Bode Brewer

My name is Bode Brewer, and I had the privilege of participating in one of the “Coastal Cleanups” off the coast of Dar es Salaam in June 2025. During my month-long stay in Dar es Salaam, my primary focus was on democracy and political polling, not environmental issues. When my cohort, Athena Wagner, proposed a morning of volunteer work to quite literally clean up the coast, I felt that I had a moral obligation to participate. When we arrived, it was a beautiful Saturday morning with the plastic bottles reflecting on the sand. We had quite a lot of work ahead of us! To my surprise, we were accompanied by Zakayo Zakaria and a handful of teenagers who were passionate about protecting our planet from excessive litter. After 1½ hours of work and about 30 bags full of garbage, the section of beach was unrecognizable from its original state. While we were very proud of our work, our impact as a “drop in the bucket” to the myriad miles of beach to be overhauled. I particularly enjoyed the experience as it gave me an experience and perspective that I had never considered. This initiative is making a difference in saving our planet, one beach at a time. Aside from the causes that affect our climate, tackling the epidemic of littering and clean coasts is something that needs to be done, and “Coast Clean Tanzania” is at the forefront of that fight.