Stephen Gallacher, Mackenzie Hughes and children from the Stephen Gallacher Foundation have all been supporting the DP World Tour's Green Drive at this week's Genesis Scottish Open, taking part in a beach clean as part of the OCEANTEE Sustainability Series.
The stunning 13th is the signature hole at The Renaissance Club and Gallacher and company headed down to the adjacent beach to help the Marine Conservation Society conduct an analysis of the shoreline waste.
The data collated from the beach clean will be added to a national database that helps the charity understand ocean pollution.
The Marine Conservation Society also carried out an education session for the children before heading to the beach for the first of five sustainability activations that OCEANTEE will deliver at DP World Tour tournaments in the coming year to educate fans on important sustainability topics.
The beach by the 13th is a beautiful place but home favourite Gallacher was surprised to find how much mess there was when you get up close.
"It looked a perfectly normal clean beach but when you get down to it and you see all the plastic and towels and bags and stuff, it's great to get it picked up and make it as clean as we can," he said.
"I've seen sustainability become more prominent at the Scottish Open. Now we’re seeing electric cars coming in, as Genesis are bringing in electric cars as courtesy cars.
"I think you've just got to do it slowly and chip away and get the word out there that we're doing our best and we're going to keep doing that for the future."
Canadian Hughes has already been impressed by golf's efforts in sustainability and emphasised the importance of the work both for today and the future.
"We have one planet earth, taking care of the ecosystem and the environment is really important for not only us currently but our kids to come," he said.
"I played The Open Championship last year and saw their commitment to reducing plastic waste... the amount of plastic we could use on a weekly basis out here is significant with this many players and staff, so it's a small change but it's got a huge impact."
OCEANTEE last month became the DP World Tour's Official Sustainable Products Supplier and Founder Ed Sandison was delighted to see the partnership raising awareness of how we need to look after our oceans.
“This has been a fantastic day," he said. "Collecting data, like the children and players have today, is an essential part of the work that the Marine Conservation Society carries out.
"We all need to understand the impact that our lives have on the ocean and I am delighted that through our partnership with the DP World Tour we are able to raise awareness of the important work this amazing charity does around the country.”
To view the details outlined in the Marine Conservation Society's education session, please click here.
