What do you do when the ocean is drowning in plastic and virtually screaming for help? That’s right: you get up and start spreading the message that we have to actively change the way we treat our beaches.

Fast Forward has been supporting the Eneco Clean Beach Cup for many years. This initiative organizes a massive beach cleaning event on the first spring Sunday of every year, in collaboration with all the Belgian surf clubs and a handful of towns in the Netherlands and France. Researchers estimate that about 14 million tons of waste disappear into our ocean every year, and a big part of that waste ends up on our beaches. Combining a walk on the beach with some spring cleaning confronts the participanst with the size of the problem.

The Eneco Clean Beach Cup has pleaded for prevention ever since 2010. The mass production of plastic is increasing drastically and the catastrophic consequences of this issue need little explaining.

This year’s edition (2019) will be the 10^thEneco Clean Beach Cup. On the 28^thof February we officially launched this campaign. We successfully caught the attention of the press by hijacking a coastal tram and travelled all the way from Ostend to De Haan with a bunch of journalists. The NorthSeaChefs spoiled our tram guests with delicious appetizers and freshly caught fish. But caution was required, because the food was presented in between plastic bottles. One hell of a metaphor for the fact that we don’t realize that harmful microplastics end up in our food as well, only a lot less visible. Somewhere along the way, a surfer got on the tram and started complaining about all the plastic in the waves. The final stop was an authentic tram shelter in De Haan, the perfect decor for the clarification of some very important environmental topics.

And because old habits die hard, we also wanted to include the kids in the fight against waste-filled oceans. That’s why you’ll find an animated movie about the topic in Flemish movie theaters, called ‘Urbanus: de Vuilnisheld’ (which translates to 'Urbanus, the Garbage Hero'). During the press event we revealed a unique drawing of the movie that will be auctioned off for the benefit of the Zeepreventorium.

Fast Forward has been the proud partner of the Eneco Clean Beach Cup for many, many years. We take care of the creative and logistical realization and all promotion for this event. The 2018 edition lured about 4000 participants to the beach, picking up a total of 5.5 tons of waste. Let’s beat that!

Daily efforts, however small, can contribute to a positive result and a real reduction in the amount of garbage we produce.

1. Pick up plastic and other waste during a walk. Bring a reusable bag and collect litter. Participate in the Eneco Clean Beach Cup on the first Sunday of spring.

2. Drink from a reusable water bottle or travel mug. It requires zero effort and it’s so much better for the environment.

3. Replace your shower gel by a block of soap that isn’t wrapped in plastic. You can find them in fun colors and different sizes.

4. Choose cardboard packaging over plastic. Plastic decays really slowly and is hard to recycle. Cardboard is generally speaking a lot easier to recycle.

5. Watch out for plastic packaging in the supermarket:

• Buy glass bottles and jars.
• Buy bigger pots of yoghurt instead of the many little ones.
• Buy cookies that aren’t individually wrapped and store them in a food box.
• Buy ecological cleaning products.