Social Justice
Meet the Kiwi who cycled the Philippines coast to advocate for a plastic-free nation.
Tackling plastics in the Philippines
It was in 2015, after realising the massive effects of plastic pollution on marine life in the Philippines, that Kiwi civil engineer Anna Dawson decided to embark on a new journey. Since then, she has cycled 2000km along the Philippines coast to promote awareness about the threat of plastic on human and ocean health— no mean feat for the mother of a now one-year-old son.
Under Dawson’s guidance, thousands of volunteers came together from around the country to unite for the cause. Over the course of the journey, they joined forces to collect hundreds of sacks of plastic and to use their expedition as a platform to encourage the need for discussions on reducing plastic.
“The key message was to reduce, reduce, reduce single plastic consumption. We each have the power to make a difference,” she says.
On each leg of her journey, she delivered this message to hundreds of business owners and students. Dozens of people from around the Philippines who believe in her activism also turned up to show their support, many of whom have been busy playing their own role in preserving the environment. Rear Admiral Gerry Reyes PCGA (Philippine Coast Guard Auxiliary), the country manager for the International Coast Cleanup (ICC) Philippines, is one such person: “By 2050, scientists predict [that] there will be more plastic in the oceans than fish. This is a threat not only to marine life, but also to us. Plastic is now entering our food chain and we don’t fully understand the effects of this,” Reyes says.
For Dawson, one of the highlights of the cycle tour was a clean-up in Manila Bay, facilitated with the help of local organisations. “Beach clean-ups are nothing new,” she says. “The Philippines had the biggest turnout in the world for International Coastal Cleanup Day in 2015; that’s amazing. However, beyond this we really have to focus on how to reduce plastic usage.” After 20,000 plastic straws were collected during the clean-up marathon event, Dawson was inspired to work on banning straws around the country in 2017. She is now in the process of making Plastic Free Philippines a formal NGO to tackle plastic pollution at its source.
“I’m committed to working on this global issue in New Zealand and the Philippines,” Dawson says. “The challenges are considerable, but not insurmountable. It will be great to have clean coasts and a healthy ocean again in the future. While beach clean-ups alone can’t solve the ocean trash problems, they are an integral piece to the overall solution.
“It may seem like an impossible task. But as long as there are people willing to make a change, there will always be a chance for a better tomorrow.”