It’s that time of year again! This coming Saturday, September 21 is International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) Day, the annual Ocean Conservancy event that mobilizes hundreds of thousands volunteers in more than 100 countries to collect litter from beaches and waterways around the world.
When it comes to our oceans, marine debris poses a serious threat to wildlife, ocean-based economies and coastal communities alike.
Every year thousands of tons of garbage winds up in the oceans, with 60% of that being composed of plastic material. Plastics last a very long time in the ocean, and are in such abundance that there are more than 46,000 individual pieces of plastic litter for every square mile of ocean.
To push back against the growing global ocean pollution problem and help ensure a healthy, trash-free future for our oceans, what is really needed is simple: the help of people like you.
Here in Puerto Vallarta, everyone is invited to participate in “Juntos Limpiemos Nuestro Puerto” (Let’s clean our port together), a community campaign organized by the Amapas Neighborhood Association, The Blue Shrimp and Si Señor Beach restaurants and Clever Plus Orientación Psicopedagógica to promote environmental conservation and awareness, while encouraging residents and visitors to participate in keeping our beaches and coastline clean.
Everyone that appreciates the need of having a ‘Clean Vallarta’ is invited to participate. Volunteers are asked to meet at Lázaro Cárdenas Park on Saturday, September 21st at 8:00 am. Be sure to wear old clothes, comfortable shoes, a sun hat and sunscreen; and, to avoid generating more plastic pollution, bring reusable gloves and a refillable water bottle.
Plastics are very hazardous to marine life, killing more than a million birds and over 100,000 seals, turtles, and whales, and an immense number of fish in our ocean. Keeping the beaches of Banderas Bay clean not only helps our natural environment, but also raises the quality of life for both visitors and those who live here, making it a shared responsibility.
International Coastal Cleanup Day is your chance to really make a difference in Puerto Vallarta. Please help spread the word so others can do the same! For more information, visit the Facebook event page.