First-ever Micronesia Cleanup Day tomorrow

The CNMI government, together with community leaders and private partners, is set for the first-ever Micronesia Cleanup Day tomorrow, Sept. 13, 2019. 

During the 24th Micronesian Islands Forum last July, Gov. Ralph DLG Torres joined the leaders of the governments of the Republic of Palau, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the U.S. territory of Guam to address regional issues and challenges facing Micronesia.

The chief executives of these island governments recognized that the increase of trash on land and in waters pose a great threat to the islands’ way of life—harming marine life, contaminating unique natural resources, and hurting the viability of tourism industries.

This prompted the leaders to declare Sept. 13, 2019, as Micronesia Cleanup Day with islandwide cleanups and activities on all Micronesian islands.

“Micronesia Cleanup Day provides all communities within Micronesia the opportunity to come together as a united people to promote cleanliness, remove environmental waste, and make a stand against littering, pollution, and threats to our island way of life,” said Torres.

“Here on Saipan, Tinian, and Rota, we all understand the effects of climate change as we recover from two devastating typhoons. Protecting our environment means protecting our economy, our tourism, and our way of life. We must come together as one people and as one Micronesia to fight climate change on our islands,” Torres added.

Separately, Lt. Gov. Arnold I. Palacios said, “Our collective efforts as one Micronesia will promote environmental protection, create a more beautiful environment for our residents and visitors to enjoy, foster responsibility within our youth and collaboration across all sectors of our communities, and encourage everyone to work together to protect our beautiful islands in the Pacific.”

“This is the start of a greater movement for protecting our resources for future generations. Weather permitting, we encourage everyone who call the Marianas home to join us for this cleanup,” Palacios added. 

Government agencies, private businesses, and community organizations will be in designated areas all over Saipan, Tinian, and Rota collecting trash, cleaning up recreational sites, and making public areas safer for enjoyment.

The 2019 Micronesia Cleanup Day is organized by the CNMI Office of the Governor and the Bureau of Environmental and Coastal Quality in coordination with the Micronesian Islands Forum.

Interested residents and community groups can visit dcrm.gov.mp to register their organization, contact Jihan Younis at outreach@dcrm.gov.mp, or call 664-8300 for more information. (PR)