Yesterday was a beautiful day for a hike: blue skies with
spongy white clouds scattered overhead and a light refreshing breeze. But
instead of taking off for hidden trails and picturesque rivers, the Santa
Eulalia Gang, aka The
10:27 Club, donned gloves, grabbed big plastic bags and headed down the
main road picking up rubbish. Our goal was to clean the ditches and gutters of
detritus and in the process hopefully inspire our neighbors to be more aware of
where they toss their trash.
As proud residents of such a naturally beautiful country, Ticos are rather
casual about throwing things on the ground. It seems as though they think,
"out of sight, out of mind," not realizing or choosing to ignore the
fact that all those plastic bags, candy wrappers, cardboard boxes, soda
bottles, computer cases and other garbage don't magically disappear. Alas, when the
rainy season arrives, it all gets pushed down the ditches and into the rivers
and ultimately into the ocean, where trash from around the world now forms a
huge toxic plastic "island" known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
Estimates on its size range from twice the size of Hawaii to twice the size of the state
of Texas. As it leaves countries on the Pacific Rim -- from Japan and the
Philippines in the east and from all along the West Coast of the United States
-- debris is caught up in the North Pacific Gyre,
a clockwise movement of four prevailing currents in the northern part of the
Pacific Ocean, where it slowly breaks down into even smaller polymers that
provide a deadly soup for the ocean life there. Since the Gyre comprises the
largest ecosystem on Earth, some 20 million square kilometers, we're talking
some serious ecological damage.
So the Santa Eulalia "Drinking Club with a Hiking
Problem" decided to take matters - and trash - into our own hands,
literally. We knew we couldn't save the world but we might be able to save our
little pristine corner here in Costa Rica. A little disorganized in the
beginning (as we are wont to be), the gang soon developed a system: Stephen was
Plastic Man, Layne and Carmen were talking Trash, Sue carried the Aluminum and
Glass bag and I was in charge of Paper goods. Marcial, Bonnie and Chris had
primary pick-up duties, delivering the goods to the appropriate bag handlers
and occasionally taking on bag-handling duties as well.
It was slow going; we were amazed at just how much
"stuff" there was to pick up, especially in front of and across the
street from the local high school where the kids convene between classes to
munch on candy and sodas and often drop the packaging where they sit. Along one
stretch of concrete gutter we discovered a sludge-like liquid in the bottom in
which plastics and other debris were immersed. We couldn't face picking that up
as the sludge smelled of sewage so Stephen dragged most of it out with a stick
so at least it could dry - and perhaps send a message to the litterers as well
as the household with the poor septic system.
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| Now that's a Tailgate Party! |
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| This puppy fell in love with Sue - and she with it! |
Check out Layne's book "Moral Turpitude," available for only $2.99 at Smashwords.com. High adventure with corporate intrigue, danger and romance; from the exotic jungles of Borneo and Costa Rica to the erotic jungles of San Francisco. Sample or purchase at --https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/159570
I am just an old gringa (nearly 63) that fell in love with Costa on a couple of visits (still longing to return) and I say GOOD FOR YOU GUYS! The roadside trash was the one thing I found dismaying in such a beautiful country. It's about educating the people about what natural beauty they have before their eyes everyday. Maybe a class in the local high school about what can be done with re-cycled trash would be in order?? They say kids learn best by example. Keep up the good work! Bless you all who participated!
ReplyDeleteVery inspiring. My own Oakland neighborhood is full of street garbage--wonder if I can organize a clean-up.
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