Orchid Island’s youth promote eco-awareness

Orchid Island is a world-famous diving spot and home to the Tao people. In recent years, a combination of increasing tourist numbers and ocean garbage drifting in from foreign waters has left the people of the island no longer able to cope with the growing mountain of trash. Witnessing the situation go from bad to worse, local youngsters began joining forces to clean the beaches and have even bought a compressor to turn the garbage into blocks that can be returned to the mainland for processing. The youngsters are calling on tourists to bring water bottles that can be refilled on the island and take away any trash that they produce.   

Unfortunately, despite the dedication and hard work of local youngsters in cleaning up the beaches, each year, a vast quantity of drifting ocean garbage is deposited onto the beaches during the annual northeast monsoon and typhoon season. Locals feel that the only way to maintain the purity and beauty of Orchid Island is to encourage tourists to be plastic-free and remove any trash they create.

以下為中文對照

蘭嶼是達悟族的故鄉，也是世界級知名潛水勝地，近年來到蘭嶼旅行的人數越來越多，加上無國界的海漂垃圾，島上每年累積的垃圾量已經遠超過蘭嶼人所能負荷，有許多蘭嶼青年看見家鄉的問題，自主淨灘和自費購買壓縮機送寶特瓶磚回台，並希望來蘭嶼的旅人，都能人手一瓶，將自己在島上製造的垃圾帶離開這座美麗的島嶼。

而每當志工們辛苦淨灘完畢，只要遇上東北季風或颱風，無國界的海漂垃圾就會再度出現，到蘭嶼旅行的遊人，除了當個不塑之客外，不要忘了順手幫忙多帶一些垃圾離開，還給蘭嶼一張最乾淨美麗的臉孔。

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