Kochi, November 2, 2026: Over 100 school children, their teachers and staff from five leading schools of Kochi came together here today in a mega beach-clean up initiative organised jointly by Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), the New Delhi-based research and policy advocacy body and PLAN (Pupil Leaders Action Network). The initiative – named The Kochi Coastal Collective – is a part of CSE’s Marine Marshals sub-programme, which aims to build awareness of school communities on the subject of marine litter and its management.
Explaining what marine litter is, TushitaRawat, programme manager with CSE’s environment education team, said: “Human-generated waste that is solid and persistent in nature – such as plastics – is called marine litter when it ends up in marine or coastal environments. In fact, plastics make up about 87 to 91 per cent of marine litter that is clogging our oceans and killing marine life.”
The day’s event was inaugurated by Priyanka G, district collector of Ernakulam. Speaking to the assembled students on the occasionabout the importance of environmental responsibility, she said: “Three important concepts in our environmental journey are conscious consumerism, re-loving items, and bringing a sustainability lens to whichever profession we choose to pursue.”
Dilip George, dean and principal of Kochi’s Global Public School – the institution which spearheaded this unique initiative – said: “I have learnt that the lessons children remember the most are the ones they live. Watching our students clean the Fort Kochi beach with such sincerity was a lesson in responsibility that no textbook can teach.”
Marine Marshals: Where students take the lead
The Marine Marshals sub-programme is an initiative of CSE’s Green Schools Programme, and is specifically designed for schools in coastal India. The programme aims to build awareness and engagement among school students, teachers, staff and related communities on marine litter and its management – essentially, what is marine litter composed of and what it reveals about pollution along our coasts.
Rawatsaid: “When students take the lead and become environmental stewards, they influence their friends, their families, their schools and their communities. That is what being a Marine Marshal is all about: noticing a problem, understanding it and having the confidence to do something about it.”
Kochi is the first coastal city where CSE is joining hands with local partners to conduct the event. Said Neeraj Kumar, programme manager, environment education, CSE: “The exercise here today was designed to go beyond a one-off clean-up. After collecting litter from the beach, students worked in groups to sort and audit the waste items collected, which helped them understand the composition of marine litter and identify the kinds of waste most commonly found along the coast.”
Commenting on the subject in Delhi, CSE director generalSunitaNarain said: “The problem of marine litter is a serious trans-boundary issue. India, with a coastline of more than 7,000kilometre, has a role to play in controlling this menace."
For photographs of the event and more details etc, please contact Sukanya Nair, CSE, 8816818864, sukanya.nair@cseindia.org
For more on CSE’s Marine Marshal sub-programme, please visit here:
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