A team of 30 enthusiastic international students from Bangor University got together on Saturday November 4th to work for a better and cleaner planet!
They spent 
3 hours picking up (a lot of) litter around upper and lower Bangor as part of a new project organised by the International Student Support Office – called Internationals Go Green.
The initiative consists of a series of trips and events aimed at raising awareness on environmental issues, sustainability and wellbeing among students. In addition, all their events are organised together with other University Departments (with UNDEB Bangor this time) and Local Organisations to enhance the Student Experience to the max and to work as a bridge between students and the local community.
Students experienced first-hand the problem of litter and waste in our current societies. Kilos and Kilos of items were picked up from the floor, one by one, in a very short period. These consisted mainly of plastic and glass bottles, cans and take-away related litter. 15 bags full of litter were collected from the Pier to the High Street to College Road, highlighting the need for a change in how we dispose of our litter. Plastic can take up to thousands of years to decompose and in the majority of cases, the litter around Bangor ends up in the sea, becoming a real hazard for many species and habitats.
The event on Saturday acts as a reminder that each and every one of us needs to engage and work for a better, cleaner planet. In the words of Frederick Walters from Germany –BSc student in Marine Biology/Zoology – “Seeing the shocking amount of rubbish gathered on that day, in such a short time, has made me realise how much one can do for our world. It is vital for people to get active and change our future”.
A time to change our actions has come, as shown by this group of students from all over the World who dedicated their Saturday morning to clean up our city and hopefully influence the actions of others to help reduce littering for a nicer, healthier and even more beautiful Bangor.
