Beaches are not just for leisure; they are vital ecosystems supporting a plethora of marine life. To protect and restore these natural treasures, beach cleaning exercises have become increasingly important. In light of this, TotalEnergies Marketing Ghana PLC in partnership with United Way Ghana and Ecozoil Limited, a leading waste management service in Ghana joined efforts on Friday, September 15, 2023, to undertake a beach clean-up and sensitization exercise at Eyipe Beach in Winneba to mark International Coastal Clean- up Day.
This project aimed to create public awareness of the importance of beach conservation, plastic pollution, and its impact on marine life. The exercise also sought to inculcate a culture of beach cleaning in the residents to ensure a sustainable environment.
This initiative forms part of TotalEnergies Marketing Ghana Plc and United Way Ghana’s efforts to promote United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 6 – Clean Water and Sanitation, SDG – 11, Sustainable Cities and Communities, SDG 13 – Climate Action, SDG 14 – Life Below Water, and SDG 17 – Partnership For The Goals.
About 120 employees from TotalEnergies Marketing Ghana Plc, joined over 80 community members and 8 sanitation officers from the Efutu-West Municipal Assembly to clean a 3 km stretch of beach at Eyipe, Winneba and also educated over 100 community members, including market women and fisherfolk on the relevance of preserving our beaches and our environment.
After the clean-up exercise, about 11 tonnes of waste was gathered from the beach. The community also received a donation of ten (10) 240 liter bins from TotalEnergies Marketing Ghana Plc, to ensure proper waste disposal at and around the beach.
Mr. George Lawerh, MAESTRO Manager at TotalEnergies Marketing Ghana Plc reiterated the need to clean our beaches. “We hope that the people of Winneba take up the habit of keeping the environment clean because the beaches are a key component of our environment. This initiative forms part of TotalEnergies Marketing Ghana Plc’s Action! program where we help the communities in which we operate by giving back as part of our corporate social responsibility initiatives”, he said.
Executive Director at United Way Ghana, Mr. Felix Kissiedu – Addi in his remarks said “This partnership with TotalEnergies Marketing Ghana Plc is in line with United Way Ghana’s mantra of mobilizing the power of community where we look at coming together with other partners in our communities to improve the environment. We are hoping that the activities that have happened here today; the beach cleaning exercise and the sensitization have provided a clear message to the people and will lead to a positive behaviour change in the Winneba community in terms of practising cleanliness at our beaches”.
The Assemblyman for Eyipe Electoral Area, Hon. Kofi Kum, expressed his appreciation to United Way Ghana and TotalEnergies Marketing Ghana Plc for this intervention. “The beach cleaning exercise began here as early as 6:00 a.m. Massive work has been done on our beach and a lot of waste has been collected, leaving our beach very clean. We are very grateful to United Way Ghana and TotalEnergies Marketing Ghana, Plc for collaborating to clean our beaches”. He also added that the community was committed to cleaning their beaches, following the education that they had received on the importance of promoting sustainable beaches and the environment.
TotalEnergies Marketing Ghana PLC is part of the global TotalEnergies Group, which is the fourth largest publicly-traded integrated international multi-energy company that produces and supplies energies: gasoline and biofuels, natural gas and green gases, renewables and electricity.. Active in more than 130 countries, TotalEnergies places sustainable development in all its dimensions at the heart of its strategy, projects and operations to contribute to people’s well-being.
United Way Ghana is a member of the United Way Worldwide Network the largest privately-funded non-profit in the world working variously in over 1,100 communities and over 37 countries. United Way focuses on Education, Health and Economic Empowerment; the building blocks for ensuring a resilient community and creating social impact in the local communities.
We envision a society where every person is empowered to lead an informed, healthy and productive life by fighting for the education, health and financial stability of people in under-deserved communities in Ghana.