MORE is a Japanese environmental non profit tackling Garbage Issue
The acronym for Mountain Ocean River Earth is MORE Planning, and all members of MORE are divers who are seeking a more environmentally friendly style of diving. We are very conscious of environmental issues, especially garbage issues, and are involved in activities ranging from collecting illegal dumping in the mountains, picking up garbage in towns, cleaning up beaches, and even underwater cleaning, which only divers can do.
This spring, we plan to open “MORE Diving School,” a school for training divers well versed in environmental issues, which will offer only a one-week course with its own curriculum and no other courses or fun dives. Therefore, we believe that we can establish a win-win relationship with other local dive stores as a business partner. In Japan, where awareness of environmental issues is still not high from a global perspective, we continue to communicate the current situation and “what we can do” from the diver's point of view. We hope that this will raise the morale of the diving industry as a whole and improve the image of divers.
In 2021, we started a cleanup activity in the city, the predecessor of MORE, an environmental non-profit organization, and in 2022, we officially became an organization. The president is YUMI SHIRAI, the vice president is NAO ARIMORI, and the GM is AYAKA OISHI. YUMI, while usually working as HR at an IT company, has been steadily picking up trash on land by herself since before the organization was launched, and has held exhibitions to communicate her findings and problems there. Based on the connections she made there, she also gave lectures at junior high schools and held tie-up photo exhibitions with famous underwater photographers.
Along with conveying the beauty of the ocean, they have also communicated the garbage and water pollution problems that lie behind the beauty of the ocean. NAO, the vice president, usually works as a company employee, but also draws illustrations of fish and donates a portion of the proceeds to charity. AYAKA, the GM, works as a professional diving instructor and also plays a role in connecting divers and environmental issues through MORE's activities. In addition to the official members, there are many other supporters (mostly divers) who help out with each project.
Our activities are;
BEACH and TOWN CLEANING-UP
We clean up the town and the beach. We regularly clean up the ocean where we usually dive and the town where we live. The government is also cleaning up, but there are many people who litter and it is not keeping up with the current situation.
MOUNTAIN CLEANING-UP
Twice a month, we collect illegally dumped garbage in the mountains. We go into the mountains of Izu and pick up illegally dumped garbage. There is a river running through the mountain, which is connected to the ocean. By picking up trash dumped in the mountains, we hope to stop as much of it as possible from flowing into the ocean.
MORE DIvING SCHOOL is COMMING
Opening a diving school. We believe that the oceans will become cleaner and cleaner if divers with correct knowledge of environmental issues also pick up trash underwater. For this purpose, we thought it was necessary to practice, learn, and improve their knowledge to be able to pick up trash safely. The first diving school in Japan to focus exclusively on environmental issues!
TRASH CANS OF THE SEA
We are carrying out a project to install trash cans in the ocean so that people can throw away trash that they pick up from the water. Eventually, we would like to place them at seven dive sites in our city.
LECTURES AT SCHOOLS
We have been invited by local junior high schools and private organizations to give lectures and hold exhibitions for a limited period of time. We also hold outdoor events, etc., and the stores that are set up there are conscious of reducing waste and additives, etc. We are also aware of the need to reduce the amount of trash and additives in the shops that serve it.
GRAFFITI REMOVAL FOR ENVIROMENTAL BEAUTIFICATION
We are erasing graffiti in the city with the cooperation of the government and private contractors. A town with a lot of graffiti will also have a lot of trash. To improve the overall environment of the town, we are working with local painters to remove graffiti.
ENVIRONMENTAL EXHIBITION
We address many environmental issues. We hold exhibitions to communicate such activities. At the exhibition, we display photos and videos by several underwater photographers, and together we communicate the issues of ocean pollution, ocean plastic, and mountain trash.
◆YUTA SHIGENO
He conveys the charm of the sea through different approaches such as photography, video, writing, and guiding. Based in the Izu Peninsula, he expresses the richness of the ocean with the theme of “color. He is the first Japanese underwater photographer to work as part of a team, and is the first in Japan to work as part of an underwater photographer team. He is also the founder of “CONTRAST,” the first underwater photography team in Japan, and continues to challenge contests.
◆HIDEKAZU KAWASAKA
He is a professional diving guide based in the waters of Ito City, Shizuoka Prefecture. As an underwater photographer, he continues to collaborate with camera-oriented divers and underwater photographers from various fields. He hopes to share his love of the sea with the rest of Japan and the world.
Other people in the diving industry who help us
◆SATOSHI SHINOHARA
◆SAE UENO
