The beach cleaning achievements of the charity Beach Buddies have been recognised in the United States with an invitation for the founder Bill Dale BEM to speak on the subject to environment students at Youngstown State University, Ohio.
The invitation follows a visit to the Isle of Man last year by a group of geology students from the University who met Beach Buddies’ volunteers while studying rock formations and fossils at Scarlett.
One of the students produced a paper on the methods used by Beach Buddies which have transformed beaches across the Island over the last five years.
Bill Dale will travel to Ohio in October this year and will give a lecture as part of the University’s study on ‘Energy and the Environment’.
Dr Colleen Mclean, who was one of the University team leaders during the Isle of Man visit, has since returned to the Island twice to further her studies into the unique geology and history of the Isle of Man, using advanced scientific techniques to gather information.
She said, “Our guides on the Island last year, Colin and Pam Kermode, are regular volunteers for Beach Buddies and introduced us to the volunteers at Scarlett. We were really impressed by the way the beaches on your island have been transformed and the way Beach Buddies has engaged with the community.
“We have a huge litter problem in our own State, and all across the USA, and no one seems to know what to do about it. But in the Isle of Man you have all pulled together and sorted it out yourselves. It is an inspirational story and we are delighted that Bill has accepted an invitation to speak at our University later this year.”
Bill Dale added, “It’s now ten years since we first started collecting rubbish from the beaches and if you had suggested in 2007 that Beach Buddies would now have more than 7,500 volunteers and be invited to speak at a University in the USA I would have never believed it.
“This is a real privilege for us to be asked to give a presentation in Ohio, and it’s already possible that other invitations are coming up during the trip in October. It is a wonderful opportunity to talk about the Isle of Man, our UNESCO Biosphere Reserve award and how our people genuinely care about their island and the environment.”
