What does the beach mean to you?
To me, the beach is somewhere I go to relax and recharge. I still remember some of my fondest memories at the beach came after finishing my A level examinations, sitting on the breakwaters with my friends for hours in the evening looking up at the stars.
I conducted a survey of 127 people, of which 120 indicated they visited the beach at least once a month to find out what the beach meant to them, this is how they responded:
It was quite interesting to see how many people go to the beach too for recreation and to relax too, as we recently learned about the wellness benefits of nature in a recent lecture. In a study conducted by the University of Exter, it showed that people who lived under 1 kilometer from the beach were 22% less likely to exhibit symptoms of a mental health disorder.
But why is this the case?
One reason, as suggested by Richard Shuster, PsyD, clinical psychologist and host of The Daily Helping podcast, is because the constant flowing of the waves alters our brain waves’ frequency, causing us to be put into a trance-like state. The rhythmic nature of the sounds of the waves crashing onto the shore also helps to de-stimulate our brain.
So, what would happen if these beaches were now full of trash?
No, I would not visit the beach anymore (69%)
Most respondents indicated that the litter would deter them from going to the beach. The main reason given for this is due to the respondents finding the litter repulsive and thus not wanting to go to such a place anymore as it would not only not be relaxing, but stressful sight.
Just the presence of litter alone has shown to be stressful, and that litter on the beach can undermine the effects of the beaches’ restorative quality. This is very concerning due to the sheer amount of litter on our beaches now and the difficulties of cleaning it up as seen from previous my previous posts.
Other reasons indicated were due to the potential dangers the litter might pose such as injuring the feet of walkers, and due to the respondents being afraid of potential pests that might be attracted to the litter.
Maybe, depending on the situation (7%)
A minority of the respondents said that they would take the situation into account before making their decision about going to the beach, depending on the severity of the litter and what they were going to the beach for.
Yes, I will still visit the beach(24%)
Every cloud has a silver lining, and in this case, it is the caring hearts of a few respondents who said that even though the beach was full of litter, they would still visit it to help clean it up. When I read this my heart was really full of warmth, to have people who still cared enough about our beaches to be willing to clean them up.
As can be seen, the importance of beaches to us humans is great, not only in terms of what it means to the overall ecosystem and environment but to the people living in it. So let us always remember to keep our beaches clean so we can wave our worries away.
This is so great Mark ! But I think something accidentally got left out. The part after “I conducted a survey of 127 people, of which 120 indicated they visited the beach at least once a month to find out what the beach meant to them, this is how they responded:”
Was this supposed to be a graphic or what ?
Hi Dr Coleman,
Thanks for pointing it out, a graphic was missing that has since been updated!
Mark
Hi Mark!
Great post! I have never thought of how I would feel if our beautiful, ‘Instagram worthy’ Sentosa beaches were filled with trash. As someone who really loves the beach I now feel an even greater duty to protect our beaches! How do you think we can influence the people who feel like they no longer will visit the beach to play a part in protecting our coasts?
Hi Chloe,
Thanks for reading this blog post, I’m so glad to hear that you love the beach too! It is my strong belief that you should be the change you want to see in the world. Should there be a situation where the beach would really be too bad for people to want to visit if we really want to influence people to come back and help, we need to be the first ones who come and help in the first place. Alongside this, I feel that in this situation, there needs to be some form of government intervention to aid this as it is likely too great a task for volunteers to solve themselves.
Thanks,
Mark
Hi Mark!
I found your survey fascinating as it showed that beachgoers are unwilling to visit litter-filled beaches and clean them up, even though it holds intrinsic value for them. It made me think about the Singapore River of the past when it was choked with garbage before it was subsequently cleaned up by the government. This helped to turn the river into a tourist destination, bringing with it financial benefits. Hence, do you think extrinsic valuation matters more than intrinsic valuation when it comes to keeping a place clean?
Cheers,
Yu Xun
Hey Yu Xun,
That is actually a very interesting point that I had not considered much before. I feel that both the intrinsic and extrinsic valuation needs to be taken into account to determine the importance of a place, depending on the stakeholder in question. When considering companies and to a certain extent, the government, the extrinsic value would be more important as the bottom line would mean more to them than the intrinsic value of the place. However when looking at the value of a place to the community and its residents, usually the intrinsic value of the place should be taken into account.
When it comes to the beach specifically, I feel that the intrinsic value of it would actually mean more than the extrinsic value. Even though the beaches are considered tourist destinations, usually when visiting the beaches here in Singapore there is a larger percentage of locals using it for recreation.
Thanks!
Mark
Hi Mark!
I really liked the replies from your respondents who said they would still visit the beach to help out with the clean up! The East Coast Beach clean up is one of the major beach clean ups this year. Although there were many who were driven to clear up the trash on the beach, some felt it was useless to do so. I heard from my friends that while they were cleaning up the beach, an uncle walked pass and told them they should not clear the rubbish. That’s because their efforts would be wasted when the waters bring in new trash especially during a high tide. The uncle then commented that it was useless to pick up the trash, and that their efforts won’t do much to help the beach. What are your views on this issue? Do you agree with the uncle?
– Jo
Hey Jo!
Yes, I too have participated in many of the clean-ups at East Coast Beach this year, including one with some of our BES friends where a uncle came to reprimand us for cleaning the beach too. Maybe it was the same person who your friends mentioned haha. I hope that they were not too discouraged by his words.
In all honesty, cleaning up the beach is an impossible task for any amount of people to do, let alone a small group of volunteers. There is just simply too much trash in the ocean to pick up by hand. Despite this, I feel that the importance of beach clean-ups is not just in the amount of trash picked up, but in the awareness raised about this issue. The more awareness raised in the public, the more corporations and even the government would be compelled to step in and address the problem, which would in turn lead to larger-scale solutions. To me, there is also a sense of personal convictions that have a part to play in volunteering and that helps me persevere in my goals too.
If you would like to find out more about the public’s perceptions of beach clean-ups be sure to check out this week’s post as I will be writing more about it then!
Thanks!
Mark
Dear Mark
Interesting post! I believe that litter along the coast can contribute to nature deficit disorder since many people are deterred away from visiting beaches, as per your survey. I do agree that beaches have recuperative effects on our psychological well-being too. Personally, I love going to the beach for evening walks and letting the sea breeze caress me.
However, I was wondering if beach clean-up initiatives could entice people to visit dirty beaches. Based on personal experience, picking up trash can allow me to stay clear of depressing or stressful thoughts (at least for me haha). Furthermore, seeing a dirty coast being cleared of litter lets us feel a sense of achievement, isn’t it? Perhaps we can use this to incentivize people to keep beaches clean? What are your ideas on this?
Hi Wen Han!
Thanks for your comment! I am so glad that there are so many people who love the beach like I do too.
Yes I too do feel that people could be incentivized to help keep the beach clean through beach clean-ups. However, the main issue with this is getting people to want to come for the clean-ups in the first place. To a person who is not interested in keeping the beach clean, they might feel that it is a waste of time and that it is not their own responsibility to clean up the beach. This is where the problem lies.
Perhaps we should use other methods of incentivizing them to come to the beach clean-up in the first place such as gifts and other prizes, but I am afraid that it might defeat the purpose of the clean-up in the first place which is to raise awareness about the problem.
Also about your point of cleaning up the beach improving mental well-being, there was a study done on it here if you would like to read more.
Mark