Dr. Shakila Merchant, CUNY CREST HIRES Director along with CUNY Graduate Center Doctoral Student, NOAA CESSRST II Fellow, and CUNY CREST HIRES Mentor, Richard Rivera, and ESE club Circle K member Mr. Avirup Ray (Senior) participated in the Water’s Edge Beach Revival Activation on August 25, 2024 at the Far Rockaway, New York. This community beach clean up was attended by the CREST’s Living Shoreline and Environmental Justice project team led by Dr. Merchant and was co-sponsored by the institute.
During the clean-up, attendees came together to partake in a morning filled with west-African folklore and sound healing. While helping clean the beach in order to protect our coastal environment, participants enjoyed a reflective and meditative experience by the ocean. Expanding on her experience and importance of such events, Dr. Shakila Merchant said, “Oceans and Rivers are revered as Gods and Goddesses by many religions. The event intended to connect community and beliefs that Ocean is vital to our lives and must be protected as sacred ecosystems by stopping pollution and marine debris impacting the oceans. The beach cleanup was one of many ways we can bring coastal communities together and create awareness and respect for these invaluable ecosystems.”
To learn more about this project, watch The Sixth Boro Film (Sizzle) – Directed by Lowel Alomar here (1.42 onwards is the coverage on the clean-up).
