Oyster Bags’ Crafting Workshop at Tai O

On May 2nd, a group of S5 students traveled to Tai O with their English teachers to participate in a workshop focused on assembling oyster bags, led by a professional environmental advocacy group, the Plastic Ocean. These structures aim to provide habitats for marine organisms, mimicking the role of coral reefs in supporting marine life, because oysters can not only filter the sea water, but also provide a safe place for those tiny marine animals to live. First, we walked around Tai O and learnt about the history and ecology of Tai O’s shoreline. Touring Tai O, students have learned about why flooding usually happens there due to global warming and climate change. 

5B Isis Lau Wing Sum

Students’ reflections

Through this workshop, I’ve learned a lot about the dangers that sea animals are facing and how creating oyster bags can help benefit the ocean. The most memorable fact I remember is that each oyster can filter 200 litres of water each day. Luckily, I’ve never liked eating oysters, since nowadays the ocean is contaminated with different pollutants, and the process of filtering water causes oysters to store billions of microplastics inside them — which means eating them also means consuming harmful substances. After telling this to my parents, they were alarmed, and I guess they won’t be eating oysters for quite a long time.

I’m truly thankful for this experience since it was both super fun and educational. I created strong bonds with my classmates and enjoyed the beautiful scenery along the way.

5B Sophia Bonde Alexendria

The trip was a truly memorable experience for me. While walking on that long bridge to the beach, the cool breeze and sunshine on my face felt incredibly relaxing. Hearing the sea water splashing against the rocks at the beach was therapeutic as well.

While enjoying the moment, listening to the instructor talk about the rise in sea levels in Tai O was alarming. It made me realise that even though I don’t live on the outlying islands, the potential threat of flooding is still severe due to global warming and water pollution.

Who knew that these small oysters could have such a positive impact on water pollution, filtering 50 gallons of water a day! That’s why, when making the oyster bags, I realised that every small action we take matters. For example, carelessly throwing boxed drinks into the ocean could cause serious harm to the environment. Therefore, I put effort into making the oyster bags not just to help reduce pollution, but also to raise awareness about these natural hazards and the threats they pose to ourselves and everyone around us.

5B Gigi Cheng Man Chi

Nowadays, many advocates want to raise the awareness of the public on protecting the environment. Through this workshop, I realize that the environment is so fragile that we may will easily damage it in a short time unintentionally, but restoring the shoreline and making it become favourable for the animals will take a very long time.Therefore to avoid the damage on marine lives, we should take the initiative to reduce our waste and recycle as much as possible. We should cherish our mother nature.

5B Kary Cheng Ka Ni

Due to human activities, much greenhouse gas has been produced, raising the temperature in every country. Following global warming, we face climate change and extreme weather. I have learned about the flooding that usually happens in Tai O, a low-lying island. With the higher and higher sea level, I am terrified that one day Tai O, an angelic place, will be taken by nature and disappear. Therefore, we learned how to craft and make oyster bags to help protect the endangered shoreline in Tai O by fostering a thriving marine ecosystem. 

5B Ruby Fung Shun Lam