The ocean is choking on plastic waste. It is hard to imagine the amount of plastic trash that is washing up on the coastlines of Taiwan. Although the global awareness about plastic waste reduction is on the rise, we still cannot completely stop using bottled water and plastic bags. It is only through walking on the beach, bending down, and picking up the plastic garbage one by one can we truly understand the urgency of ocean conservation. Taking advantage of the Double Tenth Long Weekend, the North EMBA Alumni Association (NEAA), National Sun Yat-Sen University called on the alumni from 14 classes, Class of APEMBA 96 through 109, gathering a total of 137 alumni and their family members to visit Zhouziwan beach on the north coast of Taiwan and join the beach cleanup effort. Under the leadership of three professors, EMBA CEO Lin Hao-chieh, APEMBA Class Teacher Wu Wei-ning, and CSEMBA Class Teacher Cheng An-shou, all the participants rolled up their sleeves to clean the beach, contributing to the conservation of marine ecology and the earth.

 

After one afternoon of hard work, a total of 1.2 tons of marine debris that filled up over 60 large bags were picked up. The majority of the garbage were PET bottles, plastic bags, straws, beverage cans, and others. In addition, there were even a tire and a trawl that could only be carried and moved out of the sea by ten strong men. The joint efforts of Honorary Chairman of NEAA Chen Zhao-liang, the faculty members and alumni of the AP Class restored Zhouziwan Beach. After the beach cleanup event, the North EMBA Alumni Association arranged for the participants to visit the famous photo spot, "Tamsui Manor", and offered everyone a smartphone photography class. The owner of Tamsui Manor Lee Cheng-chuan is an alumnus of Class of AP102 and has been running Tamsui Manor for eight years. Besides driving the local tourist flow, he is also committed to maintaining the cleanliness of the coastline, environmental protection, and land regeneration. He has even adopted Zhouziwan Beach.

 

Chairman of NEAA Wang Jing-yang planned a secret fireworks show by the beach after the sun set, drawing a pleasant end to the cleanup event. The beach cleanup event and the visit to Tamsui Manor were not only filled with laughter, but also extremely educational, winning the applause of the EMBA alumni, the faculty members, and the family members. In the future, the North EMBA Alumni Association will continue to arrange various activities in the spirit of "fun and giving back to the society", while passing on the concept of the outstanding service by the North EMBA Alumni Association and building friendships among the alumni, in order for the alumni and their family members to enjoy the activities as much as possible.