The NSS Unit of Meenakshi College of Nursing (MCON) actively participated in a Beach Clean-Up Drive on 13th February 2026 at Ashtalakshmi Temple Beach, Besant Nagar, Chennai. The initiative was carried out in collaboration with the Environmentalist Foundation of India (EFI) as part of an ongoing effort to promote environmental conservation and sustainable coastal practices.
The students were welcomed by Mr. Raji from EFI, who conducted an orientation session highlighting the ecological importance of sea turtles and the urgent need to protect their nesting habitats. He emphasized that safeguarding marine biodiversity is essential for maintaining a sustainable coastal ecosystem and preventing long-term environmental degradation.
A total of 45 B.Sc. Nursing III-year students and 9 M.Sc. Nursing II-year students enthusiastically participated in the clean-up activity. The volunteers collected and segregated various forms of waste, including food wrappers, corn husks, diapers, broken glass bottles, and other debris scattered along the shoreline. Their collective effort resulted in the collection of 10 full bags of garbage, approximately 40 kilograms in total, which were subsequently handed over to the local municipality for safe disposal and management.
The drive instilled a strong sense of social responsibility among students and reinforced the collective duty to protect oceans and beaches. The initiative served as a powerful reminder that environmental health is intrinsically linked to community health, and that every individual action contributes to building a cleaner, safer, and more sustainable future for generations to come.
