同じ鹿児島県の離島、沖永良部島で海洋ゴミ問題に向き合う素敵な家族を栗島先生（芝浦工業大学）にご紹介いただき、思いきって訪ねてみました！
17日（土）の朝、うじじきれい団と一緒に内喜名浜でマイクロプラスチックを拾いました！翌日は、お父さんの竿智之さんから、うじじきれい団の活動について詳しくお聞きしました✨
2017年、夏休みの宿題をきっかけに、うじじ浜でゴミを拾いはじめたうじじきれい団！雨と寝坊の日以外は毎朝、時に島を訪れる旅人を巻き込んで海でのゴミ拾いを続けているそうです👀
海洋ゴミという共通点から、他の離島の方々と繋がることができて嬉しかったです！うじじきれい団の活動を参考に、種子島でもマイクロプラスチック拾いやアート活動に取り組もうと思います！！！🎨
うじじきれい団の皆さんありがとうございました✨
Thanks to Professor Kurishima from Shibaura Institute of Technology, I was introduced to a wonderful family on Okinoerabu Island, another remote island in Kagoshima Prefecture, who are addressing the issue of marine litter. I decided to take a leap and visit them!
On the morning of Saturday the 17th, I joined the Ujiji Kireidan to collect microplastics at Naikina Beach. The following day, I had the opportunity to hear more about their activities from Mr. Tomoyuki SAO, the father of the family.✨
The Ujiji Kireidan began picking up trash at Ujiji Beach in 2017, inspired by a summer homework project. Since then, they’ve continued their beach cleaning efforts every morning—except on rainy days or when they oversleep—sometimes even involving travelers visiting the island!👀
I’m so happy to have connected with others from different islands who share a common concern about marine litter. Inspired by the Ujiji Kireidan’s activities, I plan to focus on microplastic collection and art initiatives on Tanegashima as well!🎨
A big thank you to the Ujiji Kireidan for your warm hospitality and inspiring activities!✨