Earth Day 2024 with Blackbough
and Project Curma

A Wave of Change: Dive into Blackbough’s Beach Cleanup and Fundraiser for Endangered Pawikan (Sea Turtles)

On April 20th, more than 170 volunteers joined forces with Blackbough Swim to clean up the beaches of Bacnotan, La Union, removing a significant amount of trash that threatened the nesting sites of endangered sea turtles. This one-day coastal cleanup, aligned with Earth Day festivities, highlighting our commitment to ecological conservation.

Building on the success of our first coastal cleanup in 2023, where we removed over 100 sacks of trash from Malinao Beach, Siargao, this year's event marks our continued commitment to marine conservation. It remains a core tenet of our sustainability journey here at Blackbough Swim.

The shores of Bacnotan, a sanctuary for the endangered “pawikan” (sea turtles), served as the focal point of this initiative. As part of our ongoing mission to further marine conservation, we at Blackbough Swim joined forces with Project CURMA (Coastal Underwater Resource Management Actions). CURMA's leadership in marine turtle conservation in the Philippines has been crucial for implementing coastal forest restoration and waste management practices to safeguard this vital habitat.

A Day of Purposeful Action

At Blackbough Swim, our coastal cleanup was more than just a cleanup—it was a comprehensive day of environmental education and action. Our volunteers didn't just clear trash; they learned, they contributed, and they made a difference. The cleanup proper kicked off bright and early at 6 AM, with us rigorously scouring the beach to eradicate harmful waste and segregating it for proper disposal. We conducted the cleanup on the coastal grounds surrounding Alpas, a cafe that is also the official hatchery partner of CURMA in Bacnotan, home to one of La Union’s protected sea turtle nesting grounds. We removed over 50 sacks of trash and dangerous debris in an hour, including shoes, tires, and barbed wire. By keeping this habitat clean for ocean wildlife, baby sea turtles can safely return to the ocean during the hatching season.

Beyond the Beach: An Earth Day Celebration Collection

Missed the beach cleanup? You can still make an impact. We at Blackbough Swim donate 10% of net profits from the ‘Earth Day 2024 Collection’ to CURMA. Each sale of two bikini sets supports a day of care for 60 to 70 sea turtles in La Union, Philippines. Help save our seas, and check out the Earth Day 2024 Collection here.

This won't be the last of our marine initiatives this year! We have a lot of upcoming projects lined up: with International Coastal Cleanup Day in September, and with another beach cleanup planned in the latter half of the year. For more information about Blackbough Swim and our sustainability initiatives, please visit the our commitment page.

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