Ibaraki Co-op holds "Sea School"
2020.10.29
On September 26, 2020, Ibaraki Co-op, with the cooperation of the NPO Adventure Navigation Crew of Oarai (ANCO) in Oarai Town, held "Sea School" where co-op members and their families learned about the sea in Ibaraki Prefecture.
Ibaraki Co-op started "School" activities in 2015 to promote co-op members' understanding of the sea, lakes, and rivers, and added "Forest School" in 2017. Ibaraki Co-op became a member of the ANCO in 2015 to gain cooperation in implementing the "Sea School."
ANCO is a non-profit organization that holds various events with the activity mission of "handing down and developing seaside culture," "environmental learning and conservation activities to nurture and protect abundant nature," and "building a network centered on the sea in Oarai and promoting exchanges in the region."
In the event held last year, 30 people from 10 families participated, but this year, 14 people from 6 families participated under strict measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 infection. Most of the participants were families with children, and with the advice of the ANCO staff, they picked up trash on the beach and made shell magnets, shells decorated with nail polish put on a magnet base, using the ones they collected.
There were comments from the participants such as, "There were a lot of cigarette butts and plastics when picking up trash, so it was an opportunity to think about the environment," "I had a very fresh experience picking up trash and experiencing art," etc.
Participants picking up trash
In the first half of this year, the "School" activities were canceled due to the COVID-19, but it resumed from September. Ibaraki Co-op will continue the efforts to promote learning about the rich natural environment of Ibaraki Prefecture.
