and the embrace of a beautiful and plastic free Samoa, is creating a legacy Samoans can be proud of,” said Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE) of Samoa, Chief Executive Officer Ulu Crawley.
MNRE, with support from the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), the Samoa Recycling & Waste Management Association (SRWMA) conducted the event. The volunteers demonstrated a strong commitment to keeping Samoa beautiful and plastic free by gathering at Malaefatu Park at 6:30 a.m. Teams were assembled and assigned a river. Then volunteers, armed with old flour sacks and gloves, grappled with rubbish for hours. The work of the volunteers has made Apia, and Samoa, a better place. After volunteers collected the rubbish, it was transported to Malaefatu Park. Volunteers then sorted and catalogued a sample of the waste. Japanese Technical Cooperation Project for Promotion Initiative on Solid Waste Management (J-PRISM2) and SPREP helped plan, manage and execute the waste audit and the JPRISM team were active in the day’s events.
Community spirit was also clear with the support of local businesses who helped to make the clean-up possible - Frankie’s Supermarket, Coffee Bean, Lynn’s Supermarket, Myna's Mini Mart and Bakery, Samoa Breweries Ltd, and Kangen Water provided assistance which helped make the event a success. “Samoa is taking great strides to help make the island nation a clean and healthy one for her people,” said Mr Anthony Talouli, the Marine Pollution Advisor of SPREP. “Showing leadership through banning single-use plastic bags at the start of this year, Samoa continues to lead by example having committed to Greening the Samoa 2019 Pacific Games this year. The commitment of people to this initial clean-up is further demonstration of Samoa leading by example.”
Saturday’s event served as the first of three clean-ups scheduled by MNRE in line with the “Beautiful Samoa, keep it clean and plastic free” campaign as part of the Greening of the Samoa 2019 Pacific Games. The next will take place on 8 June as part of the World Ocean Day commemorations and then once more again on 29 before the start of the Samoa 2019 Pacific Games.
The campaign aims to reduce the plastics that are polluting our water ways, oceans, and villages and is done in partnership through the Greening of the Games Committee which consists of members from MNRE, SPREP , the Pacific Games Office, the Ministry of Women Community and Social Development, the Samoa Tourism Authority, the Japanese Technical Cooperation Project for Promotion Initiative on Solid Waste Management (J-PRISM2), the Ministry of Education Sports and Culture, and the Samoa Recycling & Waste Management Association.
2nd Clean-Up, 11 June 2019
(Apia, Samoa, June 11) Again demonstrating “One in Spirit”, over 400 volunteers came together to clean-up the Apia waterfront on 8 June to mark World Oceans Day.
The initiative saw volunteers clean about 3 kilometres of the Apia waterfront, from the Mulinu’u Peninsula to the Vaisigano Bridge. Volunteers also cleaned the villages Matautu, Moata’a, Vaiala, and Vaipuna.
Rubbish removed from the waterfront included lost flip-flops, broken bottles, and even a derelict refrigerator.
“The continued engagement with these clean-ups speaks to Samoa’s commitment to keeping Samoa beautiful and plastic free,” said Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE) of Samoa, Chief Executive Officer Ulu Bismarck Crawley. “We are pleased by the show of support from our fellow government ministries, our private sector, our communities and our people that have stepped up to show their support in partnership with us all, to keep Samoa Beautiful, clean and plastic free. Samoa has a great dedication to its future, and to its traditional culture.”
The Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment (MNRE) of Samoa, with support from the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), the Samoa Recycling & Waste Management Association (SRWMA) conducted the event.
The volunteers demonstrated a strong commitment to keeping Samoa beautiful and plastic free by gathering at Malaefatu Park starting at 7 a.m. Teams were assembled and assigned a zone. Then volunteers, armed with old flour sacks and gloves, spent hours pulling rubbish from the waterfront. The work of the volunteers has made Apia, and Samoa, a cleaner place. The rubbish was transported to the Tafaigata landfill, where it was weighed, after volunteers collected it.
Community spirit was also clear with the support of local businesses who helped to make the clean-up possible - Frankie’s Supermarket, Coffee Bean, Lynn’s Supermarket, Myna's Mini Mart and Bakery, Samoa Breweries Ltd, and Kangen Water provided assistance which helped make the event a success.
“Samoa is showing it is “One in Spirit” through the myriad of partners and volunteers who have stepped up and offered their support to make these clean-up activities a success,” said Director General of SPREP, Mr Kosi Latu.
“This is about more than preparing for the games this year. The strong show of support from our people and community is enhancing the legacy that Samoa can be proud of.”
The June 8 event served as the second of three clean-ups scheduled by MNRE and in line with the “Beautiful Samoa, keep it clean and plastic free” campaign as part of the Greening of the Samoa 2019 Pacific Games. The final clean-up will be on 29 June, shortly before the start of the Samoa 2019 Pacific Games.
The campaign aims to reduce the plastics that are polluting our water ways, oceans, and villages and is done in partnership through the Greening of the Games Committee which consists of members from MNRE, SPREP , the Pacific Games Office, the Ministry of Women Community and Social Development, the Samoa Tourism Authority, the Japanese Technical Cooperation Project for Promotion Initiative on Solid Waste Management (J-PRISM2), the Ministry of Education Sports and Culture, and the Samoa Recycling & Waste Management Association.
3rd Clean-Up, 29 June 2019
29 June, Apia, Samoa – More than 1,000 Samoans demonstrated “One in Spirit” before the Samoa 2019 Pacific Games by participating in a nation-wide clean-up. These Samoans worked to present the best of their nation to the world for the games and removed hundreds of kilos of waste and rubbish.
Saturday, June 29, saw a clean-up of the Fuluasou, Gasegase, Loimata o Apaula River (Mulivai), and the Vaisigano Rivers, the Apai waterfront, the Faleata Sports Complex, and other locations across Upolu and Savaiʻi.
Volunteers gathered at Malaefatu Park at 7 a.m. Teams of people assembled, were provided with bags for collecting rubbish, and then rolled out to an assigned area. They spent hours cleaning, and improving, Samoa.
After the clean-up, all volunteers and community members who participate enjoyed music, fun games and activities, as well as a free sausage sizzle at Malaefatu Park.
The Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment (MNRE) of Samoa organised, and the United Nations Environment Programme funded, the event. SPREP, the Samoa Recycling & Waste Management Association (SRWMA), and the Ministry of Women Community and Social Development, also supported the clean-up.
The overall campaign aims to reduce the plastics that are polluting our water ways, ocean, and villages and is done in partnership through the Greening of the Games Committee which consists of members from MNRE, the Pacific Games Office, the Ministry of Women Community and Social Development, the Samoa Tourism Authority, the Japanese Technical Cooperation Project for Promotion Initiative on Solid Waste Management (J-PRISM2), the Ministry of Education Sports and Culture, the Samoa Recycling & Waste Management Association, and SPREP.