Spurring an enthusiastic response from Bermuda primary schools, eight-year-old Samuel Bleeker took it upon himself to write a letter to Education Minister Dame Jennifer Smith requesting an “Adopt a Beach” program to be implemented on the island. Now, children have been eagerly participating in the beach clean-up projects. See excerpts with a link to the full article below:

Bermuda now has an “adopt-a-beach” programme, thanks to eight-year-old Samuel Bleeker. The East End Primary pupil has been commended by Education Minister Dame Jennifer Smith.

Samuel said he noticed the scheme about three weeks ago while researching tide pools for school. “I was looking online for my science project. I saw science projects for kids, and I found adopt-a-beach.” His mother, Claire Bleeker, recalled: “One of the sites that came up was adopt-a-beach, and he turned around and said, ‘Mummy, why can’t we do that?’”

Adopt-a-beach programmes call for groups to pick a beach or stretch of shoreline for litter removal and maintenance. At his mother’s suggestion, Samuel said, “I wrote to Dame Jennifer and I wrote to Keep Bermuda Beautiful.” Last week, Mrs Bleeker got a phone call from the Ministry of Education inviting her and Samuel to visit the House of Assembly, to hear the Minister say that public primary schools would be encouraged to adopt a beach.

[. . .] An Education Ministry spokeswoman said: “The response from schools has been astounding, with a large majority of schools agreeing to take on a beach.”

For original article, see http://bermudasun.bm/Main.asp?SectionID=24&SubSectionID=898&ArticleID=50789

Also see http://www.adoptabeach.com and http://www.mcsuk.org/what_we_do/Clean+seas+and+beaches/Beachwatch/Beachwatch