‘WE will make Bude plastic-free, and we will continue to be a shining light’, vowed 2 Minute Beach Clean founder Martin Dorey at the recent Wave Conference.

Surfers, scientists, businessmen and wildlife organisations alike gathered at Life’s A Beach at Summerleaze, to take part in the day of invaluable talks and informative presentations, which took place on Thursday, September 15.

When Martin Dorey took to the stage, he captured Bude’s community spirit in a talk about beach cleans and community groups.

He said: “Bude — we, it, you, are the leading lights. The world is looking to us and we need to step up, and we are stepping up.”

Martin highlighted the recent events and activities to keep the town’s beaches clean, mentioning Widemouth Task Force, BeachCare, the Plastic Movement, Bude Cleaner Seas Project, Crackington Crew and the recent Dawn til Dusk beach clean that saw 407 people come along to take part. Additionally, local lady Jan Wells has pledged to complete a two-minute beach clean every day for a year, and, on Thursday, was on her 268th clean.

Martin explained that the 2 Minute Beach Clean came about following a destructable storm during the winter of 2013, leaving tonnes of litter and waste washed up on Bude’s beaches. Overwhelmed by the debris left, he came back to do a little bit each day, and through the power of social media, he inspired others, feeding them into groups such as Widemouth Task Force and Surfers Against Sewage, and the 2 Minute Beach Clean blossomed. Since then, the event’s success has gone international.

Martin said: “The thing about the 2 Minute Beach Clean is that it’s manageable; people can spare a couple of minutes to pick up some litter off their local beach — it’s not daunting.

“You’ll always be thanked for the work that you’ve done. That plastic cup will not break up into microplastics; that piece of rope you’ve just picked up will not get tied around a seal’s neck.”

He added: “We will make Bude plastic-free, and we will continue to be a shining light.”

Bude Wave Conference was opened by wildlife presenter Miranda Krestovnikoff, who described herself as a ‘water baby’, and the conference was hosted by Natalie Fee, founder of Bristol’s City to Sea campaign.

Miranda told the conference: “This is a very special event which will have a real impact on the community and our oceans. For all of you who have never put your head underwater, it’s a completely different world and it’s incredible to see the variety of habitats and communities that live under the sea.

“I have the deepest respect for the sea whenever I’m in it, and for all the concerns that we have for the future, I hope that we can come up with the solutions.”

Natalie added: “Today is all about positive change and encouraging positive choices to our own wellbeing and the environment.

“Pollution is breaking our hearts on a daily basis, but has inspired thousands to do something about it.”

The first speaker of the day was Amanda Barlow from Spiezia Organics, a 100% organic cosmetics company and ethical organisation. Her presentation told the conference of the microplastics that enter the water, and how much it represents in plastic pollution figures.

The conference heard although the government has set a target for all non-biodegradable products to be gone by 2020, the number of microbeads going into the ocean within the next four years still looks high. For every shower, approximately 100,000 microbeads, ranging from 1 to 5mm each, flow into the sea.

Amanda explained microbeads are tiny pieces of plastic that do not get filtered by the sewage system, and are then flushed into the sea, eaten by fish and get into the food chain, absorbing toxins along the way. Two hundred and sixty-eight thousand tonnes of microbeads enter the ocean each year.

Amanda said: “This is where everyone needs to take action — by not buying the stuff, to be quite frank.”

Microbeads could soon be banned for good, with 357,000 people in the UK having recently signed a petition to be rid of the tiny pieces of plastic. Following this, Waitrose has announced that it will not be stocking products containing microbeads.

Amanda added: “If you want to make an informed choice, look for the logo that certifies that the product is organic — you know you’re going to be buying something good for you and something that’s good for the planet.

“It’s all down to conscious living. Bude is a fine example of the community getting together. It’s all about doing the right thing, so let’s just do the right thing.”

Next the conference welcomed Jon Khoo from the carpet retailer Interface, showing the conference the role a business can play in helping the environment and ‘turning something very negative into something very positive’.

When the company’s founder, Ray Anderson, had a growing concern of what the world would be like for his grandchildren to live in, he decided to talk to ecologists and scientists about the global problem.

Interface’s carpets now include recycled content from fishing nets, but the company wanted to make more of an impact on local communities, linking the product and empowering people.

Jon said: “Business doesn’t have to be evil, as such, but it does need to open its eyes and realise the role it has to play.”

Having joined forces with the Zoological Society of London, which has a strong track record of working with communities, Interface has been able to move beyond donations and sponsorship to create a strategy in being beneficial to the communities.

It has now provided financial empowerment to communities, with 500 families now having access to finance, and has collected 100 tonnes of nets since 2012. It aims to protect one billion square metres of coastline by 2020.

The final talk of the first section of the Bude Wave Conference was by host, Natalie Fee, who spoke about plastic and cotton buds and their effect on the environment.

Based in Bristol, Natalie founded City to Sea in 2015 after seeing the amount of plastic waste that had flowed into the River Avon from the city.

Since City to Sea began, there are now 200 refill stations around Bristol, following the concept of Deb Rosser’s Refill Bude, and has gone on to become a national gem.

Natalie went on to explain to the conference about the astonishing amounts of plastic cottonbuds that enter the sea and river banks, making up 60% of all sewage debris and being in the top 5% of litter found on beach cleans.

Switch the Stick is a new campaign encouraging members of the public, businesses and organisations to ‘switch the stick’ from plastic to paper, with a national petition urging retailers to stop stocking plastic buds. Waitrose and Johnson’s have agreed to change their product to paper.

To find out more information about the campaign, visit www.switchthestick.org