Educational Beach Cleanup by ICPAC

In the occasion of celebration of “World Environment Day”, the Corporate Social Responsibility Committee of the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Cyprus (ICPAC) in collaboration with Let's do it Cyprus, Pervolia Community Council of as well as Larnaka District Administration, proceeded with cleaning of Faros beach at Pervolia, which is one of the most beautiful beaches in Cyprus.

The total attendants were 100 people, from 5 to 88 years old, who collected garbage which was recycled or disposed of appropriately, promoting volunteerism and environmental awareness. Certificate of Achievement was provided to all participants.

ICPAC pioneered in the cleanup, as it organized an Ιnteractive Seminar at the beach, where participants, young and old, were asked to find actions to achieve the 17 Sustainable Development Goals which relate to a healthy planet, as well as to world that is fairer, more peaceful, and prosperous. The 17 Sustainable Development Goals are the world’s best plan to build a better world for people and our planet by 2030.

The Instructor of the Seminar, Mr. Panos Demetriou, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility at Let's do it Cyprus, said that this event encourages us to look at the future with optimism and that Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainable Development are concepts that are now more important than ever. The planet, the economy, businesses, and we as a “society,” need to understand that the Social Responsibility and the Sustainable Development are the keys for a cleaner and more beautiful environment. He pointed out that it is for this reason that the European Union recognized the necessity of disclosure of non-financial information by companies, according to the guidelines of the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive.

It is noteworthy that the participants were also trained in safety rules at the beach by Mrs. Fotini Stampolidou, lifeguard trainer at Larnaka Lifeguard Club. She pointed out rules such as, do not swim alone in the sea, do not dive into cloudy and unknown waters, do not pass the buoys that define the swimming zone, enter the water at least 3 hours after your last meal, do not push or immerse others in the water, consume plenty of fluids, staying in a shady place is important.

Mrs. Konstantina Achilleos, Communication Officer at ICPAC, said that it is remarkable that last year's ICPAC beach cleanup, was selected for a Pancyprian award by Let’s do it Cyprus, which is part of Let’s do it World campaign, a global cleanup campaign that aims to rid of rubbish from the natural areas of the world. She further noted that for ICPAC, actions such as this event are a priority and will continue in the future. Finally, she stated that this specific action has become an institution and will be extended to other areas of Cyprus, with the support of the Corporate Social Responsibility committee of ICPAC.

Mrs. Chryso Photiou, member of Pervolia Community Council and member of the Cultural Committee, stated that she is proud that Pervolia Beach has been awarded for the eleventh consecutive year with the Blue Flag award. The Blue Flag is an international symbol for beaches that meet certain standards for safety, cleanliness, and environmental awareness.

Mrs. Marlen Kakouridou, representative of KEAN company, said that she is impressed by the fact that young children participate at the event, who are taught from an early age the values of caring and voluntarism, as well as elderly people, who feel that even in an old age, can contribute to the protection of the environment.

Aiming to be a fun awareness day, the beautiful event was combined with Zumba dance, which the children really enjoyed. To end with, i would like to refer to the messages of Mr. António Guterres, Secretary General of United Nations, regarding the World Environment Day as well as the International Day of Zero Waste. The planet is our only home, we have only one earth. Pollution is responsible for approximately 9 million premature deaths each year. More than 1 million plant and animal species risk extinction, many within decades.

Every year, over 400 million tons of plastic is produced worldwide, one third of which is used just once. Every day, the equivalent of over 2000 garbage trucks full of plastic is dumped into our oceans, rivers, and lakes. The consequences are catastrophic. If present trends continue, by 2050 our oceans will have more plastic than fish. We should eliminate the use of plastic, reuse and recycle it.

It is time to cleanup our world and make progress towards circular, zero-waste economies. History has shown what can be achieved when we work together and put the planet first. Together we can ensure that our planet not only survives, but thrives. Businesses need to put sustainability at the heart of their decision-making for the sake of humanity and their own bottom line. A healthy planet is the backbone of nearly every industry on Earth.