People from Newfoundland and Labrador are enthusiastic and dedicated when it comes to cleaning up the province’s beaches, says Julia Lawler of Nature Conservancy of Canada.

Lawler says people feel the need to do something good for the world, and cleanups have the effect of uniting us.

She says sometimes bad news is overwhelming.

She says we get outside in nature, learn about the impacts of plastics we use and learn about species. It is great all around.

Meanwhile, two men on the Avalon are making an impact with their pond and lake cleanup initiatives by heading out in kayaks and diving gear.

The pair created a Facebook page called “Avalon Pond Cleanups” where, after each dive, they post photos of the amount of garbage and recyclables found under and around the water.

The men were at Long Pond in Bay Bulls over the weekend where they filled two kayaks full of garbage and recyclables.

They took to their Facebook page saying the cleanups are baby steps to fixing a larger problem.