TIPS

We ran our own beach clean; here’s how it went!

by Daniel Steele

October 24, 2021

At eola, we want to contribute to positive change in the world, and use our platform to support environmental and social causes. In line with this, as part of our recent company trip to Newquay, we decided to host our own miniature beach clean on Fistral Beach, one of the UK’s best surfing spots.

As experience providers, our amazing partners depend upon their environments being pristine. We share their passion for a cleaner, greener planet, and plan to invest heavily in the coming months in more environmental projects, including further litter picking initiatives. At our Fistral Beach clean up, it was invigorating to discover just how much of a difference a small team can make in a short time.

Read on to find out how it went!

How did we plan it?

As part of our beach clean, we adopted a ‘leave no trace’ policy. We wanted to ensure that we left the environment in the state that we found it. Minus any litter, of course. We also made sure not to disturb any wildlife we encountered, and to avoid disrupting holidaymakers and other beachgoers.

“We followed the beach cleaning safety guidelines provided by Surfers Against Sewage when planning our beach clean,” said marketing team member Joanna, who helped organise the clean-up.

“The most important pieces of equipment were litter pickers and cut-resistant gloves for the whole team. We had two first aid kits on hand and, of course, we used bin bags to dispose of the litter we picked.”

What did we find?

In just under an hour, we managed to fill three full bin bags with rubbish!

Most of the litter we picked came in the form of small pieces of plastic wrapping material, the kind used to store chocolate bars or biscuits. We also found plenty of metal bottle tops, aluminium cans and cigarette butts, as well as pieces of fast food packaging.

eola fistral beach clean — Freya throwing a shaka

One thing that really stood out to the team was how each of these pieces of litter felt insignificant on its own.

“At first, we were picking up a small bit of plastic here, a cigarette butt there,” said Emmanuel, our partner success specialist. “But once we got to the end of the beach and totted up all the rubbish we’d collected as a team, it felt like so much more.”

Product designer Martin agreed. “If you saw three bin bags of rubbish just lying in the middle of one of the most popular beaches in the country, you’d think it was a disaster,” he said. “When it’s all spread out, it’s easy not to notice it.”

eola emmanuel and jamie — Emmanuel and Martin on Fistral Beach

What did we learn?

Our main takeaway from this event was the difference that individuals can make when working together.

"Bringing the whole team together to find litter and help keep Cornwall's beautiful coastline clean was a delight,” said Joanna. "It was great to be following the example of so many amazing organisations who maintain our beaches and waterways, and it was so wonderful doing this as part of a team.”

“There's something about doing a beach clean that makes you feel proud,” Emmanuel reflected. “Being able to make the beach a cleaner and safer place put a huge smile on my face.”

We also learned that Mark, one of our React developers, is an absolute litter-picking machine.

eola beach clean mark — Mark with his hoard

“This is very much the beginning for eola’s environmental initiatives,” said eola CEO and co-founder Callum. “As we look ahead to 2022, we have big things on the horizon. We can’t wait to work with our partners, other organisations, and communities around the country to help make the world a little bit better for everyone.”

eola co-founders dan and callum — eola co-founders Callum and Dan

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