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This Friday is Micronesia Cleanup Day
As the Legislature mulls a bill that proposes to ban single-use plastic bags in the CNMI, the Commonwealth is taking yet another step toward cleaning its shores—this time, with the rest of the Micronesia island community—by joining a Micronesia-wide cleanup that’s happening this Friday, Sept. 13.
Last Friday, Gov. Ralph DLG Torres proclaimed Sept. 13, 2019, as Micronesia Cleanup Day, which calls for an islandwide cleanup this Friday, with activities to be done simultaneously on all Micronesian islands.
“I call on all people who call the Marianas home to join our government and private partners to clean up our beaches, villages, and our community. Together, we can create a cleaner Marianas and a sustainable Micronesia,” Torres said in the proclamation.
Recognizing that the increase of trash, on land and in the water, poses a great threat to the way of life on the islands, Torres, with the leaders of the Republic of Palau, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the U.S. territory of Guam, formed a pact that led to the Micronesia Cleanup Day declaration.
File photo shows Larry Maurin participating in a beach-side cleanup at the back of the TSL Plaza in Gaparan.
(IVA MAURIN)
“In the face of global climate change, all people in Micronesia are needed to come together to keep the environment healthy and clean,” the proclamation states.
The Micronesia Cleanup Day provides all communities within Micronesia the opportunity to come as a united people to protect the Pacific islands, to promote cleanliness, remove environmental waste, and make a stand against littering, pollution, and threats to the island way of life.
Government agencies and interested community partners can register to join the cleanup with the Bureau of Environmental and Coastal Quality at 664-8500.
