Dinos vs Humans: Epic beach cleaning battle stirs Shimane

In a fiercely competitive and fun-filled event, the “Sea and Japan Project in Shimane” stirred the sands of the Furaura beach on May 27th. The epic face-off titled “Cleanliness Saurus VS Clean-Loving Humans: The Furaura Beach Cleaning Battle!” was not only an engaging spectacle but also a campaign promoting wider participation in marine debris cleanup.

The backstory of the battle had the humorously personified Cleanliness Saurus herd landing on Furaura Beach, irked by the escalating marine pollution. They claimed they could no longer trust humans to take care of Shimane’s beautiful coastline and decided to take matters into their own claws. But, fear not, our Clean-Loving Human team was up for the challenge!

In what could be a first in the annals of the Earth, the beach cleaning event saw participants split into two teams – the Cleanliness Saurus team, and the Clean-Loving Humans team. A total of 76 enthusiastic environmental warriors (30 T-Rexes and 46 humans) attended the event. Organizations such as Matsue City Environmental Energy Department and the Japan Tyrannosaurus Preservation Society lent their support to the cause.

The event proved that age or location doesn’t limit the spirit of environmentalism, as participants ranged from 6 to 70 years old, hailing from diverse regions like Shimane, Tottori, Hiroshima, Okayama, Hyogo, and Osaka. What’s more, many picked up marine debris for the first time, all while recording a year-high temperature of 29℃ in Matsue City!

After an intense, 50-minute tussle between the teams, the Cleanliness Saurus, with 176 points (88 bags), claimed victory over the humans, who managed 123 points (123 bags). Though the humans fell just short, their efforts were applauded by all. The highlight of the day was the fan-favorite “fan race,” where T-Rex and Humans together dashed across the now-sparkling sandy beach. Participants left with high spirits, expressing interest in joining future events and calling for more innovative and engaging cleanup initiatives.

The Sea and Japan Project in Shimane and the city of Matsue are already gearing up to plan new marine debris pickup events, with this successful collaboration being part of the upcoming “Environment Capital Matsue Marine Debris Zero Project” in fiscal 2023. Looking forward to more exciting battles, all in the name of keeping our oceans clean!