Taiwan, an island country surrounded by ocean, is famous for some of the most beautiful
beaches in East Asia. However, increasing piles of trash and sewage contamination have made them unsafe for visitors and wildlife in recent years.
On October 21st, 16 HAS students along with our art teacher, Ms. Phenix woke up bright and early to participate in a coastal cleanup in Taoyuan with the National Environmental Protection Agency. Our students learned about the ways that trash and pollution has affected the our environment. The volunteers tracked all the trash they collected along the shorelines and will use the data collected to gather insight into other ways to tackle this enormous and growing problem. The volunteers also heard moving speeches about the importance of safeguarding the world's oceans by the Taoyuan City Wildlife Bird Conservatory and the Chief Executive Officer of the National Environmental Protection Agency. HAS is grateful for the opportunity to give back to our world, and we are so excited to work with the EPA again in December and January!