Paws for a Purpose: Join the Fight Against Marine Litter in Akita with Our Innovative ‘Pick Up Trash While Walking Your Dog’ Campaign
The Akita Marine Litter Zero Project Executive Committee is collaborating with Akita Inu no Sato in Odate City, Akita Prefecture, to spread the new habit of “picking up litter while walking your dog” to many dog lovers with the aim of achieving zero marine litter. and dog lovers gathered together to hold the 5th “Picking up litter while walking your dog campaign in Odate” on Saturday, November 2, 2024.
This event will be held as part of the marine litter countermeasure project “Ocean and Japan Project – CHANGE FOR THE BLUE” promoted by the Nippon Foundation.
Event overview
・Event overview: Akita’s goal of zero marine litter! Proposal for new etiquette habits: “Picking up trash while walking your dog campaign in Odate”
・Date: Saturday, November 2, 2024
・Venue: Around Akita Inu no Sato, in front of Odate Station, in Odate City
・Number of participants: 36 dog lovers and 25 dogs (including: 10 Akita dogs)
・Cooperating organizations: Odate City, Akita Inu no Sato, Akita Inu Preservation Society, ABS Akita Broadcasting, etc.
25 pet dogs gathered at “Akita Inu no Sato”! Held an event to propose new etiquette habits
With the cooperation of the Odate City tourism exchange facility “Akita Inu no Sato,” we picked up trash in the center of Odate City with our beloved dogs. This event was held for the fifth time, and the number of participants was the highest ever, thanks to good weather. The cleanup activity, which took place in the center of Odate City with 36 participants wearing CHANGE FOR THE BLUE bibs and 25 dogs of various breeds, including 10 Akita dogs, attracted a lot of attention from passersby. Ta. I hope that by seeing this trash picking event with your dog, the habit of picking up any trash you see in addition to disposing of your dog’s poop to keep the city clean will become commonplace, and that the trash picking movement by walking your dog will spread. .
First appearance at the event! New trash picking item “Sanpei trash picking basket”
The first garbage pickup item that appeared at this event was the “Sanpei Garbage Pickup Basket,” which is designed with a picture of Sanpei, a fisherman, and is useful when picking up garbage while traveling over a wide area because there are few garbage bins. It is shaped like a backpack and can be used to store picked up trash or to temporarily collect full trash bags. Several members of the Sanpei Garbage Pickup Team carried their bags on their backs, collected the garbage the participants had picked up, collected the garbage bags that were full, and handed out new garbage bags, much to the delight of the participants.
“Voices from participants”
◆I participate every time, and I feel like the amount of garbage in the city is gradually decreasing.
◆This is my first time participating. The same goes for the dogs, but the interaction between the owners was also good. I will participate again.
◆I previously saw this trash pickup event from my car while walking my dog, and thought it looked interesting, so I decided to participate with my dog this time.
◆I learned that garbage littered in the city travels down rivers and becomes marine garbage. We need to reduce the amount of garbage from the city of Odate.
Organization name: Akita Marine Litter Zero Project Executive Committee
Activities: 70 to 80% of marine debris originates in cities, flows through inland rivers, and ends up in the ocean. We will focus on activities not only along the coast but also inland, calling for and encouraging the reduction of marine litter. By conducting these projects in collaboration with a wide variety of industries, we will be able to understand the current state of marine debris in Akita Prefecture and foster a mindset among more prefectural residents to value their hometown ocean.
CHANGE FOR THE BLUE
As part of the Nippon Foundation’s “Ocean and Japan Project,” the 2018 This is a project that has been underway since November.
We will work with stakeholders from industry, government, academia, and the public to create a marine litter reduction model and disseminate it domestically and internationally.
Nippon Foundation “Ocean and Japan Project”
The sea supports Japanese people’s lives in various ways, sometimes giving them peace of mind, excitement, and inspiration. This is an all-Japan project that aims to encourage people across the country, including children, to view the ongoing environmental deterioration of the ocean as their own, and to expand the circle of action to preserve the ocean for future generations. is.