Every Action Counts with Beach Cleanup
October 10, 2022: The North American Marine Environment Protection Association (NAMEPA) partnered with corporate member, Genco Shipping & Trading (NYSE: GNK), to sponsor a beach cleanup at Kaiser Park on Coney Island, New York. Genco offices in New York, Denmark and Singapore joined efforts with NAMEPA to Save Our Seas on a global level for their third collaborative cleanup.
“NAMEPA is pleased to partner with our members on initiatives to Save Our Seas”, stated Carleen Lyden Walker, Co-Founder/Executive Director of NAMEPA. “It is especially gratifying to work with such a committed group of global environmental stewards like Genco!”
Genco and NAMEPA descended upon Kaiser Park on Coney Island, New York on September 16th. NAMEPA and Genco leaders were accompanied by their teams and family members on Friday morning to scour the beach front area. 33 volunteers walked the shoreline to collect over 1000 pounds, half a ton, of trash from the beach area at Kaiser Park. Mostly consisting of wrappers, cigarette butts and plastic bottles, some peculiar objects such as a large plastic inflatable raft, several old tires and many pieces of small plastic, and microplastics were found resting in layers of sand.
The beach is a wonderful place for families and individuals of all walks of life to engage in outdoor activities, but the trash that is left behind, or indiscriminately dumped into the water, is detrimental to the health of our ocean. “Every action counts” when it comes to keeping our beaches and waterways clean. NAMEPA and Genco are dedicated to ensuring the health of our ocean and everyone that enjoys it and are proud to work together to help Save Our Seas.
“When organizations like NAMEPA and Genco team together on projects such as a beach clean-up, it goes much further than the immediacy of removing trash from the dunes. It illuminates the need for more events like this and teaching our children the importance of saving our seas while inspiring action within our communities and the maritime ecosystem. During the event, many residents gained valuable information about this initiative and expressed their sincere appreciation for our cleaning their beach” stated John Wobensmith, CEO of Genco Shipping & Trading. “Genco is committed to ensuring the viability of the oceans. Saving our seas requires many hands to make the tremendous task possible; working with NAMEPA, Genco hopes to grow these initiatives in the future as we work towards cleaner seas.”
Dedicated to environmental stewardship and sustainability, NAMEPA and Genco are well versed in the magnitude of debris that ends up in our oceans every day and are actively working to mitigate its impacts. NAMEPA celebrates 15 years working with the marine industry promoting sustainable best practices through industry events and educating the public on the importance of protecting our marine environment. Genco, one of the largest dry bulk shipping companies in the world, regularly integrates ESG practices in their operational and strategic decision making, regularly receiving high marks on the Webber ESG scale.
