Every morning at Mamallapuram beach, a group of surfers get busy picking trash from the coastline with Mukesh or Mumu, our volunteer friend. An avid surfer and winner of several surf challenges, Mumu loves Mamallapuram. He grew up in the fishermen’s community, the reason why he teamed up with our Green Friends. Mumu’s beach clean team & our Green Friends collect 5 kg of garbage every day! Today, there is a huge behavioural change amongst the fishing community, “Since I belong to the community, I have been able to convince people to segregate and throw garbage into the bins only. People need to understand that what you give to the ocean is what you get back”. Mumu also runs an exchange programme for 7 days where the surfing equipment is free for each day if they help to pick up the plastic and clean the beach. At his cafe, one gets a cup of tea on the house if they help in the beach cleanups! Upcycling is a way of life for Mumu, his cafe and store are filled with upcycled bamboo, wood and glass. Plastic is never in the picture!