This event was part of the “Enjoy with Conscience” campaign, with the third installation of a sign promoting environmental awareness by the non-profit organization Conservation Opportunity.
February 26, 2023- Yabucoa, Puerto Rico]- [February 26, 2023- Yabucoa, Puerto Rico]. The non-profit organization Conservation Opportunity (CO) closed the month of February by giving love to the beach, collecting 539 pounds at the Yabucoa Harbour Boulevard Sign Installation and Beach Cleanup event in Yabucoa. The activity was attended by 45 people, including two volunteers from CO and two municipal officials.
The event was part of Giving Tuesday of CO's “Enjoy with Conscience” initiative, where a third interpretive panel was installed to promote the conservation of natural resources and to motivate the public to care for the ecosystem.
The activity began at 9:00 a.m., until approximately 12:00 p.m. There were a variety of activities in addition to the beach cleanup, such as the quantification of the items collected, a talk by the Director of Tourism of Yabucoa about the awareness of the garbage brought to the natural areas and the use and reuse of plastic bottles, and even an art competition with the garbage collected. Also, green contact hours were signed by students.
The non-profit organization explains that litter affects our wildlife and water quality, detracts from the beauty of the area and is detrimental to our natural resources.
“Rafael Surillo, the municipality, the Director of Tourism of the Municipality of Yabucoa (Juan Lozada) and Noelia Dávila Ortiz, the students of the Ramón Power y Giralt School, Washburn School and the community for joining us in the installation of our third environmental conservation and beach cleanup sign. It fills us with great joy to close the month of love by giving love to this beach and the sea turtles that nest on this coast. It is fundamental for us as an organization to continue carrying the message of conservation and cleanliness of the natural resources on our island” expressed Fabiola Torres founder of CO.
Currently, the other signs installed as part of the campaign are located at the Broken Bridge in the El Yunque National Forest since August 2022, one at Punta Río Grande Beach in the municipality of Aguada since January of this year, and the one installed in February at Yabucoa Harbour Beach, also known as Playa Lucia in Yabucoa. There are about six signs left to be installed with no confirmed locations. Conservation Opportunity encourages the community to join in this project and suggest other locations for the installation of the other signs.
If you know of any places where CO can install these interpretive signs that promote the conservation of Puerto Rico's natural areas, please let us know. around here.
Yabucoa Tourism Team. CO and volunteer staff.
Written by: Carolina S. Colón