On a bright, hot Saturday morning 65 children gathered outside the offices of the Foundation of Goodness (FoG) to take part in the second annual beach clean along the Seenigama coast line.

While some kids might prefer cartoons or sleeping in, these young residents chose to help look after the beautiful beaches on their doorstep. And thanks to their enthusiasm and dedication, the day was a great success.

Armed with bags and lots of energy, the group – which included members of the Foundation’s Environment Committee and volunteers – spent three hours collecting waste from one km of coastline between the Seenigama Devol and Paralyia.

The environment is an integral part of a well functioning and sustainable community, and the Foundation of Goodness is dedicated to helping educate children about how they can look after the world around them.

The beach clean provided a fantastic opportunity not only to clear up the beach, but also for the participants to learn about their environment and what they can do to protect it – as well as providing a bit of fun along the way.

The children who took part were organised into groups to collect different types of waste material, such as paper, plastic and organic matter. This helped them learn about the different sorts of rubbish and what can be done with it to assist the environment, such as recycling and composting.

They also learnt about what happens to rubbish that is thrown carelessly into the natural environment, especially rivers and lakes, and the negative impact it has on wildlife and vegetation.

The beach clean signaled the start of FoG’s Environment Committee’s work for 2007, which looks set to be a busy year for the team as they introduce more ‘green’ initiatives in the community.

Following the success of the beach clean, they hope to organise other clean ups in surrounding areas such as Hikkaduwa, which will help to lift FoG’s profile as well as raising awareness of the environmental issues at stake.

They will also be organising ‘Green Teams’, environmentally focused youth groups who will look at ways to care for the unique eco-systems in the region.

For the children who gave up a Saturday morning to make their part of the world cleaner, the beach clean was a great step toward learning how caring for the environment can be fun as well as rewarding.

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For more information on the work of the Foundation of Goodness, see www.unconditionalcompassion.com.